The new Draper Temple of the LDS Church is unlike any other temple along the Wasatch Front.
That's because it is smaller, has its own design, features some
unique artwork, lacks a patron cafeteria and has no clothing rental
facilities.
A contingent of more than three dozen media took a 90-minute tour
of the new temple Friday. The general public can tour temples of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, until they are dedicated.
Public open houses of the Draper Temple begin Jan. 15 and go through March 14. The temple will be dedicated March 20-22.
Nestled in Corner Canyon in the southeast foothills of the Salt
Lake Valley at 14065 S. Canyon Vista Lane, this temple (and the Oquirrh
Temple now under construction in South Jordan's Daybreak community)
will ease pressure on the Jordan River Utah Temple. It will serve
approximately 60,000 church members in the Draper area.
This will be the 129th operating temple in the world, the 12th in Utah and the third in Salt Lake County.
"This is a great event for us as the dedication of any temple is,"
Elder M. Russell Ballard, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, said.
"This is a great time for the church to dedicate another house unto the
Lord."
Elder William R. Walker, executive director of the church's temple
department, described the Draper Temple as "medium-sized," among the
church's other temples. He said it is about one-fourth the size of the
Salt Lake Temple, at 58,300-square-feet. It is approximate in size to
the Rexburg, Idaho Temple and smaller than the Jordan River or
Bountiful temples.
The Draper Temple features some interior woodwork made from African wood and limestone on the floors from France.
It also includes some unique artwork, including panoramic Rocky
Mountain scenery in two of its ordinance rooms. Most historic is a 1922
oil painting that used to hang in the former Draper Tabernacle,
depicting the Angel Moroni's visit to church founder Joseph Smith to
deliver the Golden Plates.
Although there isn't a public cafeteria in the temple, there is a
workers' dining hall, where they can eat the home lunches they bring
in. There's also a small laundry to take care of the baptismal
clothing.
Latter-day Saint temples differ from the church's meetinghouses or
chapels where members meet for Sunday worship services. A temple is
considered a "house of the Lord" where Christ's teachings are
reaffirmed through marriage, baptism and other ordinances that unite
families for eternity. In the temple, church members learn more about
the purpose of life and strengthen their commitment to serve Jesus
Christ and their fellow men.
Some 900,000 people have already signed up to tour the temple and
the church is expecting a total of 1 million visitors during the open
house.
Visitors to the temple's open house will first meet at the adjacent
Draper South Mountain Stake Center, where they will have an opportunity
to see a new 10-minute video production on church temples. They will
then walk through a long canvas-covered canopy segment directly into
the temple's foyer.
However, Elder Walker said the church is only relying on plastic
carpet runners and some extra carpet overlays on the floor of the
temple to help hinder carpet wear and tear. Visitors will not wear any
special outside coverings over their shoes. That's because it wasn't
cost effective to do that for the high number of expected visitors.
Open house organizers request that advance reservations be made online at www.lds.org/reservations
(maximum of 10 guests per reservation) or by calling 1-800-537-6181
(toll free) or 801-240-7932 (local). Reservations for larger groups can
also be accommodated by calling these numbers.
Email: lynn@desnews.com