Old and New

Another concrete pump visited the site today and added to the north foundation wall.  He also filled some of the rebar trees and poured the floor of the mechanical tunnel.  You can see that part of the west lot foundation is being readied for a slab, but there aren't forms yet.

This north lot is transforming into an annex which will house dressing rooms and a beautiful area for brides.

Crews worked into the wee hours of the morning the last two nights.  With the light reflecting off their hard hats, they look like little Lego men.  This photo is from the construction cam.

I captured this photo last night -- even Mr. Crane stayed up late.

In the last couple of weeks I have learned a lot about the interior of the new temple.  From this west view, you can see three levels.  There is a second level of the basement below what we see here, but that will generally not be used by patrons.  The first basement level will be vast.  It will ultimately fill the lower third of this picture, from the back wall of the north lot which you can see on the far left, through the tabernacle, on through the south lot to the right which will house underground parking, and toward me in this picture, filling the west lot, also parking.

Patrons can enter at ground level on this south side, but most will likely enter at the lower level, seen in the center of the bottom half of this picture, from the underground parking garage.  Patrons will be able to walk through the lower level into the north annex.  The baptistry will be on this level on the east side of the temple, at the right of this picture.  The ground level will house a chapel that faces north in the center of the building.  Instruction rooms will be on the east side.  Patrons will leave these rooms through spiral staircases in the two east towers.  The Celestial room will be in the the center of the upper level.  Brides, grooms and their families will be able to access sealing rooms on the upper level via spiral staircases in the west towers.  All of the sealing rooms will be double-vaulted and have exterior Gothic windows.  The art glass will follow the style of the original windows.  Remember that only the west gable survived the fire.  The other three will be rebuilt with brick salvaged from the tabernacle.  

What I call the west porch is in the center of this picture.  It will house engineering offices and be the access to the mechanical tunnel.  The blue trench shield north of this area is at the location of the floor of the mechanical tunnel.  All of the area shown in the lower three fourths of this photo, below the orange construction mesh at the ground level of the tabernacle, will be underground.

The trench shields can be seen again in the center of the bottom of this picture.  Pouring the floor of the mechanical tunnel began as I left the site today.

Work continues everywhere on the site.  This view of the east barrier in the south lot shows a fancy fork lift topping off dirt behind the barrier wall.  See the staircase in the background?  That's in the north lot.  This view shows the just a portion of the vast lower level.  You can see part of the north annex concrete wall just to the left of center in this picture.

The upper and lower thirds of the west entrance driveway got concrete this morning.  The final third will be poured tomorrow.  The top of the garage will be poured next week.

The south lot construction entrance on Second South was moved to the west.  You can see it between the jersey barriers on the far right.  Notice the old brick foundation wall on the left side.  Mr. Track Hoe assisted three BYU archaeologists in that spot today. 

I mentioned in an earlier post that this wall was part of the foundation for the old Roberts Hotel.  Deb Harris, one of the archaeologists, pointed out the paint color changes which indicate that a stairwell was on the left.  I am guessing that a basement window was in the center of the wall.

Another foundation wall is perpendicular to the brick wall which has been visible for months.  

It has been underneath the south entrance, continuously pounded by the dump trucks as they entered and exited the site.

Nicholson Engineering, which is shoring up the barrier walls, has waited to finish this part of the barrier until this study could be completed.

Deb kindly took a picture of the foundation wall for me.  The main part of the hotel's foundation was deeper toward the south.  

Mr. Track Hoe uncovered a shallower foundation to the north of the main part of the hotel, indicating an addition.  Deb told me they've found a lot of interesting things.  I hope to follow up on that.

Rebuilding the tower caps is progressing.  I learned that the southwest tower was the most damaged.  If it cannot be repaired, its lumber will be reused in the new structure. 

Excavation continued today even with the entrance change.  I decided to check up on the information I'd been given that the dirt is being taken to the airport.  The Provo airport is about ten minutes from downtown, near Utah Lake, which is lower than the surrounding area.

It was like finding a sacred elephant burial ground.  Enormous!

We are seeing two blocks from downtown Provo.  And the best part?  The truck drivers still waved at me!