Laie Hawaii Temple
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| Laie Hawaii Temple | ||
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| Number | 5 | edit data |
| Announcement | 1915-10-01 | |
| Groundbreaking | 1915-06-01 by Joseph F. Smith |
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| Dedication | 1919-11-27 by Heber J. Grant |
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| Rededication | 1978-06-13 by Spencer W. Kimball |
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| Location | 55-600 Naniloa Loop Laie, Hawaii 96762 United States |
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| Phone number | 808-293-2427 | |
| Site | 11.4 acres (4.6 hectares) | |
| Total floor area | 47,224 sq ft (4,387 m²) | |
| Exterior finish | Concrete from native lava rock and coral | |
| Temple design | Solomon’s Temple, no spire | |
| Ordinance rooms | 4 with progressive sessions | |
| Sealing rooms | 6 | |
| Clothing rental | Yes | |
| Cafeteria | Full services | |
| Visitors' center | Yes | |
| Preceded by | Salt Lake Temple | |
| Followed by | Cardston Alberta Temple | |
| Official website • News & Images | ||
Laie Hawaii Temple (formerly the Hawaiian Temple or the Hawaii Temple) is a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located on the northeast shore of the Island of Oʻahu in the town of Lāʻie, thirty-five miles from Honolulu. The temple sits upon a small hill a half mile from the Pacific Ocean. Along with Brigham Young University Hawaii and the Polynesian Cultural Center, the Laie Hawaii Temple plays an important role in the town of Lā'ie, with the Temple Visitors Center attracting over 100,000 people a year.
Laie Hawaii Temple is the first LDS Church temple to have been built outside of the continental United States, the oldest temple operating outside of Utah, and the fifth-oldest Latter-day Saint temple still in operation. The site of the temple was dedicated by church president Joseph F. Smith on June 1, 1915, and the completed structure was dedicated on November 27, 1919 by church president Heber J. Grant. The temple was known as the "Hawaiian Temple" or the "Hawaii Temple" until a standard naming convention for temples was adopted by the LDS Church in the early 2000s.
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[edit] Architecture
- See also: Temple architecture (LDS Church)
The site for the temple is on 11 acres of land that was a part of a 6,000-acre (24 km²) sugarcane plantation the Church bought in 1865 as a place of gathering for the Latter-day Saints of the area.[1] Native materials were used such as crushed lava rock and reinforced concrete.[2] The building's gleaming white finish was created by pneumatic stone cutting techniques.[3] The front exterior was designed in the form of a Greek cross but lacking a tower (a rarity in LDS Church temples).[3] The building takes shape as a cross when seen from the air; the highest point of the Temple is 50 ft (15.2 m), and it measures 102 ft (31.1 m) from east to west, and 78 ft (23.8 m) north to south.[2] Joseph F. Smith wanted the Hawaii Temple to resemble Solomon's Temple referred to in holy scripture. Apart from Laie Hawaii Temple, only two other church temples share this distinction (the Cardston Alberta Temple and the Mesa Arizona Temple).[3]
The exterior of the temple exhibits four large friezes cast in bas-relief depicting God’s dealings with man. The north frieze depicts the story of the Book of Mormon. The west frieze shows the people of the Old Testament. The New Testament and Apostasy are depicted on the southern frieze of the temple, and the restoration of the Church through Joseph Smith is shown on the east frieze. The Laie Hawaii Temple is 47,224 square feet (4,387.3 m²) and houses three ordinance rooms and six sealing rooms.[3] On the grounds of the Temple there is a statue of the priest Joseph being blessed by his father, the prophet Lehi, in a reenactment of a scene from the Second Book of Nephi in the Book of Mormon.[4]
[edit] History
The first ten Mormon missionaries departed San Francisco for Hawaii during the California Gold Rush on the ship Imaum of Muscat, arriving on December 12, 1850 in Honolulu Harbor of what was then known as the Sandwich Islands.[5] A week later, nine missionaries received their assignments; two headed to the island of Kaua'i, three to Lahaina on the island of Maui, two to the Big Island of Hawaii, and two stayed behind in Honolulu. This group formed the basis of the Sandwich Islands Mission.[6] The first Church congregation in Hawaii was established on the island of Maui in 1851.[7] Missionaries settled on the island of Lānaʻi in 1854.[4]
Mormon missionaries came to the village of Lāʻie on the island of Oʻahu in 1865.[1] George Q. Cannon, one of the original ten missionaries, visited Lāʻie in 1900 and became revered as a prophet for promoting the creation of a new Hawaiian temple among his congregations.[8] In 1915, Joseph F. Smith, the sixth president of the LDS Church, announced plans for the first temple outside the continental United States, choosing Lāʻie for construction.[8] On November 27, 1919, church president Heber J. Grant presided over the Hawaiian Temple's dedication. Grant called the Hawaiian people "descendants of Lehi" (a prophet in the Book of Mormon), and saw the future of the new temple in Lāʻie as a magnet for Polynesian converts.[8] After the temple was completed, many Polynesians moved to Lāʻie, hoping to participate in temple ordinances.[8] Tourists were also drawn to the area, and guide books of the time compared the Lāʻie temple to the Taj Mahal.[9] After extensive remodeling, church president Spencer W. Kimball rededicated the temple on June 13, 1978.[3]
[edit] Folklore
A tale from Mormon folklore relates that on December 7, 1941, Japanese aircraft pilots attempted to bomb or strafe the Hawaiian Temple just prior to or just after the attack on Pearl Harbor, but were prevented from doing so by mechanical failures or an unseen protective force.[10] Variations on this tale also suggest that the Japanese pilot who attempted to bomb or strafe the temple was converted to the LDS Church after he saw a picture of the temple in the possession of Mormon missionaries in Japan.[10] Although there is an eyewitness who claims to have seen the attempted bombing and a former missionary who claims to have met the Japanese convert, historians have found little supporting evidence that would substantiate these stories.[10][11]
During the initial construction of the temple, builders ran out of wood, a scarce commodity on the islands. The local members were able to procure the needed lumber when a ship ran aground and needed to unload some of its cargo of wood. The temple builders volunteered to help and were given the lumber out of gratitude. The lumber taken from the ship proved to be just enough to finish the temple.[3][12]
[edit] See also
- Kona Hawaii Temple
- Comparison of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by geographic region
- LeConte Stewart
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b LDS 1964, p. 9.
- ^ a b LDS 1964, p. 10.
- ^ a b c d e f Satterfield 2007, Laie Hawaii Temple.
- ^ a b LDS 1964, p. 8.
- ^ LDS 1964, p. 3.
- ^ Wallace III 2000, History.
- ^ LDS 1964, p. 7.
- ^ a b c d Webb 1993, p. 134.
- ^ Webb 1993, p. 135.
- ^ a b c Baldridge & Chase 2000, pp. 165-190.
- ^ SHIELDS 2001, LDS World.
- ^ Burlingame 2004, Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
[edit] References
- Baldridge, Kenneth W. & Chase, Lance D. (2000), “The Purported December 7, 1941, Attack on the Hawai'i Temple”, in Grant Underwood, Voyages of Faith: Explorations in Mormon Pacific History, Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Press, pp. 165–190, ISBN 0944081045.
- Budnick, Rich (2005), Hawaii's Forgotten History: 1900-1999: The Good...The Bad...The Embarrassing, Aloha Press, pp. 46, ISBN 0944081045.
- Burlingame, Burl (2004-04-02), “X Marks the Spot: Mormon temple a Laie landmark since 1919”, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, <http://starbulletin.com/2006/04/02/travel/story03.html>.
- Kayal, Michele (2004-11-27), “Mormons Spruce Up Their Aging Hawaiian Outpost”, The New York Times, <http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/27/national/27religion.html>. Retrieved on 18 November 2007.
- Wallace III, William Kauaiwiulaokalani (2000-01-30), The Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints In the Hawaiian Islands from 1850-1900;, La'ie Community Association, <http://www.laiecommunityassociation.org/history.html>. Retrieved on 17 November 2007.
- LDS (1964), The Mormon temple, Laie, Hawaii, Bureau of Information, Hawaii Temple, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, pp. 1–20.
- Satterfield, Rick (2007), Laie Hawaii Temple, LDS Church Temples, <http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/laie/>. Retrieved on 24 October 2007.
- SHIELDS (2001), Japanese pilot tries to bomb Hawaii temple, Scholarly & Historical Information Exchange for Latter-Day Saints, <http://www.shields-research.org/Hoaxes/LDSWorld_Internet_Hoaxes_and_Mormon_Urban_Legends.htm#bomb%20Hawaii%20temple>. Retrieved on 24 October 2007.
- Webb, T. D. (1993), “Profit and Prophecy: The Polynesian Cultural Center and La`ie's Recurrent Colonialism”, The Hawaiian Journal of History (Honolulu: Hawaiian Historical Society) 27: 127–150, ISSN 0440-5145, <http://www.hawaiianhistory.org/pubs/hjh/hjhmain.html>.
- Webb, Terry D. (2001), “The Temple and the Theme Park”, in Joy Hendry & C. W. Watson, An Anthropology of Indirect Communication, Routledge, pp. 128–142, ISBN 0415247446.
[edit] External links
- Laie Hawaii Temple is at coordinates Coordinates:
