Los Angeles, California - Mormon Temple
The First Presidency of the Mormon Church announced on March 6, 1937 that a temple would be built in Los Angeles California. On March 23, 1937 a site was found and purchased from Harold Lloyd Motion Picture Company by President of the Mormon Church at the time Heber J. Grant. However, the onset of World War II and financial difficulties caused by the Great Depression stopped construction. During this time modifications were made to the plans of the temple adding a Priesthood room and spire with the angel Moroni. These modifications made the Los Angeles temple more like the Salt Lake Temple. With the completion of the Los Angeles Mormon temple it was the tenth temple worldwide.
A groundbreaking ceremony and sited dedication for the Mormon temple were held on September 22, 1951. David O. McKay presided at the ceremony. The site of the temple is thirteen acres overlooking Santa Monica Boulevard in West Los Angeles. The exterior finish of the temple is Mo-Sai stone facing, which is a mixture of crushed quartz and cement. The wainscot of the exterior is Rockville granite quarried in Minnesota. The temple grounds are beautifully landscaped with rare trees and plants. The grounds also feature two fountains, a reflection pool and numerous statues. Also located on this site are other Church facilities such as a meetinghouse, a baseball field, a Family History library, apartments for missionaries, and the Mission headquarters for Los Angeles.
In October of 1954, a 15 ½ foot angel Moroni statue was placed on top of the temple. During a visit to the temple President David O. McKay noticed that the statue faced southeast. He informed the architect that the angel should be facing due east, and the statue was turned.
The temple was open to the public for tours December 19, 1955 through February 18, 1956. Those who attended the open house were taken on tours of the 190,614 square foot temple. Following its construction, the Los Angeles temple was the largest temple of the Church, but the Salt Lake Temple has since had additions making it the largest Mormon temple in the world. The Los Angeles temple is so large that it is able to accommodate 300 people per session. On the tour patrons were able to see the ten sealing rooms, four ordinance rooms, Celestial room, baptistery and other facilities used for carrying out Mormon beliefs associated with the temple. The Celestial room of the temple features murals on the walls, making it one of only two Mormon temples that have murals in the Celestial room; the other temple with murals is the Idaho Falls temple.
The dedication of the Los Angeles Mormon temple was held March 11th through the fourteenth 1956. David O. McKay gave the dedicatory prayer. The Los Angeles temple is currently closed for extensive interior renovations and is scheduled to open again June 29, 2006. The Los Angeles temple will not be rededicated as many other temples have been after renovation because Church officials decided to allow only endowed members of the Mormon Church work on the renovations. This way the temple is not deconsecrated and the Church avoids the expense and hassle of another open house and dedication. Renovations include a complete reworking of the electrical, HVAC and plumbing systems, and redesign of the baptistery, which had always had problems with mold because of poor ventilation.
Other Links:
Temple (Mormonism) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Teachings About Temples - Lightplanet
Mormon Temple Ordinances - ReligionFacts.com