Manti Temple, Main Street (U.S. Route 89), Manti

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS UTAH,20-MANT,1-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

An architecturally significant religious edifice "built in a -wilderness outpost during the pioneer era of the church. PART I. HISTORICAL INFORMATION A. Physical History: 1. Original and subsequent owners: Corporation of the President Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 2. Late of erection: Started April completed 3. Architect: William H. Folsom h. Original plan and construction of building: Construction is. of cream-colored coursed oolitic limestone ashlar. In the "basement is a "baptismal room. The main floor is occu- pied for the most, part by instructional rooms. An assem- bly room fills the entire upper floor. As with all Mor- mon Temples-, the "building faces east. B.

Historical Events and Persons Associated with the Building: "The Mormon Pioneers arrived in the valley of the Great Salt Lake in July, "What is now the State of Utah was then Mexican territory occupied only by Indians. The Mormon colo- ny was a wilderness outpost, a thousand miles from the near- est city to the east and seven hundred miles from the Pacific Coast settlements. MANTI TEMPLE 'c~ ': " ^ HABS No. U-Tl (Page 2) Under such conditions it would have been natural for these religious exiles to have remained together as a compact body for protection against the natives and for mutual aid in the rigorous task of pioneering the wilderness.

But Brigham Young and other leaders determined that a vast area should "be colonized to afford larger opportunity for the thousands of converts who would come into the Church. Furthermore, the Mormons had comparatively little difficulty with the natives. Their sensible policy that it was better to feed than to fight them paid rich dividends. In fact, it was at the request of Chief Walker of the Ute tribe that settlers were first sent to the Sanpete Valley through which Highway 89 now runs. In Chief Arapeen, successor to Walker, deeded the Sanpete Valley to Brigham Young as Trustee- in-Trust for the Church. In November, a group of fifty colonists left Salt Lake City and drove their wagons and stock 125 miles to the area now occupied by the city of Manti.

It was hoped that they could build temporary shelter before winter set in. But they scarcely had made camp before a heavy storm arose leaving the valley blanketed with two feet of snow. Their wagons afforded scant protection against the wind and freezing temperatures which followed, and desperately in search of better shelter, they turned to the hill where the temple now stands. 0 Dugouts were cut in the side of the hill and smoke vents at the rear. Though the walls and floors were of dirt, these improvised rooms kept the colonists warm through a severe winter which took the lives of most of their cattle. Beneath the topsoil of the hill was a solid mass of cream- colored oolitic limestone. When this was discovered, the hill became a quarry.

The colonists utilized its stone to provide for themselves a substantial fort in case of Indian troubles, and also used it in the construction of homes. On April 25, four months before his death, Brigh&ia Young visited Manti. Retiring to the hill on the outskirts of the village, he dedicated the site for the building of a house of God. Following this a call was sent out for workmen, and five days after the dedication a hundred men gathered at the quarry and knelt in prayer before commencing a task that was to continue for eleven years. Two years of blasting and scraping were required to prepare the footings and foundation. On April lk9 the corner- stones were laid, and work was begun on the walls, which were built of stone taken from the hill. ; MANTI TEMPLE ' HABS No.

U-Tl (Page 3) At the time of construction the people were relatively few in number. Moreover, their strength was taxed with the grim task W&r of pioneering a harsh, strange land. Theirs was a constant struggle against drought, grasshoppers, sickness, poverty, and Indians who could not resist the temptation of their cat- tle. Yet the building went steadily forward. In planning the undertaking Brigham Young said, "Now Bishops, if any person should inquire what wages are to be paid for work on this temple, let the answer he, 'Not one cent.'" Contributions of eggs, cheese, meat, flour or whatever the people had were donated to the cause. The old day hook shows such items as two steers credited for 100 pounds of flour abed cash.

All of these contri- buted materials were turned into the Bishop's storehouse, and then distributed to the workmen. When completed, the cost of the structure was estimated at a million dollars." C. Sources of Information: 1. Primary and unpublished sources: Church Historian's Office, 47 East South Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah 2.

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS UTAH,20-MANT,1-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Manti Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah, Goeldner, Paul, Utah Catalog Historic American Build- ings Survey, Salt Lake City, Utah, Utah Heritage Foundation, - History of San-pete and Emery Counties , Ogden, Utah, W. H. Lever, p 8l. Lambert, Kenneth L., Manti's Mormon Castle, Utah Archi- tect, No. 44 Spring Luce, Willard, "How Firm a Foundation", Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, Harry D. Miller, July Vol. 9 No. 7. Lund, William A., Story of the Manti Temple, Deseret News, June 4, Lundwall, Nels Benjamin, Temples of the Most High, Salt Lake City, Utah, (N. B. Lundwall, compiler and pub- lisher), Peterson, Wm. H., The Miracle of the Mountains, Manti, Utah, MANTI TEMPLE RABS No. U-71 (Page h) Prepared "by Gary D. Forbush, AIA December, PART II.

ARCHITECTURAL IIFORMATION A. General Statement: 1. Architectural interest: This is one of the most "beauti- ful of the Latter Day Saints' (Mormon) temples on a drama- tic hillside site. 2. Condition of fabric: Excellent B. Description of Exterior: 1. Over-all dimensions: This is a three story rectangular structure 6" long, 95* wide, generally 92' high. East tower: high, West tower: high. 2. Foundations: Limestone 3. Wall construction, finish and color: Cream-colored coursed oolitic limestone ashlar (quarried on site). Walls are ^2 inches thick at bottom, 36 inches thick at top. k. Structural system, framing: Masonry "bearing wall with wood framed floors and roof. 5. Porches, stoops, bulkheads, etc.: Cut limestone steps. 6. Openings: a.

Doorways and doors: Hardwood frames and doors with deeply molded panels. b. Windows and shutters: Wood sash, no shutters. 7. Roof: a. Shape, covering: Flat. b. Cornice, eaves: Crenellations forming a firewall. c. Dormers, cupolas, towers: East and west masonry towers with mansard roof forms. MANTI TEMPLE HABS No. U-71 (Page 5) C. Description of Interior: m 1. Floor plans: Plans not available; restricted access. 2. Stairways: Hardwood of high quality construction with one self-supporting circular spiral stairway, three stories high. 3. Flooring: Hardwood, carpeted. h. Wall and ceiling finish: Plaster painted. 5- Doorways and doors: Paneled hardwood doorways, richly molded trim. 6. Decorative features and trim: Several rooms finished with high quality mural paintings.

(Some photographs of these interiors are publicly available.) Turned balus- ters. Rich plaster cornices. T. Notable hardware: Some original decorative bronze of period. 8. Lighting, type of fixtures: Incandescent chandeliers in larger rooms. 9. Heating: Central steam. D. Site and Surroundings: 1. Orientation: Building faces east on a side hill of solid rock at the north end of town. Most prominent facade from town, however, is west facade, as east entrance faces into hill. 2. Outbuildings: x kO1 two-story heating plant build- ing, connected to temple. 3- Landscaping: Entire site is developed with lawns, walks and drives, well maintained landscaping. Prepared by Fred Markham, FAIA & John Giusti, AIA December, MANTI TEMPLE ^r HABS No. U-71 (Page 6) PART III.

PROJECT INFORMATION This record is part of a Utah Survey conducted in the summers of and under joint sponsorship of the Historic American Buildings Survey of the Office of Archeology and Historic Preser- cation of the Rational Park Service and the Utah Heritage Foundation. Field work, historic research and record drawings were done under the direction of Project Supervisor Paul Goeldner, AIA (Texas Tech Univer- sity) assisted "by Project Historian John L. Giusti , AIA (University of Utah). Photographs were made "by P. Kent Fairbanks of Salt Lake City. Student Assistant Architects on the team were Rohert M. Swanson and Charles W. Barrow, (University of Texas) and Kenneth L. Lambert and Keith Sorenson, (.University of Utah). Student Assistant Architects were Keith Sorenson, Charles D.

Harker and Rooert S.chriever, [University of Utah) and Donald G. Prycer, (Texas A. & M. University).