In October 2008 I visited all thirteen Utah temples. It was then that almost all of the photographs were taken that appear in this series of posts. To download a photograph click on the image to obtain the full resolution of 3264 x 2448 pixels with a file size of 3 to 4Mb.
The walls of the temple are nine feet thick at the base and six feet thick at the top
Original plans called for two angel Moroni statues—one on the east central spire and one on the west
Salt Lake Utah Temple Facts
Announced: 28 July 1847
Site: 10 acres.
Exterior finish: Granite from Little Cottonwood Canyon, 20 miles to the southeast of Salt Lake City. The chapel and office annex are reinforced concrete faced with Utah granite.
Temple design: Suggestive of Gothic and other classical styles, but unique and distinctive.
Rooms: Baptistry, celestial room, four endowment rooms, eight sealing rooms.
Total floor area: 253,015 square feet in the temple including the annex.
Dimensions: 117 feet by 184 feet. At east end of the building, the height of the center pinnacle is 210 feet. The center of the three towers on the west end is 204 feet high.
Groundbreaking, site dedication: 14 February 1853, President Brigham Young broke ground and Heber C. Kimball dedicated the site.
Dedication: 6-24 April 1893, by President Wilford Woodruff.
Many couples are wed in the temple. Here you see my son Steven with his bride Adelaide posing by the reflective pool
Salt Lake Utah Temple Impressions
When my family lived in Bountiful, before the Bountiful temple was built, we were in the Salt Lake temple district. My son Steven married Adelaide in the Salt Lake temple and we have visited the beautiful grounds many times. When Ezra Taft Benson was the prophet I attended a solemn assembly where he was in attendance.
On the exterior of the temple it is interesting to see the earthstones, moonstones, sunstones, cloudstones, and starstones. Also look for the Big Dipper, the clasped hands, and the all-seeing eye. For the meaning of these, check out LDS Church Temples. Try a 360 degree panorama of Temple Square.
The temple took 40 years to build with its highly ornate interior completed in a year
The temple features beautiful hand-painted murals on the walls of its progressive-style ordinance rooms
Other Utah Temples
Bountiful Utah Temple
Draper Utah Temple
Jordan River Utah Temple
Logan Utah Temple
Manti Utah Temple
Monticello Utah Temple
Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple
Ogden Utah Temple
Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple
Provo Utah Temple
Saint George Utah Temple
Vernal Utah Temple
I love salt lake, your picture is great and brings back memories
It looks interesting, but I can’t help but think they’ve gone for size rather than detail, taking inspiration from European churches in terms of size and scale, but completely omitting the small details these usually include. 2c.
Impressive if slightly unauthentic in some way…
The photograph is authentic — maybe the temple isn’t?