Laie Hawaii Temple (Laie, Hawaii)
Posted by: Raven
N 21° 38.834 W 157° 55.844
4Q E 610646 N 2394162
This LDS Church Temple was the one ever built in Polynesia (and the first one outside of the continental US).
Waymark Code: WMVNM1
Location: Hawaii, United States
Date Posted: 05/09/2017
Views: 0
"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 the 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."
Source:
Temples of the Church of Latter Day Saints website
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Some factoids about this particular LDS Temple:
It was the first temple ever built outside of the continental US, the first one in Polynesia, and the first one "brought to the people" (i.e. the first one dedicated outside of Utah -- where the Church Headquarters is located).
At just 10,500 square feet, it was the smallest temple the LDS Church had ever constructed (though it has since been enlarged to over 40,000 square feet)
Originally called the "Hawaii Temple", it stands next to the Church-owned Brigham Young University – Hawaii. It sits on the original Mormon landholdings of Hawaii known as Laie Plantation. The 6,000-acre parcel was purchased in 1865 for $14,000.
The concrete exterior of the temple was created using crushed rock and coral. It is one of only four temples built with no towers or spires, and features beautiful 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 (no murals).
President Joseph F. Smith was in Hawaii on business in the spring of 1915 when he was moved by a spiritual impulse to dedicate a site for the Laie Hawaii Temple. The action was later ratified by the brethren and publicly sustained in the October 1915 General Conference.