Idaho Falls Idaho Temple |
8th operating temple |
Phone Number: 208-522-7669.
Site: 7 acres.
Exterior Finish: Reinforced concrete; a mixture made from aggregate and white cement called cast stone covers the 16-inch thick exterior walls in two-inch thick slabs.
Temple Design: Modern-contemporary, single-spire design.
Number of Rooms: Four progressive-style ordinance rooms and nine sealing.
Total Floor Area: 92,177 square feet.
Groundbreaking: 19 December 1939 by David Smith
Site Dedication: 19 October 1940 by David O. McKay
Public Open House: 15–20 September 1945
Dedication: 23–25 September 1945 by George Albert Smith
Standing on the banks of the Snake River, just above the cascading waters for which the city is named, the gleaming white Idaho Falls Idaho Temple serves as a centerpiece to the city. Just east of the temple is a gorgeous garden and public visitors' center featuring films, displays, multimedia presentations, and an awe-inspiring reproduction of Thorvaldsen's Christus statue.
The Idaho Falls Idaho Temple was the first temple built in Idaho.
The Idaho Falls Idaho Temple was the only temple dedicated by President George Albert Smith.
The Idaho Falls Idaho Temple was the first temple designed with a central spire. (The design represented a return to the use of spires, as the three previously dedicated temples featured no towers or spires.)
The Idaho Falls Idaho Temple was originally named the Idaho Falls Temple.
The angel Moroni statue atop the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple is one of two castings made by LaVar Wallgren of the statue created by Torlief Knaphus for the Washington D.C. Ward chapel, which he made as a replica of Cyrus E. Dallin's statue atop the Salt Lake Temple. (The other casting is atop the Atlanta Georgia Temple.)
The design of the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple was inspired by a vision of an ancient Nephite temple beheld by architect John Fetzer, Sr., who had prayed for guidance.
Once the exterior of the temple was completed in September 1941, the interior was expected to be completed by the end of the next year. However, World War II shortages delayed completion of the temple four more years.
The Idaho Falls Idaho Temple features hand-painted murals on the walls of its progressive-style ordinance rooms: Creation Room, Garden Room, World Room, Terrestrial Room (no murals), and Celestial Room (one of only two temples with Celestial Room murals—the other is the Los Angeles California Temple).
In September 1983, a helicopter was employed to install an angel Moroni statue atop the spire of the previously statueless Idaho Falls Idaho Temple.
