Review
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Title: The Story of the Provo City Center Temple
Author: Susan Easton Black, Glen Rawson, Dennis Lyman
Publisher: Covenant
Genre: Historical
Year Published: 2015
Number of Pages: 42
Binding: Paperback
ISBN13: 9781680478921
Price: $8.99
Reviewed by Trudy Thompson for the Association For Mormon Letters
With the upcoming open house of the Provo City Center Temple of the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, scheduled to begin on January 15, 2016, this commemorative edition of the history of the old Provo Tabernacle to the modern day Temple recently built, beautifully covers the origins of the first and second tabernacle in Provo, Utah, the struggles of the members of the church and the church leaders in that area during the early days of Provo, and the incredible transformation from the burned out shell of the second tabernacle to a House of the Lord.
Well known LDS scholar Susan Easton Black, and Glen Rawson and Dennis Lyman, who created the local TV series , History of the Saints, have compiled a brief but compelling book of the miraculous reconstruction of one of the most beloved historical sites in the church. The approximately 8 1/2 x 11 book contains many photos-from the early beginnings of the first tabernacle as a Presbyterian looking church, which resembled a three story adobe house, to pictures of the fire destruction to the second tabernacle in December of 2010, to the recently completed temple.
I found many interesting and little known tidbits of church history and the Saints in early Provo in this fascinating book. One such story is about how Brigham Young had originally designated another site for the building of the first ‘meetinghouse” in Provo, and even though a foundation site was laid and building materials were gathered, the whole project was abandoned when President Young changed his mind seven years later where the site should be. When construction began at the new site, progress was still very slow though. Builders blamed the delays on ” Indian troubles”, but Brigham saw it as neglect, and called upon the citizens of Provo in a conference in 1863 to “not neglect the completion of the Meeting House.” The builders took the reprimand to heart and picked up the pace. However, it still took four more years before the tabernacle had a belfry, an octagonal tower, and a five hundred pound bell.
The bell was rang to announce church services, the death of church leaders, and curfew each evening at 9:00 P.M. (Yes, 9:00 P.M.)
At the dedication of that first tabernacle, Brigham Young stated that the building should have been built twelve years before and that at this time it was entirely to small, but that they would go ahead and dedicate it, while making other arrangements to meet elsewhere as their membership numbers grew.
Fourteen years after the first tabernacle had been dedicated, the stake president in the area started to encourage the Saints in Provo to contribute either monetarily or with labor to the construction of a new and larger facility. Even faithful Latter-day Saints rejected this idea because times were difficult, employment was hard to come by and ready cash was scarce. The stake president made promises of temporal and spiritual blessings, but donations were still few. A new architect was chosen and after drawing up very elaborate plans, skilled laborers though out Utah came together to start the project.
Suddenly, work on the tabernacle halted and no one knew why. For nearly 10 years, only sporadic work was done on the tabernacle, and the excuses and blame game were rampant. But it all boiled down to a lack of funds. Local church leaders took out loans and even mortgaged the tabernacle, only to fall even deeper into debt. The stake president called upon members to raise funds again, but complacency still reigned. It was not until after that stake president had died that the members finally raised the money to retire the debt and finish the building.
The book goes on to tell the story in picture and the written word, about the gut wrenching fire of this tabernacle in December 2010. Details are given regarding the testing of the structure left after the fire, to determine if any portion could be salvaged and reused or rebuilt. The experts found many interesting details of the structure such as: After peeling back damaged paint and wallpaper in one room, they found several more layers of wallpaper in various patterns and colors. Behind the door moldings they found the scribbled names of the pioneer builders.
This volume finishes up with the announcement of the tabernacle being restored to be used as the second temple in Provo,Utah, the ground breaking at the site for the massive renovation, details of how the seven million pound structure was suspended forty feet in the air on steel stilts during one phase of the construction process, and includes stunning photos of the completed temple and surrounding grounds.
This keepsake book will be an excellent edition to any home library of anyone living in the Provo area, as well as those interested in the history of the church there, or anyone who has had a connection in one way or another with the grand old Tabernacle in Provo, soon to be the church’s 150th operating temple.