By Laurence Furr
Less than two years after President Gordon B. Hinckley broke ground for the rebuilding of the Nauvoo, Illinois, temple on October 24, 1999, the temple is nearing its expected Spring of 2002 completion, according to project administrator Ron Prince.
'Construction is coming along well and we''re on schedule at the present time,' Prince said.
Approximately 100 men are currently working on the temple reconstruction, which sits on the exact lot of its predecessor, he said.
Former BYU vice president Elder R. J. Snow and his wife were called on a mission to serve as directors of public affairs for the Nauvoo temple.
They are helping to prepare for the temple open house and dedication, tentatively scheduled for some time in 2002, Snow said.
'Since the temple is being designed and built at the same time, it makes it a challenge to have an exact date,' he said.
While the exterior of the temple will almost exactly reflect the original, some practical changes were necessary inside the temple, Snow said, noting that the temple will be 'a fully operating temple.'
While the temple may look the same as the 1840 version, 'the construction process is substantially different,' Snow said.
In Utah, more than 12,000 stones have been placed into steel framework and then trucked to the temple site where the stone panels are bolted to the temple''s concrete walls, he said.
'It''s amazing to see the quality of construction and then to reflect on the truly miraculous achievement of the early saints who built the Nauvoo temple in the 19th century,' said Snow. 'It''s a real tribute to their faith and foresight.'
Nick Literski, who lives 3/4 of a mile from the Nauvoo temple, said he is also amazed by the temple''s reconstruction.
'The rebuilding of the temple is very much a restoration of a blessing that we had lost over 150 years ago,' he said.
Literski said he believes the temple is a blessing to both the Church and the Nauvoo area.
'It''s really helping a lot of people to make commitments to improve their lives, and put them more in order than they had been before,' he said.
Besides visiting the construction site in order to update his temple dedicated Web site, Literski also frequents the temple as part of his calling as mission leader in the Nauvoo First Ward.
'We have many non-members in the area coming with their families once every one to two weeks to check up on the construction,' he said.
Literski said he believes the temple open house will be a boom to missionary work in the area.
'We''ve had people who are working on the construction who have had long gospel discussions with us because of the experience they''re having,' he said.
Marlene Pierce, service missionary and historian for the Nauvoo temple, keeps track of the construction progress as the temple''s completion nears.
Recently workers installed a 10-foot elliptical window on the east temple wall, Pierce said.
The window, which is the temple''s largest, will allow light to shine into the Celestial Room.
Pierce said the finished temple will consist of 141 windows, 12,205 stones, reach 162 feet, 5 inches in height and cover 53,590 square feet of interior space.
Snow said the interior will be decorated to match 1840s style.
'The care taken here is exceptional and the product will please everyone involved,' he said.