Laie Hawaii Temple

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Laie Hawaii Temple

Number	5	edit data
Announcement	1915-10-01
Groundbreaking	1915-06-01 by Joseph F. Smith
Dedication	1919-11-27 by Heber J. Grant
Rededication	1978-06-13 by Spencer W. Kimball
Location	55-600 Naniloa Loop Laie, Hawaii 96762 United States
Phone number	808-293-2427
Site	11.4 acres (4.6 hectares)
Total floor area	47,224 ft² (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
Visitors' center	Yes
Preceded by	Salt Lake Temple
Followed by	Cardston Alberta Temple
Official website • News & Images

Laie Hawaii Temple (formerly the Hawaii Temple) is the fifth oldest temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints still in operation. It is also the oldest temple still operating that was built outside of the state of Utah.

Located in the town of Lāie, thirty-five miles from Honolulu on the island of Oʻahu, the site of the temple was dedicated by Church President Joseph F. Smith on June 1, 1915. The temple was known as the "Hawaii Temple" until a standard naming convention for temples was adopted in the early 2000s.

The site for the temple is on 11 acres of land that was a part of a 6,000 acre sugarcane plantation the Church bought in 1865 as a place of gathering for the Latter-day Saints of the area. Native materials were used such as crushed lava rock and coral blocks. The building's gleaming white finish was created by pneumatic stone cutting techniques. The design of the temple resembles the structures that once stood in the South American forests where only ruins of ancient civilizations are found today. The front exterior was designed in the form of a Greek cross but lacking a tower (a rarity in LDS Church temples). In total, President 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). The exterior of the temple exhibits four large friezes 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.

During 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 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.

Though he spent much of his presidency overseeing the construction of his beloved Hawaii Temple, Smith died before its official opening. On November 27, 1919, Church President Heber J. Grant presided over the Hawaii Temple's dedication. After extensive remodeling, Church President Spencer W. Kimball rededicated the temple on June 13, 1978.

The Laie Hawaii Temple is 47,224 square feet and houses three ordinance rooms and six sealing rooms.

1 Mormonism in Hawai'i
2 Additional images
3 Latter-day Saint temples in the Western United States
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Mormonism in Hawai'i

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was established in the islands in 1850 following the Edict of Toleration promulgated by Kamehameha III, giving the underground Hawai'i Catholic Church the right to worship while at the same time allowing other faith traditions to begin establishing themselves. After the construction of the temple, the Latter Day Saints founded Church College of Hawai'i, now the Brigham Young University of Hawaii. The Hawai'i LDS population continued to flourish becoming one of the world's largest LDS communities today. The Kona Hawaii Temple, a second LDS temple for Hawai'i, was completed in Kailua Kona on the island of Hawai'i in 2000.