REBUILDING THE NAUVOO TEMPLE
In 1846, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints built its second temple, the Nauvoo Temple in Nauvoo, IL, only to see it burned down by an angry mob two years later. Over 150 years later, in 1999, the church decided to rebuild this significant temple, duplicating the original building on the same site. Equipped only with journal accounts from eyewitnesses, scattered partial drawings from
the original architect, William Weeks, as well as daguerreotypes and an archaeology report conducted in the 1960s, the firm of FFKR Architects set about recreating the five-story, 50,000-sq.ft. structure, which is now the Church’s 113th temple.
Left: This daguerreotype of the original Nauvoo Temple taken by Louis Chafin in 1846 served as a guide for the architects when rebuilding the temple.
Right: A gilded statue of the angel Moroni sits on top of the tower, which is adorned with Classical detailing such as Corinthian capitals in the belfry colonnade. The star motif in the balustrade panels is repeated in the triglyph and mutule blocks on the belfry and upper tower sections. The Verdin Company of Cincinnati, OH, supplied the clock and bell.
“The greatest challenge,” says Roger Jackson, AIA, Principal in Charge of the project, “was recreating a building that was gone. It had been destroyed by fire and then hit by a tornado and then the stone was scavenged. To recreate the building for modern use, we had to research the historic building. We could see the gross features like the size and number of windows, but it was the smaller
details that were difficult.”
“We started with drawings that the church had in its archives, and also used an archeological report from the 1960s,” Jackson says. “There were some remaining stone fragments, some had been used in other buildings around town. We studied the size and surface texture of the stones. Another source was four fuzzy photos and a tin type image.”
Descriptive articles and journal entries were also helpful, he adds. “They were often very detailed,” he says. “The recorder for the project provided very good descriptions, and the chief carpenter on roof and tower structure also had a very descriptive journal. We had three or four journals that were really helpful. My own great-great-grandfather had worked on the temple, but his journal said
only things like ‘worked on the temple today.’ It was not much help to the project, but wonderful to learn of his involvement.”
The main entrance and portico of the Nauvoo Temple in Nauvoo, IL, is on the west side of the building. Exterior detailing includes crescent moons at the base of the columns, sun capitals, five-pointed-star stonework and windows. A gold-leaf statue of the angel Moroni rests atop the tower. The building measures 90x130 ft. and is 65 ft. to the top of the stonework.
The box and tower add another 100 ft. to the height. All photos: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The building is a bold reinterpretation of the Greek Revival style, using stylized motifs to reflect the theology and beliefs of Mormonism. Most notably, the Greek Orders have been modified, with cosmological motifs appearing throughout the structure. For example, a crescent moon adorns the bases of the pilasters, while the capitals are transformed into rising anthropomorphized suns in the midst
of the clouds, with heralding trumpets at their sides.
In addition, the triglyph in the frieze of the entablature is a five-pointed rising star with an elongated ray, and a six-pointed star appears in the mutule block on the soffit of the cornice. These different cosmological motifs are repeated throughout the building. Five-pointed stars are also found on the balustrade railing panels along the bottom of the roof, and on the triglyph and mutule
blocks on the tower entablatures.
The continuation of the exterior detailing with crescent moons on the bases of the pilasters, sun capitals, five-pointed star stonework and windows can be seen on the south side of the building.
The architects used pattern books in the detailing of the interior finishes. These were widely used by both architects and workers alike when the temple was originally built. One particular pattern book that guided FFKR was by Asher Benjamin. After completion of the project, a pattern book owned by the architect, William Weeks, was discovered. That book, with the cover and frontice page missing,
was written by Edward Shaw.
The base and body of the temple is constructed of Alabama limestone supplied by Vetters Alabama Stone of Russellville, AL. “The stone for the original building was gathered from close by,” says Jackson, “but that source was no longer available. The Alabama stone is very similar to the original.”
The dramatic circular/spiral southwest staircase features an unsupported cantilever design. The hardwood inner handrail runs continuously from the top to the bottom.
Kynar-coated aluminum was used throughout the roof, cornice and tower assemblies instead of painted wood. Other features include hand-made mortise-and-tenon square-peg joined windows with hand-blown French glass; a monumental cantilevered wood spiral stairway; hardwood floors; extensive use of walnut for the base, wainscot and trim moldings; GRG detailing; handmade period lighting fixtures; a
slate roof; hand-wrought handrail and fence assemblies; a granite and limestone site hardscape and extensive gardens throughout the site.
The architects regarded this project as an opportunity to blend original design and manufacturing methods with new technology. For example, the windows were fabricated by an artisan skilled in 18th-century window making. They were cut and fabricated by hand and hand painted by workmen at the Allyn Historic Sash Company in Nauvoo, IL, without the use of nails. Instead of 1/8-in. glazing, the firm
used 1/16-in. hand-blown restoration glass and sandwiched it together with a 5/16-in. spacer and another piece of 1/16-in. float glass on the inside. The result was more energy efficient, yet historically correct, windows.
Even though a great deal of research was required to reconstruct the Nauvoo Temple, the project, which would normally have been accomplished in four years, was completed in a scant 19 months. This was possible because of the skilled design team at FFKR and the abilities of the general contractor, Legacy Constructors.
Visit the architect's website at www.ffkr.com
See details about the winning entry in the May/June 2003 issue of Traditional Building Magazine.
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