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Temple President: Kenneth Hutchins.
Location: 86 Frontage Rd, Belmont, Massachusetts, United States.
Site: 8 acres.
Exterior Finish: Olympia white granite.
Temple Design: Classic modern, single-spire design.
Number of Rooms: Four endowment rooms and four sealing.
Total Floor Area: 69,600 square feet.
Announcement: 30 September 1995
Groundbreaking and Site Dedication: 13 June 1997, by Richard G. Scott
Public Open House: 29 August–23 September 2000
Dedication: 1 October 2000, by Gordon B. Hinckley
History
On September 21, 2001, the new steeple and Angel Moroni were set in place atop the Boston Massachusetts Temple. The addition is beautiful.
On May 16, 2001, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts ruled in favor of the Church to allow the steeple addition. Although the town of Belmont's Zoning Board of Appeals had already granted a permit for construction of the steeple, Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Fahey reversed the town's decision in February 2001 in a law suit brought against the Church by opposing neighbors. Fahey said that the high steeple which would exceed the maximum allowed height established by zoning laws for that area by 69 feet was "not in any way related to the religious use" of the temple. The Supreme Judicial Court countered that order noting that Fahey was wrong in ruling which parts of the temple were religious and which were not. In a seventeen page opinion, Chief Justice Margaret Marshall included, "A rose window at Notre Dame Cathedral, a balcony at St. Peter's Basilica, are judges to decide whether these architectural elements are 'necessary' to the faith served by those buildings?" This final ruling effectively ends the case, and addition of the steeple should begin soon and be completed in three to four months. Since its dedication in October 2000, the temple has operated with the spire capped off at the allowed 70 feet. In a second lawsuit, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Church on January 8, 2001, upholding the Dover Amendment, a Massachusetts law that allows zoning for the religious edifice in its Belmont location. Opponents hoped to see the temple torn down.
Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, stated at the groundbreaking ceremony, "We are so grateful for those who have made this possible, those who worked so long to clear the way for construction. We are especially appreciative of the civic authorities and religious leaders in this community who supported this effort, some of whom are present today."
He later added, "While we have over 10,000 meetinghouses in the world, temples are unique sanctuaries for sacred ordinances. They witness to the immortality of the soul. We believe that because of ordinances that can be performed in this sacred house, a man and a woman can be united for eternity and sealed to their children, who live worthily, forever. That ending of a religious [marriage] ceremony that is so common in the world today: 'until death do you part,' need not be the final outcome of marriage.
"It requires a worthy life to enter the temple and I encourage every member of the Church who is here today to prepare yourself spiritually to participate in a wonderful dedicatory service that we anticipate in just over two years, when President Gordon B. Hinckley and others will come to dedicate this House of the Lord for its intended purpose." He encouraged members to plan to attend the temple regularly. He said, "In the last two years, I have found that with just a little bit of organization and prioritization, I have been able to be in the temple an average of every week. It makes a glorious difference in your life" (Church News, 21 June 1997).
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