Nauvoo Temple — a vision of the past

NAUVOO, Ill. — After six years of construction, much of it guarded at gunpoint by pioneer craftsmen, the LDS Church's original Nauvoo Temple was dedicated 156 years ago today as most of its constituency had already been forced to migrate West.

Yet its descendant stands today on the same plot and in much the same form as the original, greeting scores of reporters and cameramen here Wednesday for their first tour of the 113th operating temple to be built by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While a new building welcomes them, it is the legacy of its predecessor that will draw hundreds of thousands of people — from all 50 states and 70 countries — to this tiny town in the coming weeks.

The cost of the original, in human terms, was incalculable, church leaders say. The monetary price tag for the new temple won't be disclosed, at least for now, said Elder Donald L. Staheli , who presided at a press conference Wednesday. Early cost speculation placed the price at $23 million, but many have speculated it was well over that simply because of its scope and the hands-on craftsmanship required. Its 54,000 square feet includes five floors and a basement on 3.3 landscaped acres.

Additional information: Web sites: Deseret Book's Nauvoo Temple cam NauvooNet visitor planning site Related stories: April 27: Nauvoo visitors urged to be polite April 30: Temple impact reaches far

As construction has progressed, old attitudes have changed, say LDS leaders, who have publicly asked the influx of visitors expected for the six-week public open house that begins here Monday to be considerate of the town's 1,200 residents. They're working hard to keep the past "in the past," said Elder Staheli, who praised the "cooperation and support" of town leaders, including Mayor Tom Wilson.

After enduring nearly 30 months of road closures, heavy equipment traffic, noise, dust and night-lighting, workers were literally rolling out the red carpet on the landing in front of the temple doors Wednesday morning. Men in suits swept the street in front of the temple as ushers scurried to put easels and their accompanying signs in place to direct visitors from the Joseph Smith Academy across the street toward the temple.

The welcome was not only for media but "more importantly for the residents" of Nauvoo, said Elder Staheli, the church's area president for the North America Central Area, who will oversee the open house. While visitors will enjoy their time here, he said, residents will see their lives and futures altered.

Especially in the next six weeks.