Why do Modern Latter-Day Saint Temples Lack Outside Symbols?

                                           The Ogden, Utah Temple.

  THE Salt Lake Temple is loaded with religious symbols on its exterior. Some other early LDS Temples also have some outside symbolism, but modern temples lack that feature (Angel Moroni statues excluded). The question is why?

 -Here’s one possible answer: Fred Baker, for the former head of Church Physical Facilities in the late 20th Century said this about constructing the original Ogden and Provo temples:

   “No, we didn’t have any symbolism in mind. In fact, that’s a really interesting question, because after several other temples were opened, someone stopped by my office one day and said, ‘You people have totally missed the boat on temple design, because you don’t have symbols on the exteriors of the temple. Every temple should have those symbols.’ And they gave me a copy of a DVD that takes you through the symbols and everything. “The truth is that we were so focused on what happened inside the temple, it never entered our mind if there was supposed to be a star or a big dipper or something on the outside. What happened on the inside was so magnificent, it overcame everything. But we may have been completely wrong, and people who love the symbols may be right. I don’t know. I’m not enough of a buff of those kinds of things that I would care one way or the other. It doesn’t matter. But what’s going on inside . . . That’s important. I guess Emil (Fetzer, Church Architect) and I forgot the outside. So we’re guilty.” 

   Is the answer that simple? 

  The Church left symbols off the outside of temples, saving funds, for the inside of temples (and for more total temples), because that’s where the real important work happens – inside a 

   The Salt Lake is perhaps an exception, as the flagship temples, with enough exterior symbolism to fill a book.

  -Fred Baker, of Ogden, was the director of Church Physical Facilities from 1965-1991. He passed away in 2015 at age 89. He was the author’s stake president at one time, as well as a family friend. 

 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.