Preface
This book had its beginning in 1986, when I first started serious study of the architecture of the Kirtland Temple. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I value the Kirtland Temple as an important religious symbol. Although my Mormon ancestors did not arrive in Kirtland until after the temple was completed, I—like others of my faith—feel its history is a part of my heritage.
My knowledge of the physical building fabric of the temple stems in part from an engineering study and from a historic structures report on the building I conducted for the Restoration Trail Foundation. These studies, which involved a survey and analyasis of every structural member in the building, gave me great insight into the challenges the temple’s builders faced. This book also depended upon the First Presidency of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, who kindly granted permission to photograph and study the building in detail.
I am indebted to a number of people for their assistance with this book. First and foremost, I would like to thank Priscilla Graham. As my coauthor for several papers on the Kirtland Temple (including “English Influence on the Architecture of the Kirtland Temple,” presented at the Mormon History Association Annual Conference, July 1987, Oxford, England, and “Vernacular Building Tradition and the Mormon Temple in Kirtland, Ohio,” presented at the Society of Architectural Historians Annual Meeting, April 1991, Cincinnati, Ohio) and as a reader of the manuscript, she has contributed significantly to this project. It was most disappointing when her health did not allow her full participation in the book project.
Next, I am grateful to Roger Launius and Karl Anderson for sharing their knowledge of Kirtland and the temple with me. The staff of the LDS Church Archives was most helpful, especially W. Randall Dixon and William B. Slaughter who were patient in meeting my requests. Likewise, the staff of the RLDS Church Archives was very helpful, and I would like to thank Ronald E. Romig for his input. Carl Engel of the Lake County Historical Society shared with me his list of Painesville Telegraph notices referencing the temple. Trevor Packer and others at BYU Studies deserve notice for their hours of careful research, source checking, and editing. The interpretive and maintenance staffs at the temple have given me invaluable assistance: Allen Walters shared much of his research with me, and Lachlan MacKay prevented me from making many errors in interpretation. His extraordinary assistance is testimony to his commitment to and respect for the building. The Kent State University School of Architecture and Environmental Design granted a one-semester sabbatical leave, and the Research and Development Office helped fund research travel and acquisition of photographs from archival collections.
Several institutions were helpful in granting permission to reproduce photographs and other images in this book: Library-Archives, Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, The Auditorium, Independence, Missouri; Church Archives, Historical Department, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah; Library of Congress; Utah State Historical Society Information Center; and Special Collections and Manuscripts, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.
Many studies of early Mormon history subordinate historical inquiry to proving that Joseph Smith was either a saint or a scoundrel. Likewise, some discussions of the Kirtland Temple have a subtext attempting to show either how the temple was wrongfully wrested from the LDS Church or, conversely, how RLDS Church ownership has kept the temple out of the realm of secret ritual. In this study, my aim has been to let the Kirtland Temple tell its own story. However, I must state that I have a deeply rooted conviction of Joseph Smith’s role as a prophet of God. Consequently, I make no claim to impartiality in this monograph. I can state only that what I have written reflects the facts as I know and understand them.
Elwin C. Robison
Kent, Ohio
