The Boston Massachusetts Temple is located in the Boston suburb of Belmont, Massachusetts and was dedicated for use on October 1, 2000. When LDS Church president Gordon B. Hinckley announced the building of small temples in April 1998, he also spoke of a goal to have 100 temples built by the end of 2000. The Boston Massachusetts Temple marked the completion of that goal. Richard G. Scott, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, presided over the groundbreaking on June 13, 1997, and the building was completed three years later. About 82,600 visitors toured the temple during an open-house prior to its dedication. A local radio station and newspaper working together produced the first on-line tours of a temple. It included narration accompanied by photographs of the temple's interior. Because of a lawsuit filed by neighbors of the temple site, the Boston Massachusetts Temple was dedicated without the planned steeple. Hinckley remained optimistic and said the temple work would commence with or without a steeple. His optimism was rewarded when the Supreme Court of Massachusetts ruled in favor of the church the following May. Previously, a judge had ruled that the building's steeple was not a "necessary element of the Mormon religion." Therefore, under the law the building height limit could be enforced. But the Supreme Court overruled the earlier ruling saying, "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?" The judges concluded that, "It is not for judges to determine whether the inclusion of a particular architectural feature is 'necessary' for a particular religion." On September 21, 2001 the steeple with the famous angel Moroni was set in place, completing the temple. The Boston Massachusetts Temple is large relative to most other LDS temples with a total of, four ordinance rooms, and four sealing rooms. The exterior is finished with olympia white granite. In 2020, the Boston Massachusetts Temple was closed in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Presidents
Notable presidents of the temple include Loren C. Dunn, Robert S. Wood and Steven C. Wheelwright.
