# Mormon Temple Architecture



## No1_Saint

taboe said:


> intesting thread! Strange how they 'borrow' elements from existing styles, some look almost gothic, others are more like a mausoleum, while others, as mentioned, seem to be inspired by the stalinist skyscrapers...
> 
> State university, Moscow:
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> I'm glad we don't have these wacko's over here though...


Good point. Most of it is a mish mash of multiple architectural styles popular at that time. My least favorite is the small standardized plan temples of which about 30 to 40 were built. They are heavy and are most unattractive. 

The 80's onwards started the downward spiral of poorly designed and built temples. In fact they were so badly designed and built that most of them have been completely gutted and rebuilt.


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## No1_Saint

*Taking the temples to the people...the cookie cutter temple.*

As stated above...these are my least favorite designs. There are some nice adaptions here and there. But most are poor quality. 

Interestingly entire quarries of granite and marble were purchased in China and Italy to meet the significant demand to build the new generation of temples. 

Many countries increased their temple quota significantly during this period. Australia for example went from the single temple in Sydney to 4 more located in the major capital cities.

Anchorage Alaska
1999










Colonia Juárez Chihuahua México - the smallest temple ever built
1999


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## No1_Saint

*A brief break for 3 nicer and larger temples.*

There seems to be some propaganda occurring in traditionally strong Catholic countries. These temples are extraordinarily large compared to the others built during this period.

Madrid Spain
1999










Bogotá Colombia
1999










Guayaquil Ecuador
1999


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## No1_Saint

*...back to the cookie cutters*

Spokane Washington
1999










Columbus Ohio
1999










Bismarck North Dakota
1999










Columbia South Carolina
1999










Detroit Michigan
1999










Halifax Nova Scotia
1999










Regina Saskatchewan
1999










Billings Montana
1999










Edmonton Alberta
1999










Raleigh North Carolina
1999


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## No1_Saint

*...cookie cutters in the 2000's...yes I am listing them all*

St. Paul Minnesota
2000










Kona Hawaii
2000










Ciudad Juárez México
2000










Hermosillo Sonora México 
2000










Albuquerque New Mexico - old design rehashed...more of these to come in different styles.
2000










Oaxaca México
2000










Tuxtla Gutiérrez México
2000










Louisville Kentucky
2000










Palmyra New York - sacred area to Mormons. 
2000










Fresno California
2000










Medford Oregon
2000










Memphis Tennessee
2000










Reno Nevada
2000


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## No1_Saint

*More propaganda*

Cochabamba Bolivia
2000


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## No1_Saint

*...back to the cookie cutters...again*

Tampico México
2000










Nashville Tennessee
2000










Villahermosa México
2000










Montréal Québec
2000











San José Costa Rica
2000










Fukuoka Japan
2000










Adelaide Australia
2000










Melbourne Australia
2000










Suva Fiji
2000










Mérida México
2000










Veracruz México
2000










Baton Rouge Louisiana
2000










Oklahoma City Oklahoma
2000










Caracas Venezuela
2000


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## No1_Saint

*Another break...to something very different yet familiar.*

Houston Texas 
2000










Birmingham Alabama - for the sake of chronological integrity. 
2000










Santo Domingo Dominican Republic
2000










Boston Massachusetts
2000

Built without spire and angel moroni due to surrounding residents objections and successful court case









Steeple added a year later after a successful appeal from the Mormons.









Recife Brazil
2000


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## No1_Saint

*...once again we return to the cookie cutters.*

Porto Alegre Brazil 
2000










Montevideo Uruguay
2001










Winter Quarters Nebraska
2001










Guadalajara México
2001










Perth Australia
2001










With the exception of a couple of temples that were delayed and should have been dedicated during this period. This standard plan is pretty much over.


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## No1_Saint

*Different...but kind of the same.*

Columbia River Washington
2001










Snowflake Arizona
2002










Lubbock Texas
2002










Monterrey México
2002










Campinas Brazil - very different and very large
2002










Asunción Paraguay
2002


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## No1_Saint

*Nauvoo.*

I know I have covered this before but this is one of my favorite. At the time it was built Nauvoo Illinois was largest city in the state and was one of the largest buildings east of the Mississippi.


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## No1_Saint

*the final countdown...almost.*

There are some nice adaptations of the cookie cutter design in this lot. By this time temple building had slowed considerably. 

The Hague Netherlands
2002










Brisbane Australia - should have been completed before Perth but there were objections with residents.
2003










Redlands California
2003










Accra Ghana - originally designed as a standard plan following the other 30 or so. However the Ghana government were keen to have a landmark building of a high quality built in the capital. Hence the design.
2004










Copenhagen Denmark - refurbished from an existing Mormon church
2004










Manhattan New York
2004
The most utilitarian looking temple ever built. This was retrofitted from an existing Mormon high rise church. Similar to the Hong Kong Temple it houses multiple functions with the temple proper housed in the upper levels. Significant sound proofing was required as Mormon temples are pin drop silent and back lighting on interior 'windows' were required to give a sense of light.










San Antonio Texas 
2005










Aba Nigeria - another delayed temple
2005










Newport Beach California - pink...what the?
2005










Sacramento California 
2006










Helsinki Finland
2006


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## MDguy

Some of them are really nice. others are a little bit creepy feeling, but still intriguing 

This is a very familiar view here in Maryland (Montgomery county)


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## No1_Saint

*The new generation*

The Mormon Church has now completely abandoned the standard plan that was used over 1998 through to 2003.

In it's place are a couple of standard plans that are adapted according to the size required. Old designs have been revisited more than once in the current generation of temples. Interestingly granite and marble has been dropped in favor of precast concrete in some of the new temples. 

Rexburg Idaho - built next to BYU - Idaho.
2008










Curitiba Brazil
2008










Panamá City Panamá
2008










Twin Falls Idaho 
2008










Draper Utah
2009


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## No1_Saint

*Under construction*

Oquirrh Mountain Utah
Dedication set for Friday–Sunday, August 21–23, 2009










Cebu Philippines
2010 dedication










The Gila Valley Arizona 
2010 dedication










Kyiv Ukraine
2010 dedication










Manaus Brazil
Dedication date unknown. 










San Salvador El Salvador
2010 dedication










Vancouver British Columbia
2010 dedication










Quetzaltenango Guatemala
2011 dedication










Tegucigalpa Honduras
Site relocation underway


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## No1_Saint

*Planning and design phase temples*

This is a list of temples in the planning and design phase. Of particular interest is the Rome Italy Temple and what design it will take.

Calgary Alberta Temple
Córdoba Argentina Temple
Gilbert Arizona Temple
Kansas City Missouri Temple
Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple (another high rise temple)
Phoenix Arizona Temple
Rome Italy Temple
Trujillo Perú Temple


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## No1_Saint

MDguy said:


> Some of them are really nice. others are a little bit creepy feeling, but still intriguing
> 
> This is a very familiar view here in Maryland (Montgomery county)


I know what you mean...some of the older temples are absolutely stunning. Others...aka Washington and San Diego are just weird. If the Wizard of OZ was real...Washington would be his main home and San Diego would be the holiday home. lmao


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## No1_Saint

Ji-Ja-Jot said:


> hmm. Many of them look a bit like soviet-propaganda-war-memorials.


I agree. The new ones seem to be borrowing from that page again as well.


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## No1_Saint

WestSideJohn said:


> I really like many of the international style temples. Lovely buildings.


Me too. Although the New Zealand temple up close is looking very tired. Is in need of a major overhaul. It's expected to be completed gutted and rebuilt over the next year or so.


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## NorthWesternGuy

Nice thread No1_Saintkay:
I want one of those temples in my city!!:gaah:
I was about to ask for the temple at Hermosillo but I saw that you had already posted a pic of it
Beautiful design, Bogota and Salt Lake City are my favorites


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## nomarandlee

Man, the Mormons really went on a building spree in the Mid-80's. That is also when I first saw an impressive temple go up by my house in Glenview, Illinois (Chicago north burbs) and became aware of Mormons.


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## No1_Saint

NorthWesternGuy said:


> Nice thread No1_Saintkay:
> I want one of those temples in my city!!:gaah:
> I was about to ask for the temple at Hermosillo but I saw that you had already posted a pic of it
> Beautiful design, Bogota and Salt Lake City are my favorites


Thanks NorthWesternGuy. 

My favorites are Salt Lake City and Nauvoo.


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## Taiki24

Many of these buildings are quite impressive.

While I understand the religious significance, I feel that the Angel Moroni statues play havoc with any architectural cohesion. This is especially obvious in some of the more strikingly modern temple designs, such as the temple in Ogden. They look especially out of place when placed upon one spire out of the 6 present in several of the designs.

The temple in Salt Lake City, and especially that view of it in winter, is absolutely stunning. I'm to be in Salt Lake for a concert in November, I'll be sure to take a few pictures while I'm there.


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## Puertalian

MDguy said:


>


Perhaps a little Ironic that this almost appears to have minarets.


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## No1_Saint

Taiki24 said:


> Many of these buildings are quite impressive.
> 
> While I understand the religious significance, I feel that the Angel Moroni statues play havoc with any architectural cohesion. This is especially obvious in some of the more strikingly modern temple designs, such as the temple in Ogden. They look especially out of place when placed upon one spire out of the 6 present in several of the designs.
> 
> The temple in Salt Lake City, and especially that view of it in winter, is absolutely stunning. I'm to be in Salt Lake for a concert in November, I'll be sure to take a few pictures while I'm there.


I agree with the Angel Moroni issue. The one that stands out with me is the one located at the Hague. It is very modern compared to the rest constructed during that period and it sits very uneasily on top. 

The issue is that they are using a standard mold for the new temples where as they should be adapted in design and size according to each one.

The winter pictures of the Salt Lake Temple are wonderful. Still my favorite temple.


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## Wey

WOW, loved the designs! :applause:

Very nice overall achitecture, I'm impressed


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## No1_Saint

Wey said:


> WOW, loved the designs! :applause:
> 
> Very nice overall achitecture, I'm impressed


Thanks...not that I designed any of them. lmao

Uberlandia hey...my mate is obsessed with going there. Most strange.


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## No1_Saint

Puertalian said:


> Perhaps a little Ironic that this almost appears to have minarets.


Exscuse my ignorance...but why is that ironic?


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## Severiano

Cool temples! I like the one in Salt Lake City and the one built in 1888. Mormon temples have a awe inspiring presence about them. I think this is part of the design.


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## Puertalian

No1_Saint said:


> Exscuse my ignorance...but why is that ironic?


just because they are competing faiths.


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## KwunTongChai

*Why mausoleum style of architecture?*

The decorative elements will vary in these photographs, but the underlying theme is a mausoleum-style of design from 1920 and afterwards. They have monumental features, the features are oversize for the building size, and there are few windows. I wonder why this is? 

Mausoleum-style is not common in buildings designed for worship -- usually worship buildings are lofty and have windows for air and light in the sanctuary. 

Though the temples contructed before 1920 have a more common design for a worship building. 

Thank you for sharing
KwunTongChai


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## Hed_Kandi

No1_Saint said:


> This is the HQ of the Mormon Church situated on Temple Square which is part of a larger church campus of around 40 acres.
> 
> Salt Lake Temple
> 1893


This is gorgeous!


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## Caravaggio

The last picture of the temple in Salt Lake City is really nice.However, it looks more like a castle than a place of worship.


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## provardmr

The photograph of the Salt Lake Temple was taken from my office on the 3rd floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.


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## Johan King

Dayl got it right
When they were building the Newport Beach Temple they consulted with the city council and took into account the landscape and the area it was being built. They actually had to lower the angel Moroni due to protests by neighbor.

Most temples actually dont look exactly the same. They are naturally going to be similar in construction, but the decor and the landscaping tends to be quite diff.


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## manies_flip

Hello, I know that there are 135 Mormon temples so far, but do you guys have smaller ones that you dont consider as temples? Because in this thread I only saw 2 temples built here in Florida (I think) so what if there is a Mormon member who lives far away from these temples, where do they gather?


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## Kiboko

That last picture is almost magical. It looks like an ice palace from a fairytale. Very beautiful!


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## desertpunk

*Bountiful UT*


Bountiful Temple by tmac97slc, on Flickr


Bountiful Temple by tmac97slc, on Flickr


BOUNTIFUL LDS TEMPLE FROM ABOVE by houstonryan, on Flickr


Bountiful temple erd leaves focus by houstonryan, on Flickr


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## Simfan34

manies_flip said:


> Hello, I know that there are 135 Mormon temples so far, but do you guys have smaller ones that you dont consider as temples? Because in this thread I only saw 2 temples built here in Florida (I think) so what if there is a Mormon member who lives far away from these temples, where do they gather?


Mormons also have regular churches. Temples are more of an analogue to Cathedrals.


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## Scott9409

*Panama City Panama Temple*









Sister Audrey Shillig Photo


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