BOSTON MASSACHUSETTS TEMPLE

The Boston Massachusetts Temple stands on top of a wooden granite hillside located in Boston, Massachusetts, northwest suburb of Belmont and were dedicated for use on the first day of October 2000. This was the first LDS Temple ever built in New Zealand. When the LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley announced the building of small temples on April 1998, he also mentioned about the goal of having 100 temples built by the end of the year 2000. The Boston temple holds the genuine title of being the 100th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, thus having marked and fulfilled the completion of the said goal.

Standing atop a wooded granite hillside in the northwest suburb of Belmont, the Boston Massachusetts Temple is a striking landmark along the busy Concord Turnpike. The site of the temple was originally bought for the establishment of a meeting house that will then connect to the temple. The architect had never pictured the building of the meeting house in the center of the land, though the church officials kept on insisting to have the meeting house erected at the center. Having spot selection conflicts with the church members, the architect then insisted that they find another architect to be hired. However, the design was finally accepted anyway, thus, leaving a large portion of the land which was perfect for the Boston Temple. From then, Boston Massachusetts LDS Temple was finally brought up. The public, those people who are interested to see the religious institution and its unique features, is welcome to tour the grounds of the temple and adjoining meetinghouse, which feature a series of walkways that wind among the beautiful trees and meticulously landscaped grounds. The Boston Temple also offers a comfortable waiting room and restroom for wedding guests who do not hold a temple recommend, which is located just to the right of the recommend desk.

The Boston temple was announced on September 30, 1995, together with the White Plains New York Temple. This joint announcement replaced the Church's previously announced plans to build a temple in Hartford, Connecticut which was then supposed to serve both New York and New England. The groundbreaking of the temple was held on June 13, 1997. This was presided by Richard G. Scott. He is an American nuclear engineer and a current member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He is the presently the seventh most senior apostle among the ranks of the church. The building was completed three years later. About 82,600 visitors toured the Boston Temple during an open-house prior to its dedication. A local radio station and newspaper media working together produced the first online tours of a Temple. It included narration accompanied by photographs of the Temple's interior.

Because of a lawsuit filed by neighbors of the temple site, the Boston Massachusetts Temple was dedicated without the planned steeple. President Hinckley remained optimistic anyway and said that the temple work would still begin with or without the steeple. His optimism was rewarded when the Supreme Court of Massachusetts ruled in favor of the Church in May. Previously, a judge had ruled that the building's steeple was not a "necessary element of the Mormon religion." Therefore, under the law, a building height limit could be enforced. But the Supreme Court overruled the earlier ruling saying, "A rose window at Notre Dame Cathedral, a balcony at St. Peter's Basilica, are judges to decide whether these architectural elements are “necessary” to the faith served by those buildings?" The judges concluded that, "It is not for the jury to determine whether the inclusion of a particular architectural feature is necessary for a particular religion." On September 21, 2001 the steeple with the famous was finally set in place, completing the temple. Moroni is the angel that Joseph Smith, Jr. claimed visited him on numerous occasions, beginning on September 21, 1823. The angel was the guardian of the golden plates, which Smith said were buried in a hill near his home in western New York, and which he said were the source material for the Book of Mormon. Moroni is an important figure in the theology of the Latter Day Saint movement, and is therefore featured prominently in Mormon architecture and art. The Boston Massachusetts Temple largely related to most other LDS temples, having a total of 69,600 square feet or 6,470 m2, four ordinance rooms, and four sealing rooms. Its exterior is finished with olympia white granite.