Temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Temples) are popping up all over the globe. I want one near my house, and not just because I’m a member of the church. Temples are good business.
The first thing that people often think about a proposed temple project is noise and traffic. These concerns are usually over-exaggerated. Temples are remarkably quiet, they don’t have chimes (except for the one in Nauvoo) and although they have lots of weddings, they don’t have any wedding receptions. What happens at an LDS wedding is this: a few people (up to about 30 or so) come to the temple, mostly carpooling, and most of them go inside. A few, mostly teenagers or children, hang out with a babysitter. 30-45 minutes later the wedding party emerges, takes some pictures with a photographer and leaves. This is all really quiet, much less noise than can be expected from the same number of people hanging out at the park. The big party happens at a house, local church, or reception center, often in another city altogether. Other temple patrons come, go inside and then leave. From practically birth members of the church are taught to be reverent, which in the case of temples means wearing nice clothes, not running or shouting, and being respectful of the building and property. Even little children tend to be on best behavior, although the temple is largely frequented by adults.
Temple attendance is spread throughout the week, usually Tuesday through Saturday. Although the first patrons and workers arrive in the early morning, there are a very small number. I used to attend the earliest session (service) at the Provo Temple, the first or second busiest temple in the US. There were less than 20 people attending, plus a handful of workers. Temple attendance is also one of three kinds: retired people attending during the middle of the day, working people attending after the have come home from work, and working people attending on their day off (Saturday). None of this traffic is rush hour traffic. Temples also have loads of parking, way more than they need in most cases. New temples also don’t have visitor’s centers, pageants, or other attractions.
Temples are good business. A given parcel could be developed one of four ways: residential, commercial, industrial, or as a temple. Most people see commercial or industrial development as providing economic growth, but not a temple. Temples are destinations for the faithful. When my wife and I travel to the Oakland Temple we spend about $200 on gas and food. Many people go out to eat or go shopping either before or after going to the temple. Dinner and the temple is a typical date night for many couples. In the 1930’s the Idaho Falls chamber of commerce, composed of both LDS and non-LDS businessmen bought land near the Snake River and gave it to the church to build a temple. They did this to stimulate business and the value of the community. More than 70 years later, I was traveling through Idaho falls and stopped at a restaurant for Saturday lunch. The restaurant was full of people who, by there dress and conversation, had obviously just come from the temple. The investment of the chamber of commerce is obviously still paying off.
Temples remain viable forever. The oldest continuously operating LDS temple, in St. George Utah is still immaculately maintained and flawlessly landscaped 134 years after completion. It is a minor tourist attraction and an asset to the community. No other factory or store can provide that kind of guarantee. In several instances the church has significantly helped communities revitalize the area around temples. Salt Lake City experienced a significant amount of urban decay in the last few decades, along with many other major cities. Because the Salt Lake Temple is located downtown, the church has purchased aging shopping malls and other property and is in the process of building a massive development (Downtown Rising, a mixed use development with housing and extensive shopping) that, because of church funding, continued during the recent economic slump. A similar revitalization is occurring around the Ogden Temple, where the church is contributing to roads as well as other projects.
Temples are also surprisingly small, Although some temples are quite large, most temples built recently are in the twenty to thirty thousand square feet range, larger ones are mostly in Utah (where, to be honest, you can’t complain about too many Mormons). They tend to be pretty low buildings, comparable with two or three story houses and other churches, and with narrow spires in the 150ft range. Nighttime lighting is usually turned off by 10 or 11PM, and often isn’t that bright to begin with.
Temples are good business, look good, and are an asset to the community. Buy one now. Ok, don’t really, but if one comes your way, don’t get too excited, it probably is a good thing.
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