Portland, Oregon, USA Temple

History

A temple is never built without opposition and the Portland temple is not an exception. Although the land had been owned by the Church for years, when it was announced that a temple was to be built there was immediate resistance. Twenty-seven public hearings, eight lawsuits and four petitions later the temple was built and dedicated on August 19, 1989. When the temple was completed, one of the architects noted, “There’s been a change of attitude in the community. People appreciate the quality of the building. They pull over on the highway to look at it.”* This temple is indeed an incredible site. The white marble against the backdrop of deep green trees creates a stunning vision. There are no discernable windows from the outside of the temple, yet sunlight enters many parts of the building through the white marble. At night, the lights from within can be seen from the outside. An atrium in the foyer is filled with trees and flowers. This temple, like all others, is filled with symbolism. In the celestial room there are different levels, only the  highest is connected to sealing rooms, reminding all that celestial marriage is the key to the highest heaven. During the open house, over three hundred thousand toured the building, it is estimated that less than half were members of the Church. The spirit of the temple touched all, from those who rediscovered a desire to attend to church, to those who had never been. A man who had been distributing anti-Mormon literature decided to take a break and go on the tour. Upon emerging from the temple, he destroyed the pamphlets he had been handing out.** In the dedicatory prayer, President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “[The Portland temple] stands in quiet splendor among the trees of the forest. It is a place of peace and holiness, a refuge from the storms of life, a sanctuary in which to worship thee ‘in spirit and in truth’.” With the temple as your foundation, the Spirit will flourish and grow inside your soul and in all around you, creating beauty like the Portland temple.

How Temple Coins are Made

Dave started creating jewelry using metals in 1992, ten years later he had worked with nearly every metal in the jewelry industry! Moving to Thailand, he spent the next nine years perfecting his skills with various metals, 3D models and 3D printers. He dreamed of producing something that would bring delight to purchasers and carry with it positive feelings that would touch the souls of those who owned them. In 2014 he was able to realize his dream. Returning to the US, he uses Lost-wax casting to create a metal master from brass alloy for each temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, depicting, in the highest degree of definition possible, a coin with a 3D image of a temple. The reverse of each coin is cast with the words “Stand ye in holy places.”

Purchase one or two of the temples that hold special meaning to you. Commemorate your visit to a temple by picking up the corresponding coin. Celebrate a milestone in a loved one’s life by gifting them a temple coin to inspire them. Collect them all or just a few. Some are cast in precious metals, making each coin an investment that will be a treasure in every sense of the word.

Additional Information

• Free Shipping on orders over $35.
• All coins are 1 1/4 in.
• Pewter Coins are cast from lead free alloys.
• Brass Coins cast from a silicone, brass alloy.  Giving our brass coins a rich yellow gold color for a fraction of the cost of gold coins.
• Silver Coins are cast from an alloy of silver containing 92.5% by weight of silver and 7.5% by weight of other metals, usually copper.
• Gold Coins cast in 14K Gold are 58.5% pure gold.  The remaining alloy consists of a copper and silver mix.
• All of our coins are developed, cast, and finished locally in our facility in Logan, UT, U.S.A.

*Source note: Kullberg, “Saints in the Columbia”, 113.
**”Many Receive Sweet Blessings”