Gila Valley Arizona Temple
| The Gila Valley Arizona Temple |
|
| Number |
132 |
edit data |
| Dedication |
23 May 2010 (23 May 2010) by
Thomas S. Monson |
| Site |
17 acres (6.9 hectares) |
| Floor area |
18,561 sq ft (1,724 m2) |
| Height |
100 ft (30 m) |
| Preceded by |
Vancouver British Columbia Temple |
| Followed by |
Cebu Philippines Temple |
| Official website • News & Images |
| Additional Information |
| Announcement |
26 April 2008 |
| Groundbreaking |
14 February 2009 by
Neil L. Andersen |
| Open House |
23 April - 15 May 2010 |
| Designed by |
Gregory B. Lambright |
| Location |
5291 W. Highway 70, Central, Arizona |
| Exterior finish |
Architectural precast stone |
| Temple design |
Classic modern, single-spire design |
| Ordinance rooms |
2 with Movie, two-stage progressive sessions |
| Sealing rooms |
2 |
| Clothing rental |
No |
| Cafeteria |
No services |
| Visitors' center |
No |
| Notes |
Announced by Thomas S. Monson on 26 April 2008. The groundbreaking was held on Valentine's Day, 14 February 2009.[1][2][3][4] |
|
The Gila Valley Arizona Temple is a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in the town of Central between the communities of Pima and Thatcher in Arizona. The temple was dedicated on May 23, 2010, following an open house period from April 23 to May 15.
The announcement of the temple on April 26, 2008 came concurrently with the Gilbert Arizona Temple, and together were the first new temples announced since Thomas S. Monson assumed responsibilities as the President of the LDS Church.[5]
Local church leadership announced on September 21, 2008 that the temple would be built on church owned property adjacent to US Route 70 in the unincorporated community of Central. A petition to grant an exception to building height restrictions to accommodate a 100-foot-tall (30 m) steeple for the temple was given a favorable recommendation by the Graham County Planning and Zoning Commission and was subsequently approved by the county board of supervisors on October 20.[6][7]
A groundbreaking and site dedication ceremony took place on February 14, 2009, officially beginning the construction process.[8] The structure of the temple was completed on September 22 with the placement of the Angel Moroni statue on the temple's steeple. Additional site improvements, including landscaping and interior work, were completed in early 2010.[9]
The new temple serves the significant Latter-day Saint population in the eastern part of Arizona's Gila River Valley, who previously had to travel to the Mesa Arizona Temple 150 miles to the west. The area has a historical significance to the LDS Church; Thatcher, which was founded by Mormon pioneers in 1881, was home to former LDS Church president Spencer W. Kimball during his youth in the early part of the 1900s.[10] Speculation that the area would be home to a temple was made as early as 1882, when Jesse N. Smith predicted that a temple would be built in Thatcher.[11]
Thomas Monson, the President of the Church at the time of the dedication stated during his remarks prior to the dedicatory prayer, that an anonymous benefactor, a woman from the area, had given $500,000 to allow the temple to be adorned with much original artwork.
See also
|
Latter-day Saints portal |
|
Arizona portal |
References
- ^ "LDS Church announces plans for two new temples in Arizona". Deseret News. 27 April 2008. http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,5143,695273893,00.html. Retrieved 26 April 2008.
- ^ Gila Valley Arizona Temple, ldschurchtemples.com. Last accessed on 27 April 2008.
- ^ "Open House and Dedication Dates Announced for Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple" (Press release). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 31 January 2009. http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/open-house-and-dedication-dates-announced-for-oquirrh-mountain-utah-temple. Retrieved 1 February 2009.
- ^ Photo courtesy Dale & Janice Holladay, http://www.holladays.com/
- ^ Branom, Mike (2008-04-27). "New Mormon temple slated for Gilbert". East Valley Tribune. Archived from the original on 2008-04-29. http://web.archive.org/web/20080429141617/http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/114955. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
- ^ Saunders, Diane (2008-09-29). "Temple could be in Central". Eastern Arizona Courier. http://www.eacourier.com/articles/2008/09/29/news/doc48dd8a4384d11464477187.txt. Retrieved 2008-09-30.
- ^ Saunders, Diane (2008-10-22). "Supervisors approve prelim plat for Sierra Del Sol". Eastern Arizona Courier. http://www.eacourier.com/articles/2008/10/23/news/doc48fe8464da2f9696513680.txt. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
- ^ Adair, Jill (2009-02-16). "Ground broken for Gila Valley temple". Church News. http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/56653/Ground-broken-for-Gila-Valley-temple.html. Retrieved 2009-04-08.
- ^ Johnston, Jon (2009-09-27). "Angel placed atop LDS temple". Eastern Arizona Courier. http://www.eacourier.com/articles/2009/10/04/news/doc4abd4edd05fcf133630323.txt. Retrieved 2009-10-27.
- ^ "LDS Church announces two new temples in Arizona.". The Salt Lake Tribune. 2008-04-27. http://www.sltrib.com/lds/ci_9071215?source=rss. Retrieved 2005-04-28.
- ^ McClintock, James H. (1921). Mormon settlement in Arizona. Phoenix, Arizona: Office of the Arizona State Historian. p. 223. http://books.google.com/books?id=WrkUAAAAYAAJ. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
External links
Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Gila_Valley_Arizona_Temple Gila Valley Arizona Temple] at Wikimedia Commons