Steeple, What Else?

I've enjoyed watching the steeple work from the construction cam this week.

The only way to tell from the cam that they were making progress on the south side was to watch the parts disappear.  One is seen in the lower left.

A couple more parts were hidden on the east side, but this has come together fast.

Even with a good imagination, I'm not sure I can yet appreciate how beautiful this will be.

Color from the art glass will put this over the top.

There is something else new.  I spied men working on the northeast tower.  I thought it was complete.

Every Victorian tower needs a water collection system.  This is copper, with bronze hangers.

If I weren't pointing out these beautiful hangers, would you even be noticing them?

This temple has quite a bit of delicate detail.

I checked the progress on the other towers.  The northwest frieze board has been painted.

The southwest frieze board is still being built.

The southeast tower is waiting for its turn.

The pigeons told me to be patient.

Two concrete pumps paid a visit to the south lot early this morning.

The roof over the annex was poured ten months ago.  This last portion of the roof deck is now complete.

It won't be long before this area will be a garden.  Or a snow field.

In the meantime, deliveries are still necessary, such as gravel.

A track hoe waited to spread it out over the driveway.

The lowest level of concrete has already been poured.  Rebar, the green kind, is next.

Machines were making themselves at home on the north lot, too. This guy was working hard on the entrance from University Avenue.

He seemed quite protective of his work even though I had no interest in interfering.

Across the street, another machine worked on the entrance to the courthouse steps, just in case you have wondered why I don't take pictures from there anymore.  You might not be aware that the former steps were recently featured in a music video.

New dirt has been delivered for the north planter.

This planter is big.

I think it looks larger from the ground than it does from the cam.

Covering the geofoam is a work in progress.

I like watching the work along Center Street.  I have confirmed that these are indeed planters and not monuments.

Holes for fence posts are multiplying.

The plans show a circular area surrounded by planters at both north corners.

This fancy hole digger has been busy.  Notice pipes for irrigation on the right.

Everyone is pleased that a few trees from the tabernacle property have been saved.

Good news from this morning's visit is that my camera can see over the new wall.  See the fountain on the right?

I realized that I don't understand how this is going to work.  Why are men walking on rebar where I think the pool will be?

The pavilion received a delivery which remains a mystery.  Forms for the extension of the new wall can be seen along the right of this picture.

A planter will be built on this side of the pavilion.  Matting to go underneath it, just like we have seen on the west and north lots, is in place. 

Because we all know that matting and geofoam go hand in hand.

The sandstone beltcourse above the keystone has been repaired.

A beautiful etched-glass lintel will be at the top of the doorway.  It will welcome temple patrons with the words "Holiness To The Lord."

There will also be a Holiness to the Lord lintel above the underground entrance to the temple, which I couldn't see from where I was standing for this picture, but I tried.

The watercourse along the south side was easier to see today.

This section is on the northeast side of the southeast tower.

This is the west side of the same tower.  When the two sections meet, it will be easy to photograph.

To conclude:  Tremendous progress.

And a little heads-up:  Fall is coming.

But not too quickly.

Pigeons, String Lines and Walls

I had some help looking up today.

Men have been working on the frieze board around the steeple.  Notice one last section on the right is missing.

No worries.  They put it up while I watched.

Framing for the windows has begin.

Many of us are watching this from the construction cam.

The artist's rendition will refresh our memories of what it will look like.

Blue stripes were an unexpected feature on the northeast tower frieze board.

I was pretty sure it was painters tape, and my camera confirmed that.

The northwest frieze board is just a little behind its neighbor.

Put on your virtual tennis shoes, because we are going on a little walk.  We are starting at the northeast corner, where Center Street and University Avenue intersect.  Center Street is behind me.  University Avenue runs north and south behind the green construction barrier along the top left of this picture.  The fence is six feet tall.  I can't see over it, but my camera can.  The forms are part of the north lot planter network.  Notice the dirt piles behind them.  This is not scraped up dirt from the lot.  It's nice, new dirt.

We are going to try to walk west along Center street, but the construction fence has been moved into the sidewalk about three feet.  The missionary box is just to my left.

I took advantage of the new opening in the fence.  The surveyor on the right is measuring for fence post holes.  It's pretty obvious where holes have already been dug.

As I walked along Center Street, stepping over sandbags, I took this photo.

At the northwest corner, more forms and rebar are being placed.  Notice the rearranged construction fence along the top of this picture, which is north and south, parallel with University Avenue.  A driveway down into the Nu Skin garage is behind that fence.

I borrowed this picture from June of 2013.  The Nu Skin driveway, behind the wooden barrier, is directly in the center of this picture, coming straight at us.

Maybe someday we'll be able to walk along the grounds to the south lot, but not while construction is going on. Forms for a new wall along the west side of the south lot are being built.  So far the forms are six feet tall, and my camera can still see over them.  I have my fingers crossed that they won't get higher. You can see the workmen in the orange vests on top of the forms.  Run your eyes along the forms just past the men.

This is a little intersection where the wall running east and west will meet the new wall.  The Nu Skin driveway is across the west lot, past the concrete fence on the left.

This is the east/west wall.  My camera has messed with perspective again. The wall runs half a city block.  The construction barrier and this new wall have conspired to keep me from taking pictures for quite some time.

However, our friend David Dorff took this picture from the Nu Skin building on Friday.  The current concrete wall runs diagonally through the center of this photo.  The north/south wall runs alongside the pavilion.  David wasn't taking a picture of either wall.  This shot is of the geofoam and planters in the west lot.  The corral amidst the geofoam will ultimately be an emergency stairwell from the underground garage.

Let's go back to the Nu Skin driveway, which is on my right.

Mr. Engineer-Husband passed by my computer and I asked him about this picture.  He said this contraption is a water supply back flow preventer.  I asked him if he was making that up.  He said no.

A machine is moving some of the new dirt to the new planter.

Maybe we can't trust my husband on his gadget, but you can trust me on this one.

David took this picture of the north planter.  On the far left you can see the smaller planter for a statue.

Since his picture was taken on Friday, the forms were pulled off the gate posts around the sidewalk.

I followed up on the mysteries at the west gable.  Today a string line was clearly visible, not by me, but my camera could see it.

The wimpy piece of wood from last week has been replaced with something more substantial.

The workmen had a large audience.

The west gable is the only gable to have survived the fire, but it's still needed plenty of attention.

The east gable has its own piece of wood now.

Nothing beats the beauty of this gable in the morning sun.

Of course, it has a huge advantage.

Lovely yellow string is a nice feature, too.

Once again, I couldn't see the string line from the ground, but my camera could.  The north gable eleven days ago had a string line, too.  For sure, it's so somebody can do something, my new favorite quote.

The north gable was still getting attention this morning.  I spied an orange tube inside the apex, presumably for preventing ice buildup.

Just below that gable, trim on the soffit and fascia is turning the corner.

No one paid any attention to the south gable this morning.  But that sensor is still there.

The glacier field in the west lot is being organized.

I'm still thrilled about the fence changes on the west side.  The concrete wall which will disguise the mechanical building is going up.  When I looked at the plans, I paid no attention to that, so we'll just have to be surprised.

This is niche #16, all done.  All beautiful.

The nearby arch over the southwest doorway is also very nice.  I think its keystone will need a Dutchman repair.

Two concrete pumps paid a visit to the south lot last week.

The crane helped the men work today placing rebar on the last section.

This is how much is left to go.  The men at the far left across the lot are pulling the cables.

This time I knew what to look for.

There are some things I get on my own, though.