Clearly there were times when different temple designs were "in style" (i.e. accepted by Q15). You can see some that look like wedding cakes, some like large shoeboxes and some like teepees. Does anyone know who picks the designs, why certain designs flourished at particular times and why they go in and out of vogue (other than because they're ugly of course!)

I remember being in Chicago at least 20 years ago during my TBM days. My wife and her boss were going there for a conference and I was able to tag along to play tourist while she was in the conference.

Someone in the group, including his wife, decided we had a to make a trip to the Chicago Temple for a session. I tried to plan how to take the EL out there and found it is was kind of a stupid plan.

We got there, the temple was small and looked much like a stake center, with hideous orange furnishings and chairs, etc. I wondered who decided what it would look like.

A nice couple from Wisconsin who was there that night volunteered to drive us 20+ miles back to our hotel location, since he told us that 4 white people didn't want to be on the EL after about 9pm, especially dressed up.

It is funny how different they all are.

When we lived in Boise and I saw the temple there for the first time, I was very disappointed. It was ugly and squatty. It looked like a stake center. I was used to the DC temple which looks like a huge fairy tale castle. Then there's the Provo temple where we were sealed when I was little. It's always reminded me of a spaceship, I mean wtf is up with that weird design.

I think the Provo and Ogden temples were an effort to modernize Utah in the Seventies by Sixties standards. As for who made the decision, I'm guessing it was Harold B. Lee. He made some feeble efforts to modernize things.