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Sunday, December 13, 2009

Boston Temple 2009

Our first day in Massachusetts in October
we went to the Boston Temple
which actually is in
Belmont, Massachusetts.


Standing atop a wooded granite hillside in the
northwest suburb of Belmont,
the Boston Massachusetts Temple
is a striking landmark along
the busy Concord Turnpike


We drove right by the sign and almost
missed it! Then we thought we'd
turn around, but oh no!
It was a one way street.
Then we drove around in a
neighborhood and finally found
the street again and saw
a sign for an LDS church. We went there
and the missionaries directed
us back to the temple.


Of course the Temple is beautiful and
we enjoyed our time there.


There was a tree-bush that
had these dazzling flowers hanging
from its branches.


Another dazzling flower!


They were pretty.


Here is the actual plant.


Behind the temple with Barry.
The Boston Massachusetts Temple was
the first temple built in New England.
The Boston Massachusetts Temple holds the
distinction of being the 100th operating
temple of the church --fulfilling
President Gordon B. Hinckley's desire
to have 100 temples in operation
before the end of the year 2000.


More flowers on the Temple Grounds.


The Boston Massachusetts Temple site was
originally purchased for the meetinghouse
that adjoins the temple. And although the
architect was asked to design the
meetinghouse for the center of the
property, he could only wrap his mind
around a design that placed the
building in the lower corner.
Despite repeated attempts at the
urging of Church leaders,
he finally insisted that another architect
would have to be hired
if they wanted the building elsewhere.
The design was accepted.
This decision left a large empty parcel
at the top of the granite crag—
perfect for the temple.


The Boston Massachusetts Temple was
dedicated steepleless due to a second law suit
contesting the proposed height of the steeple.
The Church eventually won the case on appeal,
and the steeple was added about a year
after dedication. The angel Moroni statue
was installed atop the
Boston Massachusetts Temple
on September 21, 2001, honoring the
178th anniversary of the
first appearance of Moroni to the
Prophet Joseph Smith.


Location: 86 Frontage Road, Belmont, Massachusetts.
Phone Number: 617-993-9993.
Site: 8 acres.
Exterior Finish: Olympia white granite.
Temple Design: Classic modern, single-spire design.
Number of Rooms: Four endowment rooms and four sealing.
Total Floor Area: 69,600 square feet.

2 comments:

Cecily said...

That is a beautiful Temple!! Cool info, too.

Bob and Joy Bennett said...

Very interesting. How neat to get to visit so many places!