5 Best LDS Temples

While what goes on inside the temples may only be seen by active worthy members the outside can be seen by all. Even if you have never entered a temple you can still appreciate their architectural beauty. You might be wondering why I get to determine the 5 best buildings and I actually have 3 reasons. The first should be obvious. It is my blog. The second is I am related to William Robert Ware the father of American architecture. Finally you probably already noticed this if you have been reading my blogs I have impeccable taste. The following are in no particular order.

Let's start with an easy one. It's The Salt Lake City Temple of course. The Salt Lake City Temple is one of the most recognized buildings in Salt Lake, Utah, and of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It is the largest temple by floor area and took an impressive 40 years to build. The temple even has weekly meetings of the church leadership. On top of all that it also has a Holy of Holies! No list would be complete without the Salt Lake City temple.

The Los Angeles Temple is the second largest temple and the tenth operating. When built it was the largest temple but Salt Lake had expansions. I think you could make a case for the largest temple proper being LA though. It was built on the former site of a Hollywood Studio. It is one of the few temples built after Salt Lake that have a Priesthood Assembly room. It was also the first temple since Salt Lake to feature the Angel Moroni. The angel was moved at the request of David O. McKay. It was the last temple designed for live presentations which did not last long as they were shortly replaced with film. The history and size lend to the LA temple making the list. What gives it the top spot though is I'm from LA it's my home temple.

The Manti Temple gets on this list for two main reasons. The first is it is pretty. There are a good number of pretty temples though and it might not be in the top 5 based on that criteria. What it does have going for it that gets it on the list is that it once had a Holy of Holies. Technically it still does. The room was used for dealings and eventually closed. So not only does it have one its a secret closed off one now. To add to the fun of secret closed off areas there is also a tunnel that was allowed wagons and cars to go by which was closed off in the 1960s. Thanks to hidden rooms and good looks the Manti Temple makes the list.

The San Diego Temple is another one that is makes the list for its good looks. It also has a great location. Possibly because it is some what close to Disneyland some people say it looks like a Disney castle. Any temples that look like Disney castles automatically make this list in my book. While I do not have the same connection to San Diego that I have to LA I did get to go when I was a kid before it was dedicated and that memory also helps it make the list.

Finally the Nauvoo Illinois Temple makes the list for its history. While it is not the original it was designed after the original and is located on the original spot. With it being a kind of replica it was a close call for this one. What brought it home was that it also was a nice looking temple and it had the advantage of being more distinctive in it's look.

While this is the list I made today keeping it to 5 temples was not easy. If you asked me another day at least a couple might not make the list again and maybe more. The LA and Salt Lake are the only that are probably safe. 

What would your list look like? Do you agree or disagree with this list? Let us know below.