Nauvoo Temple

Nauvoo Temple
Destroyed
Photograph of the Nauvoo Temple circa 1847
Dedication	May 1, 1846, by Orson Hyde
Floor area	54,000 sq ft (5,000 m2)
• News & images
Church chronology
← Kirtland Temple Nauvoo Temple
Additional information
Announced	August 1840
Groundbreaking	February 18, 1841
Designed by	William Weeks
Location	Nauvoo, Illinois, United States
Geographic coordinates	40°33′02″N 91°23′04″W / 40.5505°N 91.3844°W / 40.5505; -91.3844
Temple design	Greek revival
Visitors' center	Yes
Notes	Some sources claim a private dedication on April 30, 1846 by Brigham Young.[1] Abandoned in 1846, destroyed by fire on November 19, 1848, rebuilt in 2002 (see 113)
(edit)

The Nauvoo Temple was the second temple constructed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.^[2][3] The church's first temple was completed in Kirtland, Ohio, United States, in 1836. When the main body of the church was forced out of Nauvoo, Illinois, in the winter of 1846, the church attempted to sell the building, finally succeeding in 1848. The building was damaged by arson and a tornado before being demolished.

In 1937, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) reacquired the lot on which the original temple had stood. In 2000, the church began to build a temple on the original site with an exterior that is a replica of the first temple, but whose interior is laid out like a modern Latter-day Saint temple. On June 27, 2002, a date that coincided with the 158th anniversary of the death of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, the temple was dedicated by the LDS Church as the Nauvoo Illinois Temple.