Deseret News: Re-Dedication of Mesa Arizona Temple in COVID Times

There's a lot of terms used by local media to describe what could be called the ground-breaking "Big Dig" to excavate and remove tons of dirt in June 2018 at the SEC of Mesa Drive and Main Street to construct an underground parking garage for 450 cars. At least one mainstream reporter named it The Massive Mormon Makeover of Downtown Mesa.

No financial details were disclosed or revealed to the public by the for-profit affiliate real estate development branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of The Latter Day Saints.

Here's an article updated yesterday from Church News:

Mesa temple rededication is part of a renewal and revitalization — including grounds, visitors’ center and neighborhood

Church News

Here's the story by Scott Taylor:

"MESA, Arizona — Renew. Refresh. Revitalize.

One could use those terms to describe the benefits of a renovated Mesa Arizona Temple — not only in terms of restored and renewed physical elements within the sacred building itself but also the spiritual opportunities returning to temple patrons as they return to temple worship and service after the temple’s 3.5-year closure for renovations.

But it goes well beyond that.

“Renew, refresh, revitalize” could also describe the transformation of the area around the Mesa temple — the grounds, the nearby temple visitors’ center and even the neighborhood.

Those three words also could describe the impacts from the presence, teachings and examples of senior leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Mesa and Phoenix area leading up to its Sunday, Dec. 12, temple rededication.

President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, will preside at the weekend events. He’ll rededicate the Mesa Arizona Temple in three sessions — 9 a.m., 12 noon and 3 p.m. — that will be broadcast to 29 stake centers in the temple district.

President Oaks will be joined Saturday and Sunday by Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, with the pair being the latest of senior leaders of the Church to have visits to Mesa and Phoenix tied to key public events. . .

Relocated, rededicated temple visitors’ center

Elder Ulisses Soares, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, chats with attendees after the dedication ceremony for the Mesa Arizona Temple Visitors Center in Mesa, Ariz., on Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021. Credit: Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

In rededicating the new Mesa Arizona Temple Visitors’ Center on Aug. 12, Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles underscored the facility’s purpose — to provide guests with an experience that both immerses them in Mesa’s rich spiritual heritage and focuses on learning more about Jesus Christ.

“The idea,” he said, “is to integrate the messages of Jesus Christ, the temple, eternal families and history in a way that helps guests understand how they are part of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and provide them an inspired opportunity to take a new step in their spiritual journey.”

 

[...] Neighborhood redevelopment

> The same year that the Mesa temple was renovated, ground was broken for a major downtown revitalization project, as the Church redeveloped 4.5 acres of land along the Main Street light rail corridor just west of the temple.

> A new mixed-use community called The Grove on Main replaced vacant lots and dilapidated buildings near the temple.

The primary purpose for the redevelopment was to protect and enhance the environment around the grounds of the Mesa temple, as the Church considers its temples to be the most sacred places on earth.

A secondary but essential reason was to attract businesses and home buyers to infuse more economic life into the community.

> Completed earlier this fall, the project includes 240 apartments, 12 townhomes, 70,000 square feet of landscaped open space, ground floor retail space and underground parking.

> City Creek Reserve, Inc. (CCRI), the Church’s real estate arm, worked with Scottsdale-based Dale Gordon Design to plan the vibrant, transit-oriented neighborhood, which features diverse residential unit sizes, comfortably scaled buildings, Mesa-authentic architecture, and landscaped streets and gardens.

> An additional aspect of the project is the remodeling of several historic homes on First Avenue and aesthetically enhancing the street that leads to the Mesa temple’s front entrance.

> The Church also contributed time and money to strengthen the city’s infrastructure, adding drainage systems, fixing electrical and mechanical problems, repairing several miles of streets and planting trees.

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the rededication sessions would be broadcast to Latter-day Saints across the state.

The sessions will be broadcast only to the temple district.

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RELATED CONTENT ON THIS BLOG

10 October 2018

Temple Historic District
Source: https://www.mesaaz.gov/residents/historic-preservation/temple-historic-district 

Local Historic District Designation: February 2001
Listed to the National Register of Historic Places: November 2000
The Temple Historic District is found immediately east of the original townsite and is composed primarily of two residential subdivisions,

• The Arizona Temple addition opened in 1922
• The  Stapley addition opened in 1924.

The district encompasses three north-south streets – Mesa Drive, Udall Street, and Lesueur Street - and is bounded on the north by Main Street and on the  South by Broadway Road.

These streets were named for Mormon pioneers which were instrumental in the settlement and founding of Mesa City (later called Mesa).

This district is composed primarily of residential buildings with a few associated commercial properties and a very prominent religious property for which the residential district is named, the 1927 Arizona Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (also known as the LDS Temple).  

Although the perimeter of the neighborhood has suffered from some modern intrusions and from the conversion of historic houses along Mesa Drive to commercial use, for the most part it retains its original residential character.
On the north, south, and east sides of this district of Bungalow and Period Revival Style houses are post-WWII residential neighborhoods featuring Ranch Style houses.
West of the district is the original Mesa Townsite which is a mixture of commercial and residential development representing many succeeding decades of architectural styles.
The layout of streets and parcels in the Temple Historic District demonstrates the evolution of land subdivision and street design in the earliest development beyond the limits of the original townsite. Also, the styles of the houses here are a visual record of the popular trends in Mesa’s residential architecture in the early twentieth century.

SIGNIFICANCE

The Temple Historic District in Mesa is significant for two reasons.

> First, it is considered significant under National Register criteria "A" in the area of Community Planning and development for its relationship to broad patterns of community development in Mesa. > Second, the Temple Historic District illustrates important examples of architectural styles common in Arizona during the first half of the twentieth century. The Temple Historic District is considered significant under National Register criteria "C" for the architectural styles and periods that it represents.

> The period of significance for the district starts in 1910 with the platting of the Kimball Addition and continues until 1949, the end of the 50-year period of significance for the National Register. . .

Historic Context Two: The Evolution of Architectural Styles
in Mesa Townsite Extensions, 1922 - 1949
Several architectural styles are represented within the Temple Historic District which reflects its 27+ year period of development. The earliest architectural style found is the National Folk or Vernacular style. Although this style is primarily seen in homes construction during the initial settlement period in Mesa, it can also be found in homes constructed towards the end of World War II.
Church doubles size of Mesa temple area redevelopment
By Jim Walsh Tribune Staff Writer Oct 7, 2018 Updated 4 hrs ago    

"An air of resignation seemed to settle over the Mesa Historic Preservation Board last Tuesday as members realized they were powerless to protect the Temple Historic District as they heard that a redevelopment plan for the area will nearly double. . .

LINK > click here 

RELATED CONTENT

HEADS UP! Attachments + Records: CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION Thu 23 Jan 2020

PROPOSED 1st AVENUE MAINTENANCE AGREEMENT + UPCOMING MAINTENANCE AGREEMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH REDEVELOPMENT PROJECTS UNDER-CONSTRUCTION @ SEC MESA DRIVE & MAIN STREET
(TEMPLE RENOVATION AND THE GROVE ON MAIN STREET)
>> SUBURBAN LAND RESERVE STREET IMPROVEMENTS

   FUTURE MAINTENANCE AGREEMENTS WITH SUBURBAN LAND RESERVE & CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS
____________________________________________________________________________

FUTURE MAINTENANCE AGREEMENTS
(HOBSON, 2ND AVENUE, LESUEUR, UDALL, MAIN STREET, AND MESA DRIVE)
1ST AVENUE MAINTENANCE AGREEMENT
Jeff McVay
Manager of Downtown Transformation
Angelica Guevara
Downtown Transformation Project Manager
__________________________________________________________________________
OVERVIEW OF THE GROVES ON MAIN AND TEMPLE RENOVATION PROJECTS
> The Grove on Main: southeast corner of Mesa Drive and Main Street 

Phase 1: 
> Development of 243 market-rate apartments 

New Discovery Center for Mesa Temple 

> 450 space underground parking garage 

Phase 2: 
One duplex 
> 23 townhomes 
> 8 new single-family detached homes 
> Renovation of 9 historic homes on 1st Avenue 
> Mesa Temple Renovation 
Complete interior renovation of Temple 
Removal of visitor center on north side of Temple 

Complete renovation of Temple grounds

SUBURBAN LAND RESERVE STREET IMPROVEMENTS
> The Grove on Main 1st Avenue Design and construction of Enhanced Streetscape Elements Currently estimated at $580k Udall Reconstruction of street with enhanced landscaping LeSueur Reconstruction of street with enhanced landscaping Mesa Drive Installation of enhanced landscaping Main Street Construction of new on-street parking and landscape improvements 
> Public On-Street Parking

PAGE 7: FUTURE MAINTENANCE AGREEMENTS WITH SUBURBAN LAND RESERVE & CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS

September 2019

ReVisiting Earlier Reporting: Mesa Temple District "Re-Development"

Blogger Note: No financial details from CCRI, City Creek Reserve Inc. - a for-profit affiliate of The Church of Jesus Christ of The Latter-Day Saints - were ever disclosed.
Looks life a big part of Downtown Mesa is fast-becoming a satellite of Salt Lake City.
Could this be The Second Coming of The City of Zion?????
___________________________________
Church Looks to Demolish Homes as Part of Mesa Temple District Redevelopment

Posted by Geoff Openshaw | May 7, 2018 | Temple 

_________________________________________________________________________

BLOGGER NOTE: At that point-in-time, what the For-Profit Affiliates of The Church of Jesus Christ of The Latter-Day Saints had not yet been revealed >

That 'revelation' didn't happened until the end of May 2018 at the southwest corner of Mesa Drive/Main Street where there's a station platform for Valley Metro Lightrail Public Transit and a 300-car commuter Park-N-Drive parking lot on the north side of Main Street,

Just west of this 8.4-acre mixed-use development - a smaller-scale version of the 23-acre City Creek Mall in the Temple Area of Salt Lake City built at a cost of $2.5B - is an ongoing renovation of the Mesa Temple and the temple grounds on a 10-acre plot of land. That green patch you see in the image to the left is Pioneer Park, an 8-acre public space that was re-opened in December 2017 after a  $12.9M renovation financed by debt-obligation bonds paid by taxpayers.

When drawings were shown of the new faux-retro pseudo-old architecture that a spokesperson for CCRI described as "Mesa authentic", historians and preservationists here in Mesa immediately stated their objections for good reasons. They got "over-ruled" in public hearings that went on for weeks and months when demolitions of homes in The Temple Historic District stood in the way of the For-Profit Affiliates of The Church.

_____________________________________________________________________________

HERE'S A STATEMENT from the May 2018 post by Geoff Openshaw

"Gentrification, then, is key to the long-term health of Mesa, as well as the safety and beauty of the area surrounding the House of the Lord.
You might be getting flashes of City Creek as you read this, and while the Mesa plan, though undisclosed, would likely not be as grand in scope for what is essentially a suburban area, the desired outcome should be similar.