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SALT LAKE CITY — The renovation of the Salt Lake Temple is now in its 22nd month. And this incredibly huge project is moving along in every way toward connecting the past with the present and with the future.
Right now about 16 feet of the foundation of the temple is exposed.
"That's beautiful 1850s work right down there," said Andy Kirby, the director of historic temple renovations for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
He stood in front of the area in late September to talk about the work ongoing at the temple site.
Kirby feels a connection to the past when he looks at the exposed foundation. He knows the pioneers struggled to plant crops and build their lives while facing multiple challenges.
Builders covered the foundation during the Utah War in 1857-58, making the area look like a plowed field. When they dug it back out again, they saw where they could improve and added granite to the top.
"What we see there, is it is still sandstone. We know they improved the masonry. You can see the quality of the masonry is significantly different," said Kirby. "We have now exposed that beautiful work."
