Los Angeles Times Article on Manhattan New York Temple

Below is the text of (and related link to) an article entitled "Its New Manhattan Temple Is a First for Mormon Church" that appeared on May 9, 2004, in the Los Angeles Times for which Brent was interviewed:

The Nation: Its New Manhattan Temple Is a First for Mormon Church
It's also inside an existing building and doesn't have the soaring spires normally associated with such a place of worship.
(by John J. Goldman, Times Staff Writer)

Successfully blending religion with prime real estate, the Mormon Church has completed its first temple in Manhattan.

The task required creating a feeling of spaciousness and spirituality in tight quarters.

Unlike most temples built by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with soaring spires and manicured lawns and gardens, the new temple is on four floors of a renovated six-story building across Columbus Avenue from Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

"I think the primary challenge has been fitting a temple inside an existing building, which is highly unusual," said Brent J. Belnap, president of the temple committee.

"Other temples usually have been new construction ... on a piece of ground that has sufficient space for landscaping and parking."

Facing the challenge of creating contemplative space in a bustling, noisy section of mid-Manhattan, architects studied the construction of Lincoln Center, where such groups as the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera and the New York City Ballet perform.

"As you walk through, you will notice you can hear virtually nothing from the outside," Belnap said.

The temple's architects employed the same soundproofing techniques used in some of the cultural center's facilities to block distracting noise.

The decision to build the temple -- the 119th in the world -- reflects both the growth of the religion, which has about 42,000 members in the New York region, and its history.

After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, there were fears that the threat of further terrorism would cause large numbers of followers to leave the city. That hasn't been the case.

"It hasn't affected the growth of the church at all," Belnap said.

"The church has continued to increase in growth since then.... We have congregations that speak not only English and Spanish but Portuguese, Mandarin, Cantonese, French Creole, Korean and other languages," he said.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which has about 12 million members, was founded on April 6, 1830, by Joseph Smith, who lived about 300 miles northwest of Manhattan in Palmyra, N.Y.

In October 1832, he traveled to New York City to preach and clearly was impressed by the city, writing to his wife, Emma: "The buildings are truly great and wonderful, to the astonishing of every beholder."

Los Angeles Times