Ogden's Mormon temple gets its angel back

An angel returned to Ogden — and he's staying put.

Crews on Tuesday hoisted the 14-foot, 800-pound angel into place atop downtown Ogden's Mormon temple, which is undergoing a face-lift.

The fiberglass Angel Moroni — covered in gold leaf and blowing a trumpet — was removed when the temple renovation began in April 2011, according to a news release from the Salt Lake City-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The statue then was reconditioned and returned to its former home.

On Monday, crews erected the spire. On Tuesday, they added the iconic angel to the 190-foot edifice.

Many LDS temples boast Moroni statues. Mormons believe Moroni was the last contributor to the church's signature scripture, the Book of Mormon, and later appeared to church founder Joseph Smith.

Completion of the revamped Ogden temple is pegged for late 2014, according to the news release.

LDS officials have declined to disclose the project's price tag. But general authority William R. Walker, head of the faith's Temple Department, previously called it a "huge investment."

He said top church leaders decided the Ogden temple needed an overhaul because "They thought it somewhat dated."

The Ogden temple was originally dedicated in 1972.

Mormons see temples as houses of God, where they take part in their faith's highest sacraments, including eternal marriage.