Difference between revisions of "Hartford Connecticut Temple"
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In May 2012, the church released a rendering of the temple and announced it would be built on an 11-acre parcel at the corner of Farmington Ave and Melrose Dr in Farmington, Connecticut. Farmington is the birthplace and childhood home of [[Wilford Woodruff]], the fourth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The temple is planned to be 25,000 square feet and the site plan was approved by the town planning and zoning commission in June 2012. The Hartford Connecticut Temple will be the second temple built in New England, following the Boston Massachusetts Temple (2000), and the first built in Connecticut. | In May 2012, the church released a rendering of the temple and announced it would be built on an 11-acre parcel at the corner of Farmington Ave and Melrose Dr in Farmington, Connecticut. Farmington is the birthplace and childhood home of [[Wilford Woodruff]], the fourth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The temple is planned to be 25,000 square feet and the site plan was approved by the town planning and zoning commission in June 2012. The Hartford Connecticut Temple will be the second temple built in New England, following the Boston Massachusetts Temple (2000), and the first built in Connecticut. | ||
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+ | ==Groundbreaking Ceremony== | ||
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+ | President Thomas S, Monson presided at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Hartford Connecticut Temple on Saturday, 17 August 2013. About five hundred gathered at the site with thousands more watching by satellite broadcast in area meetinghouses. [http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/hartford/ President Monson told the Saints], "Today is a special and sacred day as we bring to fruition the hopes and dreams of the Church members here and break ground for the Hartford Connecticut Temple. Each temple stands as a beacon to the world, an expression of our testimony that God our Eternal Father lives, that He desires to bless us and indeed bless His sons and daughters of all generations." | ||
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+ | Once completed, the temple will serve members from Connecticut, Rhode Island, southwestern Massachusetts, and eastern New York. | ||
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+ | ==Temple Design== | ||
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+ | A description of the design of the Hartford Connecticut Temple is given on the [http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/hartford/ LDS Church Temples.com] website: | ||
+ | :The proposed Hartford Connecticut Temple is a 30-foot, single-story edifice clad in white granite with a beautiful entrance pediment supported by columns and an elegant steeple rising to 115 feet, capped with a gold-leafed statue of the angel Moroni. News reports say the design is reminiscent of the historic First Church of Christ Congregational church in Farmington, completed in 1772. The grounds are formally landscaped with colorful foliage and curving walkways and parking areas, enclosed by a low New England-style stone fence. High compliments on the design have been paid by members of the Farmington Plan and Zoning Commission including Commissioner Bill Stanford who called the building "shockingly New England." | ||
+ | :Peter Fishman, owner of the intended site for the temple, initially had reservations about the project until he was shown a rendering of the building and given an explanation of its purpose and operation. "[The Church is] proposing to build an incredibly beautiful, very New England-appropriate temple that is going to be a significant landmark in this town for hundreds of years." He added, "I've seen what it's going to look like and it's going to be glorious—like a museum. It's going to be really a fantastic building, exceptionally well-built. | ||
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==Updates== | ==Updates== |
Revision as of 19:40, 13 December 2015
On Saturday, 3 October 1992 during the afternoon session of the 162nd Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Gordon B. Hinckley, First Counselor in the First Presidency, announced plans for a temple to be constructed in Hartford, Connecticut. However, three years later, it was decided that two other temples would be built instead - one to the north in Boston, Massachusetts, and one to the south in White Plains, New York which was later renamed the Harrison New York Temple. Following the dedication of the Manhattan New York Temple, plans for the Harrison New York Temple were suspended.
The Church had tried for several years to procure property for the building of a temple in Hartford, but to no avail. During that time, Church membership continued to grow to the north and south of the area. In October 1995, in the Priesthood Session of the 165th Semiannual General Conference, President Gordon B. Hinckley explained, "After working for years to acquire a suitable site in the Hartford area, during which time the Church has grown appreciably in areas to the north and south, we have determined that we will not at this time build a temple in the immediate area of Hartford." He apologized to the disappointed members of Hartford by stating:
- We apologize to our faithful Saints in the Hartford area. We know you will be disappointed in this announcement. You know that we, and your local officers, have spent countless hours searching for a suitable location that would handle the needs of the Saints in New York and New England. While we deeply regret disappointing the people in the Hartford area, we are satisfied that we have been led to the present decision, and that temples will be located in such areas that our Saints in the Hartford area will not have to drive unreasonable distances.
On Saturday, 2 October 2010, in the opening session of the 180th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 18 years after the original announcement, President Thomas S. Monson announced the construction of the Hartford Connecticut Temple.
In May 2012, the church released a rendering of the temple and announced it would be built on an 11-acre parcel at the corner of Farmington Ave and Melrose Dr in Farmington, Connecticut. Farmington is the birthplace and childhood home of Wilford Woodruff, the fourth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The temple is planned to be 25,000 square feet and the site plan was approved by the town planning and zoning commission in June 2012. The Hartford Connecticut Temple will be the second temple built in New England, following the Boston Massachusetts Temple (2000), and the first built in Connecticut.
Groundbreaking Ceremony
President Thomas S, Monson presided at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Hartford Connecticut Temple on Saturday, 17 August 2013. About five hundred gathered at the site with thousands more watching by satellite broadcast in area meetinghouses. President Monson told the Saints, "Today is a special and sacred day as we bring to fruition the hopes and dreams of the Church members here and break ground for the Hartford Connecticut Temple. Each temple stands as a beacon to the world, an expression of our testimony that God our Eternal Father lives, that He desires to bless us and indeed bless His sons and daughters of all generations."
Once completed, the temple will serve members from Connecticut, Rhode Island, southwestern Massachusetts, and eastern New York.
Temple Design
A description of the design of the Hartford Connecticut Temple is given on the LDS Church Temples.com website:
- The proposed Hartford Connecticut Temple is a 30-foot, single-story edifice clad in white granite with a beautiful entrance pediment supported by columns and an elegant steeple rising to 115 feet, capped with a gold-leafed statue of the angel Moroni. News reports say the design is reminiscent of the historic First Church of Christ Congregational church in Farmington, completed in 1772. The grounds are formally landscaped with colorful foliage and curving walkways and parking areas, enclosed by a low New England-style stone fence. High compliments on the design have been paid by members of the Farmington Plan and Zoning Commission including Commissioner Bill Stanford who called the building "shockingly New England."
- Peter Fishman, owner of the intended site for the temple, initially had reservations about the project until he was shown a rendering of the building and given an explanation of its purpose and operation. "[The Church is] proposing to build an incredibly beautiful, very New England-appropriate temple that is going to be a significant landmark in this town for hundreds of years." He added, "I've seen what it's going to look like and it's going to be glorious—like a museum. It's going to be really a fantastic building, exceptionally well-built.
Updates
The LDS Church submitted blueprints for the temple, associated buildings and grounds design in May 2012. To see the plans, click here.