Laie Hawaii Temple
Laie Hawaii Temple (formerly the Hawaiian Temple) is the fifth oldest temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints still in operation. It is also the oldest temple still operating that was built outside of the state of Utah.
Located in the town of Lāie, thirty-five miles from Honolulu on the island of Oʻahu, the site of the temple was dedicated by Church President Joseph F. Smith on June 1, 1915. The temple was known as the "Hawaii Temple" until a standard naming convention for temples was adopted in the early 2000s.
The site for the temple is on 11 acres of land that was a part of a 6,000 acre sugarcane
plantation the Church bought in 1865 as a place of gathering
for the Latter-day Saints of the area. Native materials were used such as crushed lava
rock and coral blocks. The building's gleaming white finish was created by pneumatic stone cutting techniques. The design of the
temple resembles the structures that once stood in the South American
During construction of the temple, builders ran out of wood, a scarce commodity on the islands. The local members were able to procure the needed lumber when a ship ran aground and needed to unload some of its cargo of wood. The temple builders volunteered to help and were given the lumber out of gratitude. The lumber taken from the ship proved to be just enough to finish the temple.
Though he spent much of his presidency overseeing the construction of his beloved Hawaii Temple, Smith died before its
official opening. On November 27,
The Laie Hawaii Temple is 47,224 square feet and houses three ordinance rooms and six sealing rooms.
Mormonism in Hawai'i
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was established in the islands in 1850 following the Edict of Toleration promulgated by Kamehameha III, giving the underground Hawai'i Catholic Church the right to worship while at the same time allowing other faith traditions to begin establishing themselves.
The first missionary to have success among the Native Hawai'ians was George Q. Cannon. Among his earliest converts were men well versed in the high language of Hawai'i, such as Jonatana Napela and Uaua.
After the construction of the temple, the Latter Day Saints founded Church College of Hawai'i, now the Brigham Young University of Hawaii. The Hawai'i LDS population continued to flourish becoming one of the world's largest LDS communities today. The Kona Hawaii Temple, a second LDS temple for Hawai'i, was completed in Kailua Kona on the island of Hawai'i in 2000.
Additional images
 Laie Hawaii Temple is one of only three Mormon temples designed to look like Solomon's Temple in scripture. |
 Sign on the lawn |
 Landscaping around the temple |
 Detail of the reflecting pools |
 The entrance of the temple |
 The frieze on the front of the temple |
 The Maternity Fountain |
 The view opposite of the temple, showing the grounds |
 Offset view which shows more of the grounds |
See also
- Temple (Latter Day Saints)
- List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by geographic region
- LeConte Stewart
- Comparison of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Temple architecture (Latter-day Saints)
External links
- Official LDS Laie Hawaii Temple page
- Laie Hawaii Temple page
- Laʻie Hawaiʻi Temple page
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Official Site
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Visitors Site
- Unofficial LDS Temples Site
- Lightplanet - Mormon Temples
- Mormon Temples and Secrecy
- Mormon Temple Ordinances
- Resources on the History and Symbolism of Mormon Temples
- Maps and aerial photos for Coordinates:
- Maps from WikiMapia, Google Maps, Live Search Maps, Yahoo! Maps, or MapQuest
- Topographic maps from TopoZone or TerraServer-USA
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