MESA, Ariz. - The 91-year-old The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Temple in downtown Mesa will be closing it's doors at the end of May for a major renovation project.
For 3.5 years, church leaders have been working on a plan to renovate the aging stalwart and spiritual home to tens of thousands of southwest Mormons for a second time. The church was last refurbished and rededicated in 1975 under the direction of then LDS President Spencer W. Kimball.
"The structure of the building is sound," declared Bill Williams, director of temple design.
But Williams said to keep the "Grand Ol' Dame" on a course that will prove useful as a viable church property for the next 40 to 50 years, she's going to need some significant upgrades to the heating and cooling systems, along with the electrical and plumbing.
Church leaders are also facing another challenge as the project moves forward: balancing modernity with the temple's rich history.
And as a designated "Pioneer Temple," church leaders are following through with their mission to preserve this historically important building for future generations of Mormon members.
Over the next two years, the renovation project will make significant upgrades to the internal workings of the building, while conservators will be preserving the history the building has conveyed over the past 91 years.
The 75,000-square-foot Temple was built in a neoclassical configuration using distinctive buff colored terracotta blocks. And within its walls, the temple features such areas as a magnificent baptistry designed by Torlief Knaphus, and a number of large murals painted by prominent LDS artists.
Curators will be paying close attention to the restoration and the protection of these priceless items on display.
"We want people to come in (at the end), to feel like they've stepped back in time a little bit." Emily Utt, historic curator for the church said. "We want it to feel like a 1920s building. So the paint colors, the furniture, the lighting, the carpet — all of those things together will create a unified historic looking building that feels comfortable and right," she said.
The most noticeable changes will be to the grounds surrounding the temple.
"Where we're standing, this will be an expanded reflecting pond, with shade on the sides," Williams said as he stood next to an existing reflecting pond. The current Visitors Center, which sits north of the temple, is being razed and rebuilt at a new location to make room for the new landscaping.
Williams said there will more private areas for families to socialize, but landscape architects are also working on maintaining shaded areas, as well as a variety of scaled spaces within the grounds.
The temple is expected to re-open in 2020.