English
The St. George Utah Temple, it was designed by Truman O. Angell. Photo by X-Weinzar – Wikimedia commons
Top 10 Intriguing Facts about Truman O. Angell
Truman Osborn Angell, Jr. was an American architect who functioned as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ (LDS Church’s) chief architect from 1854 to 1887. Here are some fun facts about him.
Truman Osborn Angell born on June 5, 1810 and died on October 16, 1887, was an American architect who worked for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for several years (LDS Church). He was Brigham Young’s brother-in-law and a member of the elite corporation of Mormon founders who arrived at the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847.
He was the architect of the Salt Lake Temple, the Lion House, the Beehive House, the Utah Territorial Statehouse, the St. George Utah Temple, and other communal structures. Angell’s alterations to the Salt Lake Tabernacle are commended with completing the building’s sound quality.
1.Angell’s early years and brief family background
Angell was conceived in Providence, Rhode Island, on June 5, 1810, as the third born of seven children to James W. Angell and Phebe Morton. Angell learned the carpenter and joiner’s trade from a man in his family’s neighborhood between the ages of 17 and 19. Mary Ann Angell, Truman’s sister, married Brigham Young.
2.Angell designed the Church of Jesus Christ, which landed him many other roles
A photo of a building design. Photo by Wokandapix – Pixabay
Angell worked as the Church of Jesus Christ’s architect for several years. Angell and his wife relocated to Kirtland, Ohio, in the tumble of 1835, and he assisted in the construction of the Kirtland Temple. He was quickly anointed as a member of the Quorum of the Seventies and began making plans to go on a quest the following spring.
Nevertheless, after consulting with the Prophet Joseph Smith, he came back from the quest to construct a shop. Angell noticed he should be proselytizing as a Seventies member however, the Spirit kept telling him to remain behind and work on constructing.
Angell took notes, “The countless and ongoing calls to do this and that job shortly had me so immersed in business that I requested Brother Joseph if it was my career path to work from home. ‘I’ll give you sufficient jobs for twenty men,’ he said.” This according to Truman O. Angell’s memoir.
3.Truman was responsible for building another church in Ohio, Oakland
The Kirtland Temple was constructed from around 1833 and 1836 by the congregation of the Church of the Latter Day Saints, also widely recognized as Mormons, who were influenced by charming apostle Joseph Smith. The Temple, is sat on a hilltop overlooking the Chagrin River Valley to the east, is a fusion of traditional and Gothic reinventions.
The Temple is rectangular in shape with an aligned, predominant bell tower, traditional of era worship structures and representing the New England heritage of its contractors and their use of carpenter-manuals. Contractor’s Interior woodwork and architectural elements are inspired by Asher Benjamin’s American Builder’s Companion (1806) and The Practical House Carpenter (1830).
4.Before becoming a member of the prominent church he and his family were baptized
His sister, who had acquired a copy of the Book of Mormon from missionary Thomas B. Marsh, brought him to the Church when he was 22 years old. Truman was anointed in January 1833 alongside his mother, Phebe, and his wife, Polly.
5.Truman had a difficult time during his childhood due to family feud
Truman’s life was difficult practically from the beginning. His parents’ marriage was unhappy. After a period of “family hardships,” James left the family behind when Truman was around five or six years old. Phoebe faced difficulties to sustain the seven children on her own. As a result, Truman received his education in “winter schools,” which he supposedly attended for only short periods of time.
When Truman was nine years old, James returned to the family however, the boy was soon sent away. Truman’s memoir provides little information about the next eight years, only stating that he maintained his residence in North Providence and paid irregular visits to his parents’ home. “Having no father to restrict me, I heartened myself; and did numerous things I should not have to,” he reflected on his youth.
6.Within the church’s property, Truman built a factory
While operating on the provisional monastery blueprint, Angell also worked on a similarly difficult however, ultimately unsuccessful proposal. The heavy equipment for a sugar factory had been brought to Utah from England the year before. Angell was delegated in the spring of 1853 to construct a factory on the Church farm, four miles south of the city, in what is now known as Sugar House.
Regrettably, the plans that came with the industrial equipment did not provide enough context concerning how the portions should be assembled. Angell spent the next two years, in besides designing the construction to accommodate the industrial equipment, trying to get the industrial equipment to work.
His designs for the factory include some of the most intricate and meticulous he has ever created. Even so, when the factory was finalized in 1855, it only produced dark molasses. After 2 years of activity, the business was declared a problem, and the construction and machinery were repurposed.
7.Angell was privileged to construct Young’s house in 1854
A blueprint of a building. Photo by 3844328 – Pixabay
Brigham Young, the second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the first Governor of the Utah Territory, lived at the Beehive House. It was part of an estate that housed Young’s cohabitation family. Young moved into the house in 1854 with his senior wife, Mary Ann Angell, and their six children.
Angell, nevertheless, did not serve as Young’s original first wife for long, and soon moved to another house on the estate. Lucy Ann Decker served as Young’s first wife and lived in the Beehive House with their nine children for the remainder of Young’s time in charge. The executive mansion of the region remained in use as the residential area where Young hosted both local and external diplomats, thanks to Decker’s support.
8.Brigham sent Angell for purposeful mission to make him a better architect
President Brigham Young dispatched Truman on a venture to Europe in 1856, directing him to “take drawings of useful architectural marvels” in order to “be sufficiently skilled to proceed” working on the Salt Lake Temple and other structures.
In 1867, Truman was appointed as Church architect. (The Church no longer refers to a Church architect.) Despite the fact that a lifetime of dedication had harmed Truman’s wellbeing, he respectfully recognised the order. “I feel a good deal worn out,” he wrote in his memoir, “however, if the President and my compatriots feel to maintain a poor worm of dust like me as Architect of the Church, let me keep striving to cater for them and not insult myself.” May the Lord grant me this favor.
9.Angell also built the Lion House which was part of Young’s estate
Lion House is located at the crossroads of two major streets in Salt Lake City: South Temple and State. It was initially part of Young’s larger estate. Only three of the estate’s numerous buildings persist intact: Lion House, Young’s office, and Beehive House. Despite their proximity, these three structures evoke the appearance of different components, with distinctively expressed exteriors and material treatment. Young’s office is in the center, and a passageway known as the “crooked hall” by one of Young’s children connects the buildings.
The Lion House, which was designed to accommodate more people than the Beehive House, is the most spacious of the two houses. The three-story, 45 x 139-foot building is cramped with its sophisticated programmatic requirements. Nevertheless, because the shorter side of the rectangular plan faces the street, Lion House has a smaller front than Beehive House, implying that the latter residence to Young and his senior wife—takes precedence over Young’s multiple wives.
10.Truman passed away at the age of 77 years old while constructing the Salt Lake Temple
A person using a ruler. Photo by Karolina Grabowska – Pexels
Angell abruptly resigned as Church Architect from 1861 to 1867 because of his poor health and William Folsom had to take over on his behalf. Nevertheless, Angell was re-appointed as church architect by church members in April 1867. Angell was employed in the development of the Salt Lake Temple even when he was not a church architect. He remained Church Architect until his death on October 16, 1887, at the age of 77.
He had worked on the Salt Lake Temple for over 35 years. He was reported to know each stone in the city’s walls. Wendell Ashton said of Angell, “A splendid landmark to the architect’s perseverance, talent, and devotion will live on as long as the Salt Lake Temple exists.” Although Angell did not live to see the monastery finished, he was a driving force behind its construction. Angell was laid to rest in the Salt Lake City Cemetery.
