Cardston Alberta Temple, Latter-day Saints temple in Cardston, Alberta, Canada
The Cardston Alberta Temple is a white granite temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, built in a Greek cross plan with arms facing the cardinal directions and topped by a single central tower with a pyramid roof. Its octagonal massing combines Mayan-Aztec and Prairie School styles, after designs by Harold W. Burton and Hyrum Pope. Hand-shaped stone and stained-glass windows mark the exterior; inside are four ordinance rooms, five sealing rooms and hand-painted murals.
Announced by church president Joseph F. Smith on October 12, 1912, the temple was built on Tabernacle Block, land given by Charles Ora Card, after the tabernacle there was dismantled. Groundbreaking followed on November 9, 1913, and construction took ten years, delayed by World War I. Heber J. Grant dedicated it on August 26–29, 1923, in 11 sessions; Gordon B. Hinckley rededicated it on June 22, 1991, after renovation.
The temple's name comes from Cardston, the town founded in 1887 by Charles Ora Card and other Latter-day Saint refugees at Lee Creek. The Relief Society General Board raised more than $13,000 for its construction through a penny subscription, members saving a penny each week. The building is a National Historic Site, marked by a plaque, and received the Cardston Beautiful Annual Beautification Award in 2010.
The temple stands on a low hill at the town's central square, enclosed by a stone retaining wall, with Chief Mountain visible in the distance. It is not open to casual visitors; the public was admitted only during the pre-dedication open house, so plan to view the white granite exterior, stained-glass windows and landscaped walkways from outside.
The Cardston Alberta Temple and the Laie Hawaii Temple are the only two Latter-day Saint temples built in the shape of a cross, and Cardston's is the oldest temple of the church outside the United States. Its design by Harold W. Burton and Hyrum Pope drew on Mayan-Aztec and Prairie School forms, inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright.
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