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Finally arriving too late in the afternoon for installation, the milestone event was rescheduled for the next day, but not without some additional struggles with the crane and weather. The steeple was set on the granite tower early in the morning with precision and ease by Okland Construction of Salt Lake City, Utah, but wind conditions required two attempts be made by the crane crew to get the statue of Moroni in it's proper position, facing East and securely in place 131 ft. above the ground.

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The Angel Moroni which tops all but a very few of the 122 operating LDS Temples worldwide, is the unofficial symbol of The Church. The golden statue of a standing man in flowing robes, with a horn pressed to his lips is symbolic of preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world-the trump heralding the gospel truths. The image of the Angel Moroni blowing a trumpet appears on the cover of some editions of the Book of Mormon, Church pamphlets, and is the official emblem on grave markers of American Mormon servicemen.

Location of the Sacramento Temple

The new Sacramento California LDS Temple was announced in April 2001. Construction began in August 2004. It will be the 123rd operating temple worldwide and the 7th in California. The Temple is located at 2100 California Avenue in Rancho Cordova near Highway 50 and Aerojet General Corp., at the edge of the Rancho Cordova and Folsom city limits, approximately 20 miles east of downtown Sacramento. The Sacramento California Temple was designed by local Fair Oaks resident and principal architect, Brian Everett of Nichols, Melburg & Rossetto. It is 19,500 square feet and construction is approximately 70% complete.

The Architect and the Design

A graduate of the University of Utah and a principal in the firm of Nichols, Melburg & Rossetto, Brian Everett has been involved in the design and construction of numerous facilities for The Church throughout northern California. The firm's work, which includes regional educational, healthcare, institutional and residential care facilities, was selected by the Temple Construction Department to provide architectural design services for the Sacramento Temple.

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The basic footprint, functional relationships and building massing were provided by the Temple Department. The architect's task was to orient it appropriately on the site and provide a dignified and uplifting design for the exterior and the grounds appropriate for its regional context and its religious significance.

The Temple will face south. As members and guests round the curve of California Circle and arrive at the south end of the main parking lot, looking north, the central landscaped plaza focuses the view to the front of the Temple. The Temple site will be slightly elevated above the surrounding grounds for both functional and aesthetic reasons. The native oak trees will be preserved around the Temple so far as it is possible to do so and will be incorporated in the landscaped grounds.

Classical design elements - heavy stone base, stone clad walls, articulated arches, art glass windows and detailed cornices speak to the permanence and majesty of this structure.

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Regional design elements employed on the Sacramento Temple include curved, covered arcades that flank either side of the main entrance. The arcades provide an "open armed" welcoming feel to the entrance and a shaded, logical connection to the surrounding gardens. Additional elements include freestanding trellises on the north and east sides of the grounds, seating areas and pathways through both manicured and natural vegetated areas.

The Temple will be a single-story steel framed structure with an exterior granite stone veneer. Approximate square footage is 19,500 SF.

Architect Brian Everett reports that "involvement in the development of the plans for the Temple has been one of the highlights of my career as an architect. It is truly a privilege to be able to employ one's experience, training and religious convictions in a project of lasting significance - the House of the Lord."

The Church in California and in the New Temple District

During the first one hundred years of its statehood, California's population doubled approximately every 20 years. Church membership increased as well, justifying the construction and dedication of the Church's second largest temple in Los Angeles in 1956.

California's 33.2 million inhabitants include 800,000 Latter-day Saints, or 2.2 percent of the state's population. Members will now be served by seven temples - in Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, Fresno, Redlands, Newport Beach and Sacramento.  California is second only to Utah as the state with the most temples.

Sacramento County alone has 67 congregations with more than 30,000 members, or 2.91 percent of the county's population, the largest per-capita Church membership among California's metropolitan areas and the 18th largest LDS county in the United States . The Sacramento Region, including El Dorado and South Placer counties, has 47,782 members.

The Sacramento Temple will serve about 80,775 members of the Church and will be the 4th largest in California.

Temple Open House and Dedication Date

Just a few days before installation of the Angel Moroni, Church officials announced that following completion of the Temple, an Open House will be held daily (except Sundays) from July 29 through August 26, 2006 for the general public. Temple tours will be free of charge and it is estimated more than 150,000 guests will go through the stunning edifice during the Open House.  President Gordon B. Hinckley is then scheduled to dedicate the Sacramento Temple on September 3, 2006. The energetic prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be 96 years old at the time of dedication.

Once dedicated, only worthy members of the Church can enter the Temple; however, the 47-acre Temple grounds with its tranquil setting, stunning terraces and highlighted by a beautiful fountain, will remain open to the public.

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