Mesa Arizona Temple

Mesa Arizona Temple
Number	7	edit data
Dedication	23 October 1927 (23 October 1927) by Heber J. Grant
Site	20 acres (8.1 hectares)
Floor area	120,000 sq ft (11,000 m2)
Height	50 ft (15 m)
Preceded by	Cardston Alberta Temple
Followed by	Idaho Falls Idaho Temple
Official website • News & Images
Additional Information Announcement 3 October 1919 Groundbreaking 25 April 1922 by Heber J. Grant Open House Tours were available upon request 1920-1922 Rededication 16 April 1975 by Spencer W. Kimball Designed by Don Carlos Young, Jr. and Ramm Hansen Location 101 South LeSueur Street Mesa, Arizona 85204 United States Phone number 480-833-1211 Exterior finish Concrete Temple design Solomon's Temple, no spire Ordinance rooms 4 with Movie, stationary sessions Sealing rooms 9 Clothing rental Yes Cafeteria Full services Visitors'  center Yes Notes The first temple to offer ordinances in a language other than English (Spanish).

Coordinates: 33°24′46.4″N 111°49′10.5″W / 33.412889°N 111.819583°W / 33.412889; -111.819583 The Mesa Arizona Temple (formerly the Arizona Temple) is the seventh operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located in the city of Mesa, Arizona, it is the first of five LDS temples built or planned in the state.

History

The LDS temple in Mesa was one of the first to be constructed by the church. Similar to the Cardston, Alberta temple, the church decided to hold a competition for the design of the temple with the exception of only inviting three Salt Lake firms to participate. The winning design was proposed by Don Carlos Young, Jr. and Ramm Hansen. Announced in 1919, only a few short years after Arizona had achieved statehood, it was one of 3 temples announced and constructed to serve outlying Mormon settlements in the early part of the century, the others being constructed in Laie, Hawaii and Cardston, Alberta. While neither of the three settlements were particularly large in their own right, they were considered thriving centers of largely Mormon populations. The long and arduous trip to existing temples located in the state of Utah would prove costly and even dangerous for the faithful of the era, and temple attendance was (and is) an important part of the faith, and as such it was seen as necessary to construct temples in their communities.

Numerous colonies had been set up in Arizona by the Mormons during the last half of the nineteenth century, and plans had been discussed for a temple in the area as early as 1908, but the start of World War I stopped these for a while. Plans to build a temple in Mesa, Arizona were finally announced on October 3, 1919 and a 20-acre (81,000 m²) site was selected and bought in 1921. The site was dedicated shortly after on November 28, 1921 and on April 25, 1922 the groundbreaking ceremony took place. President Heber J. Grant conducted the ceremony.

Following the earlier traditions set forth in the building of temples such as the Salt Lake Temple, the new structure in Mesa was a centerpiece of an organized and planned community for the faithful that lived nearby. Upon its completion in 1927 it was the third largest temple in use by the church and the largest outside of Utah, and remains among the largest temples constructed to this day.

In a departure from the style of temples constructed prior, the Mesa temple (along with the temples in Laie and Cardston) was built in a style suggestive of the Temple in Jerusalem, lacking the spires that have become a mainstay of temples built since then, and was in fact the last LDS temple constructed without a spire. On the outside walls are depictions of the gathering of God's people in the Old and New world and on the Pacific Islands. The temple design is similar to ancient buildings found in the Southern U.S. and South America.

When construction was finished on the temple, the public was able to take tours through the temple. Two hundred thousand people were able to take a tour through the Mesa Temple. The temple was dedicated on October 23, 1927 by Heber J. Grant. By that afternoon, the temple was being put to use. In 1945, the temple was distinguished by becoming the first to offer temple ordinances in Spanish, the first time they were offered in a language other than English.

Rededication

Christmas Lights at the Temple

The Mesa Temple was closed in February 1974, for extensive remodeling that equipped the ordinance rooms for motion-picture presentation of the endowment sessions, and that added a new entrance and an additional 17,000 square feet (1,600 m²), providing much larger dressing rooms and increasing the number of sealing rooms. The re-dedication occurred on April 16, 1975 by Spencer W. Kimball.^[1]

Public exhibits and events

Christmas Lights Reflections

Visitors Center reflection

Just north of the temple is a visitors' center where people can enjoy murals, videos, displays, and other activities. The visitors' center also houses a replica of a statue of Jesus Christ by Danish artist Bertel Thorvaldsen called The Christus. The visitors' centers and grounds are staffed by Mormon missionaries and the public is welcome to walk on the temple grounds and enjoy the well-kept gardens.

During Christmas there is a light display and a nativity scene. During late March to early April, the temple hosts the Mesa Arizona Easter Pageant Jesus the Christ, which attracts approximately 150,000 people annually and is the "largest annual outdoor Easter pageant in the world."^[2][3]

See also

	Latter-day Saints portal
	Arizona portal

• Comparison of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Ida R. Alldredge
• List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by geographic region
• Temple architecture (Latter-day Saints)
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Arizona

References

1. ^ LDSChurchtemples.com
2. ^ "World's Largest Annual Outdoor Easter Pageant Draws Crowds Topping 150,000 During 10-Day Run". Business Wire. 2005-03-09. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_/ai_n12416058. Retrieved 2008-11-30. 
3. ^ Griffiths, Lawn (2007-03-24). "Mesa Mormon temple prepares for Easter pageant". East Valley Tribune. http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/86475. Retrieved 2008-11-30. ^{[dead link]}

External links

• Official LDS Mesa Arizona Temple page
• Mesa Arizona Temple page
• Mesa Temple Christmas Lights
• Mesa Temple Easter Pageant