I went on a tour through the newly renovated Ogden Utah Temple.
Here are my observations/thoughts:
-Fabulous marble floors and lots of dark interior wood. It is like waking inside some heavenly mansion. Seems far more elaborate than the original Ogden Temple.
(This contrast may also mean the Provo Temple will someday be redone like the Ogden Temple. Both the inside and outside of the Ogden Temple were lacking compared to most other temples.)
-The west lobby of the Ogden Temple is very similar to the lobby at the Bountiful Temple.
-Oodles of stained glass windows everywhere (whereas the former Ogden Temple relied on narrow windows and drapes.
-At least 2 of the 6 ordinance/endowment rooms are very, very tiny. Seems like that shortcoming could equal a longer wait for an endowment session, though. Sure, the former Ogden Temple also had six ordinance rooms, but none were undersized.
-This temple has 7 sealing rooms, with some again very, very small ones.
-This Temple looks to have 2 operating entrances, an east side and a west side. If you enter from the east side, there is a pullout/drop off half-circle off Washington Boulevard at center block. The west entrance will be by far the busier entrance, with all the parking nearest.
-The reflecting pool on the west side of the temple is likely to be a popular photo op.
-We didn't see the regular dressing rooms on the tour. You went through the bridal dressing areas and got a glimpse of the cafeteria, though.
-The cornerstone is now on the southeast side, (I know for a fact the actual cornerstone and time capsule of the original temple were kept intact.) However, the original Ogden Temple's cornerstone was on the NORTHEAST side and so it was moved. Also, the plaque now has the same wording, but is NOT the original plaque from the old temple.
-One BIG disappointment for me was a lack of artwork of any LOCAL scenes. I know the Calgary, Canada Temple has some paintings of area scenes, so does the Brigham City Temple, the Idaho Falls Temple and others.
The Ogden Temple contains at least one waterfall painting, but it is NOT of Waterfall Canyon or the mouth of Ogden Canyon. There may be several paintings of the local Weber or Ogden River, but they were poorly defined, so who can tell for sure? (Ben Lomond Peak would have made a great inside painting, for example.)
Query: Why do some temples rate local paintings and others don't?
-Since much of downtown Ogden around the temple has been revitalized, the entire area has a much brighter look and feel.
-The remodeled Ogden Temple looks MORE like a temple than the previous version, that was like something out of a Star Trek scene. This new Temple looks more like a stately monument pointing to heaven, than one that could blast off (previous version of the temple).
Even non-church members have told me the new version looks like a temple, whereas the former one was simply odd.
-The OGDEN TABERNACLE was also refurbished at the same time as the temple. It has nice blue seats now and the walls in general and especially the balcony walls look redone. Looks more like a 21st Century Tabernacle inside than the previous version.
-Also, the weird Tabernacle seating space at the southwest corner, where pillars blocked views, has been totally deleted, so there is likely LESS seating in the Tabernacle than before, say 50-100 seats less.
-A steeple-less Tabernacle still looks odd -- and not as stately or striking as it could be ...
NOTE: This article and all of the NighUntoKolob blog are NOT an official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They are the author's conclusions and opinions only.
