The original trumpet held by the iconic, gold-leafed Angel Moroni statue found atop the Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints tumbled out of the statue’s grip in March 2020, when a 5.7 magnitude earthquake dislodged the trumpet just months after the temple’s multiyear renovation project had begun.
The entire statue was subsequently removed out of precaution, months earlier than planned. Nearly four years and several seismic reinforcements to the temple later, the statue — now refurbished — was restored to the temple with a lustrous-gold trumpet in hand.
This trumpet, however, was not a renewed version of the original.
The original — which still stands weathered by its more than a century-long exposure to the elements and the fall it took in 2020 — was carefully stored by the church. Starting this January, the trumpet was lent to the Harold B. Lee Library on the BYU campus and put on display as part of a library exhibit.
The Angel Moroni statue is “an iconic piece for members of the church,” said Paul Robbins, the exhibit’s lead curator and a BYU librarian over mathematical sciences, statistics and construction management.
Speaking with the Deseret News, Robbins said the idea for an exhibit on the historic Salt Lake Temple first came to him around the same time its now six-year renovation project began.
The exhibit’s curation, however, didn’t really set in motion until a while later, when Robbins was able to assemble a team of librarians and students and eventually connect with the temple renovation’s general manager, Georges Bonnet.
Through Bonnet, Robbins said he and his team were able to access display items, resources and necessary contacts. In fact, he said it was in a meeting with Bonnet that he was first able to lay his eyes upon the Angel Moroni’s nearly 6-foot trumpet.
“This is amazing,” Robbins recalled saying in admiration of the weathered trumpet that had rested for decades on the Angel Moroni statue’s hands, roughly 210 feet above ground.
Evidence of the trumpet’s age and fall could be seen by the trumpet’s dents, as well as its patchy, brassy exterior, Robbins said.
Impacted by the sight and significance of the trumpet, Robbins said he quickly started petitioning to have the trumpet make an appearance in his team’s exhibit, titled “How Firm a Foundation: The Salt Lake Temple Renovation 2019-2026.”
His request was granted and the trumpet has now sat in a display case at the library since Jan. 7, accompanied by the exhibit’s other artifacts and interactive portions.
The trumpet is currently scheduled to stay at the library through the end of January, after which it will eventually be displayed at the Church History Museum. The exhibit’s other parts, however, will remain on display at the BYU library through April.
“My hope is that (students and other visitors) feel more connected to the (Salt Lake Temple renovation) project, that they feel like they’re part of it (and) that this is their history,” Robbins said.
He then added that whether the exhibit’s visitors carry pioneer ancestry or not, he hopes that being able to see, learn about, touch and interact with the temple’s history and growth will provide meaningful experiences for all visitors and help them connect with their “spiritual legacy.”
What else is on display at the library exhibit
The Salt Lake Temple renovation exhibit at the library is intended to walk visitors through a story covering the purpose of temples, the early history and design of the Salt Lake Temple, the architectural threats the temple’s original structure faced, how engineers have addressed those threats in the renovation and how temples worldwide are drawing people closer to Jesus Christ.
The exhibit does so through a series of artifacts, interactive displays, seismic maps, construction photos and reflection questions.
In a part of the exhibit, for instance, visitors can view the temple’s original drawings and design plans, as well as touch some of the temple’s original nails, granite and sandstone cores.
Another part of the exhibit enables visitors to construct their own temple-like structures and test their sturdiness through a vibration table that simulates seismic activity.
And yet another portion — among others — uses augmented reality technology to enable visitors to see a depiction of the temple’s original foundation, explore its new floor plans and track the work done by the temple’s renovation crews since the project began.
Of the augmented reality display, David Pixton — a member of the exhibit’s curation team — said the display was designed to help people “see underground.”
A BYU librarian over engineering and technology, Pixton worked with a group of students to create the display with all of its photos and features.
He told the Deseret News his hope was that the display would help visitors see the “extensiveness of the work” that has been done, and later added that the entire exhibit was designed to draw others to Jesus Christ.
“Towering above the specifics of the temple renovation is Jesus Christ,” Pixton said. “Hopefully all the messages in the exhibit ultimately point those who visit the exhibit to him.”
Reflection questions found throughout the exhibit help refine its spiritual focus on the Savior and possible personal applications of the temple’s renewal and renovation process.
The questions were prepared by Teresa Gomez, another of the exhibit’s curators, who also helped create the exhibit’s maps as a BYU librarian over geospatial data, analysis and technology.
The exhibit showcases the work and technology used to restore the temple, but it’s not about the technology, Gomez said. The exhibit is about “building a foundation on Jesus Christ and how the temple helps us with this.”
The trumpet and exhibit as a symbol of hope and home
When asked about their spiritual learnings working on the exhibit, curators Robbins, Pixton and Gomez shared their admiration for the historic Salt Lake Temple and its epic renovation.
“I was wowed by the amount of detail that went into (the temple’s) design,” Pixton said. “Every single block is detailed out in the temple structure. And I was impressed with how they did this … using the technologies that they had.”
Pixton added that picturing and studying the work of early Latter-day Saints testified to him of their faith and dedication and increased his appreciation for their sacrifices.
Likewise, Robbins shared that working on the exhibit strengthened his connection to the church’s pioneer history and enabled him to see God’s hand in orchestrating the exhibit.
“Everything has come together,” he said, highlighting the privilege it has been to study the inner workings of the temple and its renovation.
As for Gomez, she shared that the spirit of the exhibit has witnessed to her that the Lord is in the details and that he magnifies the talents of those who seek to serve him.
All of the temple’s engineers have studied and prepared, and the Lord has used them for his purposes, she said. The temple’s extensive renovation has testified to Gomez that the Lord loves revelation and that “revelation comes in so many ways, including technology and science.”
Further pondering on the exhibit and what it was like to handle the original trumpet of the Angel Moroni statue, Gomez shared that having grown up with an apartment view of the Angel Moroni atop the church’s Mexico City Mexico Temple, the temple and statue have long-represented hope and home.
“Seeing the Angel Moroni has always given me a sense of ‘I’m home,’” she said.
The Salt Lake Temple renovation exhibit is open to the public at the Harold B. Lee Library on the BYU campus. The exact date the trumpet will then be on display at the Church History Museum is yet to be announced.
