Philadelphia Pennsylvania Mormon Temple

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Philadelphia Pennsylvania Mormon Temple
On 4 October 2008, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, announced that it would build a new temple in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The temple was originally scheduled to be located on the east side of the 400 block of North Broad Street, between Noble and Hamilton Streets in downtown Philadelphia. However, according to Robert B. Smith, a Church leader in Philadelphia, "the church encountered "contamination" problems with that site, prohibiting it from using the entire parcel to construct two buildings." He further stated that the Church was "in the process" of finalizing a sales agreement for 1739 Vine St., now a parking lot owned by Logan Place Associates." The new property is located between 17th and 18th Streets, on the north side of Vine Street, east of Family Court and near the Central Library of the Free Library of Philadelphia and the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul.

It is assumed that The Church of Jesus Christ will build the temple according to the same pattern it has used in large metropolitan areas such as Hong Kong and New York City. Therefore, the new sacred edifice would be a multi-purpose high rise building with offices and a visitors' center on the lower floors, and ordinance rooms on the top floors.

Significant Events in Mormon Church History in Pennsylvania

Two years prior to the organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1830, Church President, Joseph Smith, moved to Harmony, Pennsylvania, and lived in the home of Isaac Hale, his father-in-law. After a few weeks, he moved to a cabin adjacent to the farm. It was in this cabin where Joseph Smith translated most of the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ - a companion volume of scripture to the Bible. Joseph and the first members of the Church were baptized in the Susquehanna River in May 1829. A total of 12 congregations were organized in Pennsylvania in the 1830s, prior to the gatherings of Saints to Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois. One prominent congregation in Philadelphia had more than 200 members before 1840 and 8 to 10 new members were baptized weekly. Membership fell following the migration of the Saints to the Salt Lake Valley, but grew again as Mormon European emigrants arrived. Eventually the first stake was organized in 1960 with 1,100 members located in congregations in southeastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland.

Another significant event in Church history which occurred in Pennsylvania was the restoration of Priesthood authority. On 15 May 1829, having read about baptism for the remission of sins as they worked on the translation of the gold plates, Joseph Smith and his scribe Oliver Cowdery went to a secluded area to inquire of the Lord concerning the matter. There, on the banks of the Susquehanna River near Harmony, Pennsylvania, they received the answer to their prayer. John the Baptist, a resurrected being, came to them as “a messenger from heaven . . . in a cloud of light.” He conferred upon them the Aaronic Priesthood. Then, in obedience to his instructions, Joseph and Oliver baptized each other and ordained each other to the Aaronic Priesthood. Also in May 1829, the ancient Apostles Peter, James, and John conferred the Melchizedek Priesthood upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. In June 1829, guided “by the gift and power of God” Doctrine and Covenants 135:3, the Prophet Joseph Smith completed the translation of the Book of Mormon.

Today there are 51,406 members, 2 missions, 12 stakes, 84 wards, and 30 branches in Pennsylvania alone. The Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple will be the first temple in the Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Delaware region.

Groundbreaking Ceremony

Philadelphia Pennsylvania Mormon Temple


President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency, presided over the groundbreaking ceremony for the Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple on Saturday, 17 September 2011 — the 224th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution of the United States at Philadelphia's Independence Hall. Attendance at the temple site was by invitation only. The event warranted a long story in the Philadelphia Enquirer.


Additional Resources