Laie, Hawaii - Mormon Temple
The Laie Hawaii Mormon Temple is the fifth still operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and marks a significant milestone in the Church because it the oldest still operating temple that was built outside of the state of Utah.
The building of the Laie Hawaii Temple was announce in October General Conference in 1915, construction began after the groundbreaking ceremony held on June 1, 1915. The site for the temple is on 11 acres of land that was a part of a 6,000 acre plantation the Church bought in 1865 as a place of gathering for the Saints of the area.
The design of the temple was made to look like the ancient temples found in South America. President Joseph F. Smith stated many times that he wanted it to look like Solomon’s temple from the scriptures. It is one of the few LDS temples that does not have a tower. The temple is 47,224 square feet and houses three ordinance rooms and six sealing rooms.
During construction builders ran out of wood, which was a scarce commodity on the islands. They prayed for help in finishing the temple and just a little while later a ship was spotted off shore. The captain explained to them that his ship had run aground and that he needed to get rid of some of his cargo to get the ship out. The builders offered to help and soon learned that the ships cargo was lumber. The builders unloaded enough lumber that the ship could get out. They were told to keep it. The lumber they had taken from the ship was just the right amount to finish the temple.
The exterior of the temple exhibits four large friezes that depict God’s dealings with man. The north frieze depicts the story of the Book of Mormon. The west wall shows the people of the Old Testament, the New Testament and great apostasy are depicted on the southern wall of the temple, and the restoration of the Church through Joseph Smith is shown on the east wall.
On November 27, 1919, President Heber J. Grant dedicated the temple. President Spencer W. Kimball rededicated it on June 13, 1978, after the temple was extensively remodeled.