Laie Hawaii Temple |
5th operating temple |
Phone Number: 808-293-2427.
Site: 11.4 acres.
Exterior Finish: Concrete made of native crushed lava rock and coral, reinforced with steel. It is dressed by pneumatic stone cutting tools to produce a white cream finish.
Temple Design: Suggestive of the ancient temples found in South America—shaped like a Grecian cross with no tower.
Number of Rooms: Three ordinance rooms and six sealing.
Total Floor Area: 47,224 square feet.
Site Dedication: 1 June 1915 by Joseph F. Smith
Dedication: 27–30 November 1919 by Heber J. Grant
Public Open House: 2–27 May 1978
Rededication: 13–15 June 1978 by Spencer W. Kimball
Surrounded by lush Hawaiian flora on a gently rising hill that features cascading pools and a large fountain, the Laie Hawaii Temple graces the north shore of Oahu just a half mile from the Pacific Ocean. Travelers along Kamehameha Highway can't miss striking Hale Laa Boulevard that leads the short distance from the highway to the temple. The exquisite boulevard features a tropical garden on one end and palm trees and decorative lights on the other. Sharing the temple grounds is a highly visited public visitors' center. Down the street is Church-owned Brigham Young University–Hawaii and Hawaii's number-one paid attraction, the Polynesian Cultural Center.
The Laie Hawaii Temple was the first temple built in Polynesia.
The Laie Hawaii Temple was the first temple "brought to the people," as it was the first temple dedicated outside of the state (or territory) where Church Headquarters was located.
At just 10,500 square feet, the Laie Hawaii Temple was the smallest temple the Church had ever constructed.
The Laie Hawaii Temple was originally named the Hawaii Temple.
The Laie Hawaii Temple stands adjacent to Brigham Young University–Hawaii. BYU's other two campuses in Provo, Utah and Rexburg, Idaho also have adjacent temples.
The Laie Hawaii Temple sits on the original Mormon landholdings of Hawaii known as Laie Plantation. The 6,000-acre parcel was purchased in 1865 for $14,000.
Construction of the Laie Hawaii Temple came to a standstill when the supply of lumber ran out. Prayers were uttered, and two days later, a freighter was discovered stranded on a nearby coral reef. The captain offered his entire cargo to the saints if they would unload it for him. His cargo? Lumber—enough to complete the temple.
The concrete exterior of the temple was created using crushed rock and coral.
The Laie Hawaii Temple is one of three temples built with no towers or spires. (The others are the Cardston Alberta Temple and the Mesa Arizona Temple.)
Carved friezes decorate each side of the top of the temple, depicting four dispensations of time: Old Testament Dispensation (west), New Testament Dispensation (south), Book of Mormon Dispensation (north), and Latter-day Dispensation (east).
The Laie Hawaii Temple was dedicated on Thanksgiving Day.
The Laie Hawaii Temple was dedicated sixteen years before the creation of the first Hawaiian stake on Oahu in 1935.
The Laie Hawaii Temple features hand-painted murals on the walls of its originally progressive-style ordinance rooms.
In May 1976, the Laie Hawaii Temple closed for two years for extensive remodeling that provided a new front entrance, enlarged patron and administrative facilities, and ordinance rooms equipped for motion-picture presentation of the endowment.
