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Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Spring Snow

During a break in our spring snowstorm, I visited the temple site this morning.
I spied an open doorway.  I can't resist those anymore. 
This was tricky to see. 
There was a lot in the way. 
We waited so long for fence posts and gate posts, and now we can't see past them.
I am anxious to see how this doorway is finished.
The chapel will be in this area, with the original pulpit from the tabernacle.
Unfortunately, my camera could only focus on snowflakes.
I didn't even try to peek past this workman at the southeast tower entrance.
I was delighted to see art glass installed in the east gable wall.
Bricks have been delivered to finish the doorway below it, with rebar and concrete in preparation for stairs.
The days are numbered for the east side decking.
A mason worked at this corner post.
He is starting the sandstone base.
Welders assembled the fence along University Avenue.
I hope this is a warm job, because it was really cold today.
The raptors, which we haven't seen for awhile, didn't seem to mind the weather.
Men worked in the garden area near the north doorway. Sprinkler lines and conduit for exterior lighting are in place. 
The pavilion is getting harder and harder to see.
Landscaping efforts are disguising it.
I'm always on the lookout for copper.
I wonder if this is for the roof.
Not long after I left the site, the pavilion looked like this, so we probably won't learn that today.
Waterproofing the lower part of this wall is in progress.  This corner used to be the intersection of First South and First West.
A tree just a few steps away has flowers growing out of its side.
First South stops at University Avenue at this point.  The missionary box used to be here.  Then it was a construction entrance.  Now there are forms for a new curb.
This new walkway runs between University Avenue and First West, in place of a one block stretch of First South.
The fountain will be a focal point of the walkway.  The fountain base is in the center of the picture.
This strip along University is being cleared after functioning as a staging ground.
I watched men drill the base of this lamp post into the ground.  This is a replacement for a city post which was removed during the construction.
Several posts were removed, but all will be replaced.
The lamp posts on the temple site are different from the city posts.
They are beautiful.
Perhaps you have guessed which one is my favorite.
This truck was full of boxes.  The labels identified the contents as cabinets.  Men offloaded them onto a smaller truck.
They did not take them down this driveway.
They took them down this way.
The south entrance is starting to make sense.  We are seeing a geofoam ramp gracefully rise to the porch.
The edge of an orbital walkway is visible.  It will meet that ramp.
This mason placed sandstone in the east stairwell which leads to the underground garage.
The stone is held in place with bolts, not mortar.
The sandstone on the stairway walls is the same stone used around the windows and in the niches.
The sky might have been gloomy, but the temple wasn't.
No matter the weather, the temple is always stunning.

5 comments:

Katshrnk said...

I love these snowy pics! So glad you are doing this
Kathy

Chad said...

It's a miracle to me that the Church can afford to construct so many exquisite temples like this. I'm in the Timpanogous Temple district and some might not know, but the fence is PVC and the arches around the temple are fiberglass covered in stucco (I think, I knocked on them and they are hollow). The Provo City Center temple is going to be very, very beautiful. They are using the best materials and highest standards of construction. It's a miracle to me that we can have this temple. :) I love the blog. Thanks for your hard work over the years.

Easy_Going_Dad said...

I definitely think construction methods have improved since Mt. Timpanogos was built. I'm sure at the time, they used the best construction materials possible balanced against a reasonable budget for the mid 90's. Mt. Timp is a very large temple as far as square footage goes, and was built simultaneously with Bountiful's, an equally large temple. Also, compare Payson with Mt. Timp. Two similar temples in size and shape, but separated by 20 years. In those 20 years the church has become financially much stronger, and many new construction options have emerged such as prefabricated exterior architectural paneling and geofoam. Architects can pull off much more elaborate designs with beautiful detailed facades at competitive costs than what could be done 20 years ago. If the Provo Tabernacle had burned down in the 90's, I'm not confident the church would have invested in restoring it, let alone converting it to a temple. The engineering required to pull it off would have been too monumental and expensive for the time.

Easy_Going_Dad said...

By the way, Julie, I spied a crane on the construction cam this morning (4/21). operating on Univ. Ave. just south of the building. Any speculation on what is was for? Fountain delivery, maybe?

Julie Markham said...

Thanks for your thoughtful comments, Dad, as always. Good guess with the crane. I have just gotten home from the temple site with pictures of the fountain being lifted into place! It's beautiful. Let's hope my pictures show that.