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Nauvoo Illinois Temple
Number	113	edit data
Dedicated	June 27, 2002 (June 27, 2002) by Gordon B. Hinckley
Site	3.3 acres (1.3 hectares)
Floor area	54,000 sq ft (5,000 m2)
Height	162 ft (49 m)
Preceded by	Asunción Paraguay Temple
Followed by	The Hague Netherlands Temple
Official website • News & images
Additional information Announced April 4, 1999 Groundbreaking October 24, 1999 by Gordon B. Hinckley Open House May 6 – June 22, 2002 Current President James A. McArthur (2013) Designed by FFKR Architecture[1] based on design by William Weeks Location 50 N Wells St. Nauvoo, Illinois United States Exterior finish Limestone block quarried in Russellville, Alabama Temple design Greek revival Ordinance rooms 4 (four-stage progressive sessions) Sealing rooms 6 Clothing rental Yes Cafeteria No Visitors' center Yes Notes Built on the site of the Nauvoo Temple and dedicated on the 158th anniversary of the death of Joseph Smith, the exterior is an almost exact reconstruction of the original temple. Primary difference is weather-vane has been replaced with a statue of Moroni. However, the interior has 4 progressive ordinance rooms with murals like those in the early Utah temples leading to the celestial room and 6 sealing rooms.

Coordinates: 40°33′1.216800″N 91°23′2.972399″W / 40.55033800000°N 91.38415899972°W / 40.55033800000; -91.38415899972

The Nauvoo Illinois Temple is the 113th dedicated temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (The Church). It is the third such temple that has been built in Illinois (the original Nauvoo Temple and Chicago Illinois Temple being the others).

Located in the town of Nauvoo, the temple's construction was announced on April 4, 1999, by church president Gordon B. Hinckley. Groundbreaking was conducted on October 24, 1999 and the cornerstones were laid November 5, 2000. The structure itself was built in the Greek Revival architectural style using limestone block quarried in Russellville, Alabama. It is built in the same location as the original structure that was dedicated in 1846.

The origins of the temple go back to 1937. In that year Wilford C. Wood purchased some of the land on behalf of the Church and purchased another piece of land that he later sold to the Church. He also organized a group of Latter-day Saints from the Chicago Illinois Stake, co-led by Ariel S. Williams to clear and beautify the recently purchased land. At the time the Chicago Stake was one of only two east of the Mississippi River.^[2]

Wood purchased land in 1951 that included a house which was made a visitors center for the temple site. In the late-1950s and then in 1962 agents for the Church of JesusChrist of Latter-day Saints completed the purchase of the temple lot.^[3]

The building measures 130 feet (40 m) long, 90 feet (27 m) wide, and 162 feet (49 m) tall to the top of the statue of Angel Moroni. It has an area of 54,000 square feet (5,000 m²). It is the only temple owned by the Church today that has a bell tower, although the Kirtland Temple also has a bell tower.

Church leaders and architects carefully worked to replicate the original exterior design of the 19th-century temple, which was damaged by an arson fire in 1848 and by a tornado on May 27, 1850. It was consequently condemned and demolished by the Nauvoo City Council. Construction materials and furniture were derived from the original design as well. Its interior floor plan is noticeably different from that of the old Nauvoo Temple, as is the style of the golden angel at the top of the spire. The completion and official dedication took place on June 27, 2002, on the anniversary of the death of Joseph Smith, the church's founder.

Up to 1.5 million visitors a year have visited Nauvoo since the temple opened in 2002.^[4]

Presidents

Notable presidents of the temple include Richard W. Winder (2002–04) and Spencer J. Condie (2010–13).

Original Nauvoo Temple

The Nauvoo Temple was the second temple constructed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,