Rising from ashes: Ground is broken for LDS Church's 2nd temple in Provo

Thousands attend the groundbreaking for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Provo City Center Temple in Provo Saturday, May 12, 2012. The temple will be constructed on the site of the Provo Tabernacle, a community landmark and gathering place from the time it was built in the 1880s until it was destroyed by fire in December 2010.

Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

PROVO Dale King sang with a choir at a Christmas celebration in the Provo Tabernacle days before a fire gutted the historic building in late 2010.

The Provo resident sang with a choir again on the site Saturday, when leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dedicated the property for the construction of Provo's second temple to be built inside the tabernacle's shell.

For King, who lives just a few minutes from the historic building that was originally constructed from 1883 to 1898, the temple groundbreaking signified the rising of something beautiful from the ashes of devastation.

He and more than 5,600 people gathered on the grounds of the historic site for the ceremonies, during which Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve spoke and offered a prayer of dedication. Also delivering remarks were Sister Patricia Holland, Elder L. Whitney Clayton of the Presidency of the Seventy, Elder William R. Walker of the Seventy and Elder Cecil O. Samuelson, emeritus Seventy and president of Brigham Young University. The proceedings were broadcast to LDS meetinghouses throughout Provo and Springville.

The Provo City Center Temple is expected to be completed in three years and will include underground parking.

During the groundbreaking ceremony, church leaders were joined by government and civic leaders in turning over shovels filled with soil to signify the beginning of work on the site.

Built in the heart of Provo, the historic tabernacle was a community gathering place for meetings and cultural events for decades.

Elder and Sister Holland attended their first LDS Church meeting together on the site in 1963, nearly 50 years ago. Elder Holland said he and his family have been sharing experiences on the site ever since.

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Rising from ashes: Ground is broken for LDS Church's 2nd temple in Provo