While most members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) live along the Mormon Corridor in the Western U.S., there are actually quite a few Mormons who live in the Delaware Valley. Despite this, members of the Church currently have to schlep up to Manhattan or down to Washington D.C. to find a temple. This will soon change as the Church is preparing to put the first shovel in the ground on a new temple and mixed-use facility on Vine St. between 16th and 18th Sts.
Currently, Vine Street is a sea of surface parking between 16th and 18th, despite its prime location near the Ben Franklin Parkway, the main branch of the
Free Library of Philadelphia, and the
Pennsylvania Convention Center annex. The Mormons have bold plans to make use of these lots by building a 60,000 sq. ft. neoclassical temple, a 20,000 sq. ft. temple services building, a 155-space underground parking garage, and an undetermined mixed-use space, says Corinne Dougherty, the Philadelphia regional public affairs director for the church.
The temple’s exterior design promises to be dramatic. According to Dougherty, the exterior of the holy place will be made out of granite, and will include two spires, with the statue of an LDS angel gracing the top of one spire. The facility’s façade will be designed in such a way that will mesh well with the Free Library and Family Court buildings. "It is important for our temples to compliment the architecture and culture of the cities in which they reside," says the public affairs director. Salt Lake City Utah’s
FFKR Architects is responsible for the exterior design.
While the exterior of the temple should be marvelous, the interior of the building will be beautiful in its own right. It will be designed in the Classical style, and contain a majestic entry and waiting space, a baptistery, offices, and instruction and ordinance rooms, according to
Perkins+Will, the design firm that is in charge of the interior. Among the luxuries that will be found inside the temple are stained glass, broadloom carpet, ornate paint and gold leaf, and intricate stone flooring. Perkins+Will is a large firm with offices in more than two dozen locations across the globe, including here since 2007.
There is still no word on what the Church will do with the mixed-use parcel it acquired at 16th and Vine. While Grasso Holdings was previously given permission to build a 46-story mixed-use space at the site, they agreed to hand over the land to the LDS. The Church has consented to meet with neighbors, the
City Planning Commission, and the
Re-Development Authority (PRA) when it does decide what it wants to do.
Dougherty explains that no groundbreaking date has yet been etched in stone for the temple, which means rumors of a July start for construction might be premature. She does say that construction should commence by the third quarter of this year, but doesn’t say when that will be. She is fairly certain that the temple and temple services building will be completed by 2014. Once that happens, the temple will have an open house period for several weeks. Take advantage of this open house, as the temple will only be open to
Church members after it is dedicated, says Dougherty.
Writer: Andy Sharpe
Source: Corinne Dougherty, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints