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Summarized by Kent Larsen
Boston Temple Open House Begins, Demand Brings Down Website
BELMONT, MASSACHUSETTS -- The Boston Globe reports that 2,500 invited guests
attended the first day of the Boston Temple's open house, as nearby
residents, town officials and clergy were awed by the building's size and
beauty. The LDS Church's Don Mangum, who is helping to organize the one-hour
guided tours, says he expects 70,000 to 100,000 visitors to tour the
building during the open house, which ends September 21st.
Using a combination of a toll-free phone number and a website, already more
than 30,000 people have signed up to take the tour. In the wake of the
Boston Globe's articles about the Temple on Sunday, demand on the website
was so strong that it was forced to shut down. By Monday evening, the
website was up and running again and taking additional reservations. On
Monday alone the site gave away 2,500 tickets.
Meanwhile, some aspects of the building are still not finished. Workmen
inside were still installing carpet yesterday and scaffolding remains around
the entrance. And landscapers were still adding sheets of sod. Bishop Grant
Bennett, who has overseen the Temple project since its inception four years
ago, joked, "As the bulldozers were moving in the final sheets of sod late
last night, I mused to a friend, 'That's the sound of grass growing very fast."
One of the Temple's neighbors, who visited the building yesterday, gave his
impression of the building to the Boston Globe, "It's a beautiful building,
and clearly an incredible amount of time and thought went into it. Even
though it is not my faith, I can see why the Mormons are so proud of
it,"said Dan O'Neill.
Source:
Mormon temple opens, braces for rush of tours
Boston Globe 30Aug00 D1
By Caroline Louise Cole, Globe Correspondent
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