SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, April 2, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — The next phase of the Salt Lake City Temple renovation is set to begin, and will include the removal of the iconic Angel Moroni statue and of stones loosened in the recent earthquake.
On Thursday, Daniel Woodruff, spokesman for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, released the following statement:
“Workers at the Salt Lake Temple project site are installing a crane on the temple’s south side to begin removal of some of the stones on the temple spires that were displaced during the recent earthquake in Salt Lake City,” Woodruff’s statement says.
“Workers will then remove additional stones from the east and west sides of the temple for preservation during the project. They will also temporarily remove the angel Moroni statue. Scaffolding will be constructed around the temple spires for better access for workers. This work is expected to last several weeks.”
The 126-year-old temple was decommissioned in January 2020, with plans to reopen in 2024.
Security fences were erected when the deconstruction portion of the renovation project began, and the LDS Church shared photos in January.
The earthquake that rattled loose some stones happened on March 18, and centered near Magna. Also damaged in the 5.7 magnitude quake was the Moroni statue that tops the temple. The horn of Moroni came loose from the rest of the statue, and fell.
On Thursday, the LDS Church released the following drawings of plans to erect a crane, then begin removing spires and other architectural elements for renovation.
