Update of the Tabernacle Progress

The word is that they are nearing the end of the research around the old Tabernacle foundation and will be burying it and getting ready for the Temple Ground Breaking.  I have included an article from the Provo Daily Herald about people wanting to preserve the foundation and a picture of articles found that they displayed on a table.  I do not want to cause a stir but will give a little personal commentary - I appreciate the old and the efforts of the research related to the old Tabernacle and to learn more of it's history, but most of us never knew anything about it and to leave it there in the middle of new Temple grounds will take away from what can be done to beautify the area. Sometimes history preservation gets in the way of progress!  Now I am off my soapbox :)

Article -

PROVO -- As a young girl, Raquel Smith Callis found solace reading under a big sycamore tree at the Provo Tabernacle park grounds. She called it her Promising Tree. As a college student she often found her way to the tree to collect bark, leaves and other clean litter to create art. In October a backhoe ripped out the sycamore so archaeologists could unearth the foundation of the city's first tabernacle. Now Smith Callis and others are working to save that foundation from the same backhoe, including circulating a petition inviting residents to request that the foundation be left intact.

On Tuesday The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced that it is unearthing the foundation in preparation for the temple groundbreaking. The foundation will be donated to the city to be used elsewhere to remind residents and visitors about the area's pioneer heritage. The church plans to offer the foundation rocks to the city for its use. The city now has to figure out what it's going to do and how much it is going to cost.

"The date of the temple groundbreaking is pending," church spokesman Scott Trotter said. "Artifacts from the excavation will be displayed at BYU once they are processed and documented."

As of yet the LDS Church has not made application to the city for a building permit that would detail the plans for the Provo City Center Temple. Smith Callis and others are hoping the petition and a community picnic doubling as a peaceful demonstration Thursday will get the attention of the LDS Church leadership and city leaders to their desire to leave the foundation site intact and in place.

According to the State Historical Society, the definition of preservation is keeping what it is where it's at. To move the stones or dismantle walls and steps would take away the historical value.

"We're hoping a compromise could be made," Smith Callis said. "I value local history, and to see it unearthed is amazing."

Smith Callis added that her emotional attachment increased after taking a tour with more than 100 others on Tuesday evening. The tour guide indicated the roots of Smith Callis's tree grew so as not to disturb the foundation. Smith Callis sees it as sign of the importance of the site.

"All that time I was sitting on top of this," she said. "If this was in Salt Lake it would be preserved."

Susan Krueger-Barber was on that same tour. She immediately started plans for a petition to keep the foundation at the site.

"I want to see if they would even preserve just one wall," Krueger-Barber said. "I want to see if people care. It's valuable to keep for the history of our town."

Some ways of using the foundation include making a step-down garden to memorialize the people who used their hands to build it, according to Krueger-Barber.

Smith Callis added she wants her children to be able to put their hands on the stones of history. "We must somehow preserve a way for our children to connect to their heritage."

According to Rich Talbot, director of the Office of Public Archaeology at Brigham Young University, preserving it as way for children to connect to their heritage was one reason LDS President Brigham Young had them build it in the manner it was in the first place.

"Brigham Young wanted the youth to see the heritage of their parents," Talbot said.

However, Talbot also said, "There is nothing that would add to the spirit of a temple more than showing what the pioneers built. As a temple experience people are able to step down and touch the walls and understand how important the meeting house was."

Provo Councilman Sterling Beck said he has been to the site a couple of times.

"I took my Scouts there a couple of weeks ago." He said the big question is if the Provo Historical Preservation Committee had the ability to keep the foundation on the church's property.

Area residents interested in joining the picnic at the tabernacle are invited to bring their blankets and food and meet between 5:30 and 8 p.m. Thursday

Read more: http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/central/provo/provo-residents-petition-to-save-old-tabernacle-site/article_ff83b13a-0e92-59c9-b788-72acdacc2061.html#ixzz1qdJjDPdx

Church releases the name of the new Temple in Provo

Here is an article that was in the Provo Daily Herald newspaper -

It's not the templenacle: New Provo temple named

PROVO -- After months of speculation and guessing games The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has confirmed the official name of the new Provo temple.

"The name of the temple is the Provo City Center Temple," church spokesman Scott Trotter said.

While official construction and completion dates have yet to be announced, Jacobsen Construction has been named as the contractor for the building. Excavation of the 1800s meeting house just north of the tabernacle is nearly completed.

Last week the city approved surplusing 100 South adjacent to the land owned by the church to the north and south. The church anticipates acquiring that property and the Nu Skin parking garage west of the tabernacle. Nu Skin officials also have announced a new parking facility farther west on 100 South for their employees.

The Provo City Center Temple will be the second temple in Provo. The Provo Temple sits northeast of Brigham Young University and directly east of the Missionary Training Center.

 

March 23rd Update

It has been a little while since I have posted any updates or pictures of the view from my window.  They continue to work on the old Tabernacle and have cleared the area very well and continue to sift through the soil.  It now appears that they have started to look in areas outside of the original area as shown in one of the pictures today.  The other day they set up a table at noon and displayed items that were found. I was away from the office and missed the display.  Still not a lot of activity on the Temple.  Provo City did announce this past week that they will allow the closing of 1st South so that the Temple grounds can be expanded south.

This Week's Update March 5th

The work on excavation of the original Tabernacle continues.  As you can see from the picture below they have cleared out most of the dirt and you can see the total interrior of the foundation and area that the building occupied.  They spent most of last week under small shelters as it was stormy working on the north end which is the left side of the picture.  They were in the area that looks like a enterance.  They continue to sift through the dirt looking to see what can be found.  Still no major activity on the main Tabernacle builing, I do see people walking in and out on occasion.  As I said in a previous post, Nu Skin has made an arrangement with the Church so that the Nu Skin Parking terrace to the west of the site will be demolished and new under ground parking will be build for Nu Skin to the west across what is now 1st west, also a parking terrace will be build on the corner of 1st south and 1st west which will connect to the Nu Skin underground parking.  The word now is that the Church will build underground parking on the property south of the site and 1st south will be closed off.  Nu Skin will have a large green space and park between the current highrise and the new parking and most of the block to the west. So when you will enter the area to both Nu Skin and the Temple it will be all walking area similar to SLC downtown between the Church Office and the SLC Temple.  (No official plans have been released)