Moving Right Along

I have good news about the underground entrance.

I've been concerned about the cinder block going in where I believed patrons would enter the temple.  This opening will actually be part of an interior hallway.

The plans filed with the City show a beautiful foyer which will be constructed outside the footprint of the tabernacle.  It will be in the area which is being leveled and will funnel patrons through the opening we see here and into the temple.

Forms for the northeast tower foundation are now blocking our view to the inside.  Notice the rebar across the right half of the picture.

This picture from the construction cam shows forms for the east annex wall which went up after I left the site.

Mr. Crane helped with the column forms this morning.  The workman are fitting the form around a copse of rebar.

This Jacobsen workman climbed up to release the crane lines and secure the top of the form.  I took this picture from the third step of my yellow ladder, but I was in awe of his calm demeanor.  I'm not afraid of heights, but I do have a healthy fear of falling.  Maybe I'll look into some safety clamps.

The annex is one of the inspired parts of the new temple.  When finished, it will be completely underground and will house changing rooms, a bride's room, and the temple matron's office.  There simply was not space for all of these rooms inside the shell of the tabernacle.

The Provo South Stake has placed banners along the construction barrier on University Avenue.  Some went up last week.  I took the time to look at the new ones this morning.  If you left-click, you will get a larger picture.

I loved this banner, with pictures of features from the tabernacle.

None of the art glass from the tabernacle could be saved.

However, because of pictures like these, artisans will be able to duplicate the original glass.

All five sealing rooms on the top floor will have natural light from art glass windows.

Enough wood was salvaged from the fire so that banisters and filials like these can be reproduced.

I hope the new doorknobs will be this interesting!

The sego lily is Utah's state flower.  The early pioneers ate the bulbs of this plant when their food ran out.

I hope this beautiful flower shows up throughout the new temple, even in the art glass.

This historical banner definitely caught my eye!  You have seen the bottom picture before.

But this top picture -- how fun to see the interior of the tabernacle shell!

The concrete pump arrived, ready to work.  I had never seen it move before, all put together and so compact.

I watched him stretch out in the west lot, reminding me of clowns clambering out of a Volkswagon, except much more graceful.

He's pumping concrete into the forms for the mechanical access tunnel.

I have been watching this sump in the west lot, easily visible from the cam.  It is part of the vast drainage system on the temple site.  This particular sump will collect the oil from cars in the underground garage.  Actually, just the oil that leaks onto the concrete.

A helpful workman this morning tried to explain this to me, adding that the separator was already on the site.  He compared it to a grease separator such as what we would find in a restaurant, although currently it's separating boots and caps from their owners.  This separator will prevent any contaminants from entering Provo's storm water system.

While my view into Lower Level 1 has been blocked from the north, my camera could still peer in through the southeast corner.  The edge of the baptistry can barely be seen in the right corner of the opening.  The annex can be seen through the north opening.

Work progresses on the ground level decking.  The workman on the far right is increasing the height of the cinder blocks around the elevator which will be in that area.

Since I had my ladder, I tried to get a good look at the lower east side.  This was the best I could do.

I know that a lift station will be dug on the east side.  It will ultimately be the lowest spot on the site, and again, it will be part of the drainage system.  What I was able to see was the waterproofing along the east foundation.  A slab has been placed here and I suspect that we will soon see rebar going up for the southeast tower foundation.

I was able to catch this view from the post office lot.  This will be a tight place for the track hoes to work, but they've worked on this side before.

Another lift station will be dug in the southwest corner.

I took a quick peek at Nu Skin's progress through the fence.  Word is their completion date is now October.

This pile of gravel is new.  Its final destination will be the lowest level of the tabernacle.

This picture from August 5th shows my last glimpse of the tabernacle floor.  A concrete drain is visible on the right with a sump at the back of the photo.  However, the entire floor is designed for drainage.  The gravel will cover the floor and then a final slab will be poured on top of it.  Perhaps you think this is like stuffing a turkey through its beak, but there is plenty of room on this lowest level of the basement to accomplish the task.

Ed, the operator of Daddy Track Hoe, was making room for more gravel.

The Provo South Stake has added a banner with a new rendition of the temple.

But this is my favorite rendition, a gift from my home teacher.