★★★★★ 5.0
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Manhattan New York Temple
That granite facade you're looking at hides something most New Yorkers never realized... this entire six-story building at 125 Columbus Avenue houses the very first Mormon temple ever built in New York City. Back in 2002, when Manhattan real estate was already astronomical, church leaders made a brilliant cost-saving move by gutting their existing 1976 stake center instead of buying new land. What's wild is how they pulled off this architectural puzzle... the temple actually occupies four non-consecutive floors, with floors one, two, five, and six serving as sacred space, while a regular Sunday chapel operates right in the middle on floors three and four. Over 53,000 people toured during the 2004 open house, many walking straight from Lincoln Center performances across the street to explore these surprisingly peaceful rooms floating above one of Manhattan's busiest intersections.
Did You Know?
- The Manhattan New York Temple is one of only a few LDS temples built within an existing building—specifically, the upper floors of a multipurpose stake center constructed in 1976—making it a 'building within a building' that is completely soundproofed from the bustling city outside, a creative solution inspired by high real estate costs and similar to the approach used for the Hong Kong Temple.
- Unique architectural touches include door handles throughout the temple shaped like the Statue of Liberty’s torch, blending New York’s iconic symbolism with sacred LDS temple design.
- The temple’s public open house in 2004 drew over 53,000 visitors from diverse backgrounds and received exceptional international media coverage, partly due to its prominent location across from Lincoln Center in one of the world’s most influential cities.