Familiar historical image beginning to take shape on new Nauvoo temple
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As construction proceeds steadily on the Nauvoo Illinois Temple, it is beginning to form the image familiar from Church history but never beheld by anyone now living except in pictures and models.
As of June 26, the first four of the temple's 30 distinctive moon stones had been placed on the north face of the edifice, with six more expected by week's end, project administrator Ronald Prince said.
The moon stones and an equal number of star stones and sun stones that grace the same number of pilasters surrounding the temple form the architectural design that is being replicated from the original temple dedicated in 1846 by the Latter-day Saints in Nauvoo. The temple was abandoned shortly thereafter when the saints departed for the West, and was eventually destroyed by arson and storm.
Structural steel framing for the temple's tower has been complete since early April and provides an identifiable image of how the tower will appear when it is finished. The tower will eventually contain a bell and a clock. "The framing is ready for the dome and supporting pipe for the statue of the angel [Moroni]," Elder Prince said. "Right now, a U.S. flag is streaming from the support."
Elder Prince said the iron workers first placed the flag on the tower. "It looked so good, we decided to keep the flag up there," he added. It is particularly impressive at night, with construction lights shining on it.
In the temple interior, the baptismal font room in the basement is progressing with the plaster about 95 percent complete, Elder Prince said. The steel structure and liner of the font are in place, and have red brick pavers surrounding the font, true to the design in the original temple.
"The next finished floor is the first floor, and it's all plastered out," he said. "It looks very nice, with entablature around the upper part of the room, featuring star-like designs that harken to the star stones on the temple exterior."
A new, wrought-iron fence is being installed around the temple lot, with posts currently on about half the block. It will be similar to the fence it replaces, but better, Elder Prince said.
Dedication and open house dates for the temple have not yet been announced, but the structure is expected to be finished by early next year. "After that, it takes a good month or more to install the paintings and everything else that goes into a temple," Elder Prince noted.
E-mail: rscott@desnews.com
