Angel Moroni statue replaced, rotated at Spokane Temple

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By Craig Howard, News Editor
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June 1, 2009 — Carol Willoughby noticed something slightly different as she was driving past the Spokane Temple one morning this March.

The trademark apex of the temple, a statue of Angel Moroni, was being lifted through the air by a construction crane. Willoughby, on her way to work into Spokane Valley down Highway 27, pulled into the Spokane East Stake Center parking lot to join a small crowd that had gathered outside the temple. "I was going by and I thought I'd stop and see what was happening," Willoughby said.

Work crews beginning to lift the new Angel Moroni into its new position. Photo by Jane Wagstaff.

Two cranes were used in the process of replacing Moroni. One to hold the statue and the other to hold the workers who guided it into position at the top of the Temple. Photo by Jane Wagstaff.

A crew had just begun the process of removing the statue that had been in place since the temple was dedicated in August of 1999. Damage to the monument, identified by Pat Kimball, the person in charge of facilities management, meant that a new rendition of the Angel Moroni would be taking its place. The latest statue would also undergo a directional change. Instead of facing east as it did for nearly a decade, the likeness of the trumpeting angel would now point to the west.

President Ron Schlerf, first counselor in the Spokane Temple presidency, said the transition required approval by the church temple department in Salt Lake City.

President Schlerf added that, despite some reports to the contrary, the image of Angel Moroni is not always directed eastward.

"With numerous temples, the Angel Moroni is facing various ways," he said. "As a matter of general interest, in the original drawings for the Spokane Temple, the statue is facing south."

President Frank Wagstaff, who served as president of the Spokane Temple from 1999 to 2004, said he recalled President Gordon B. Hinckley mentioning something about the statue's placement when he arrived for the dedication ceremony that summer.

"He made the comment that the artist's rendering looked better than the way it turned out," President Wagstaff said. "He understood the significance of Angel Moroni having that impact as people first saw the temple."

In a book titled "Weight of an Angel," LDS author Roy Lambert describes the statue "depicting Moroni in his flight to earth with the announcement of the everlasting gospel." The image, Lambert writes, first appeared on the Salt Lake Temple where it stands nearly 13 feet high, "made of hammered copper and gilded with gold."

The reproduction on the Spokane Temple is slightly shorter - closer to seven feet. The actual replacement of the statue took a little over half a day. According to President Schlerf, the original statue will "be repaired, rebuilt and utilized at another temple."

President Schlerf said the new configuration has been acknowledged by some.

Before and after of the position of the Angel Moroni on the Spokane Temple. Photos by Dennis West.

"We've heard patrons make numerous comments," he said. "I'm sure there are also those who haven't realized the statue is facing a different direction."

The Spokane Temple will celebrate its 10th anniversary this August.

President Wagstaff said the Angel Moroni, regardless of where it stands, will always represent the importance of the temple in the church's overall mission.

"I think Moroni is critical when you talk about the Book of Mormon and the restoration of the gospel," he said. "Temple work is the fulfillment of that restoration."

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