I never realized that certain temples don’t have a statue, but I think that they should since Moroni has become such a well-known symbol for the LDS Church. That statue has become universal for Mormons and it’s sort of like the official Church letterhead (or logo) that is instantly recognizable to all of us, no matter what language you see it in.

I think the standing Moroni gives a better impression psychologically than the flying one. First of all, do Mormons believe that angels fly? I’m not sure. But I know that leaders have said that angels don’t have wings (which the flying Moroni doesn’t appear to have). Another thing is that the standing Moroni’s position looks more confident, forceful, important, dramatic, etc. And that became even more obvious once they buffed him up.

I also remember meeting in an Odd Fellows Hall in Peterborough, NH, a ski lodge in Laconia, NH, and the branch president’s living room in Brattleboro, VT. (My dad was a high councilman, and used to take us with him when he had to speak.) My ward met at Merrimack High School for a few years until our building was erected in Nashua, NH. Those were the days…..back in the late 70’s and early 80’s.

It seems like a branch was formed in coastal Georgia when I was on my mission (late 80’s) in Augusta. I never attended, but as I recall, the church was a double-wide trailer. I guess these buildings have character, but not quite like the building in DC.

It was a beautiful building from the outside. Looked like a small temple. Inside, though, it was sparse. Not a lot of classrooms. The windows made it easy to explain the history of the Church to visitors. I liked being on 16th street, because that street went right towards the White House (1600 Penn. Avenue).

I was a stake missionary there for two years, and my wife was there for the second year. Most of our stake missionaries were single girls, and the area got pretty dangerous for them and the ward members, most of whom were singles. I remember one night my Fiat 600 sedan (small car, 25 HP engine) stopped on 14th Street, not far from the ward. I was there, all alone, after dark tinkering on the car. No one bothered me, but I was glad when I got the engine started again. My wife and I moved to Arizona in the summer of 1964, and a few weeks later DC erupted in racial riots.

I understand why the church builds cookie-cutter buildings (lower cost) but it was nice to have unique buildings.

I lived in Massachusetts when the Littleton Ward built a new building. We did have to choose a pattern from four they offered us, but we were able to specify a number of changes to help the building fit in with New England customs, including a copper roof, granite blocks around the parking lot, a steeple that was detached from the building and was in its own granite wall that people used for sitting. The change that I really liked was having the pulpit off center. That allowed the choir to be together without being blocked by the pulpit. That is one change I’d like to see in all ward buildings. The Littleton building had a big round window on each side that let in a lot of light. There was one place you could sit and look out of the round window and see the American flag flying in the wind. A great sight!