SALT LAKE CITY — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints revealed renovation details for the Salt Lake Temple and Temple Square on Friday.
President Russell M. Nelson announced Friday morning that the Salt Lake Temple will close on Dec. 29, and will be closed for four years, the Deseret News reported.
“We promise that you will love the results," President Nelson said, according to the Deseret News. "They will emphasize and highlight the life, ministry and mission of Jesus Christ in his desire to bless every nation, kindred, tongue and people."
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Here’s what the Temple Square renovation plans are:
The South Visitors' Center will be removed and replaced. The plaza between State Street and Main Street will be improved, too.
New entrances will be added. The church released a virtual walk-through of those new entrances.
The renovation will include a seismic upgrade to help the temple withstand an earthquake and it will add a new tunnel entrance underneath.
The Salt Lake Temple will accommodate 86 different languages after it reopens in 2024, the Deseret News reported. The church will host a public open house when the renovations are finished.
Salt Lake Temple’s impact on downtown
Brent Roberts, director of special projects for the Church, told the Deseret News that it will be a “major construction project.” People should expect to see scaffolding on the sides of the temple.
According to the Deseret News, Roberts said church officials and construction crews will "work within the guidelines" of city noise ordinances "unless we receive a special exception for things that would be better for vehicle traffic."
Traffic issues for Salt Lake City
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert confirmed there would be potential traffic congestion because of the construction.
Here’s what the Salt Lake Temple will look like:
The church released images of what the Salt Lake Temple will look like in 2024. Scroll through the images below.
Virtual tour of Salt Lake Temple
As I wrote for the Deseret News, the church released a virtual tour video of the renovations and what the temple will look like in 2024.
Christmas lights at Temple Square:
Don’t worry about those. According to the Deseret News, visitors can still see the Christmas lights on the west side of the complex. The display might be smaller than in previous years.
Is everything at Temple Square closed?
The following buildings will remain open:
- Salt Lake Tabernacle
- North Visitors' Center
- Assembly Hall
- Joseph Smith Memorial Building
- Church Office Building
- Relief Society Building
- Administration Building
- Beehive House
- Lion House.
Viewing the Salt Lake Temple
The church will host a public open house before the temple is rededicated once the renovations are complete, Elder Larry Y. Wilson, the executive director of the Temple Department, announced at the press conference.
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert’s thoughts:
As the Deseret News reported, the Utah governor said that he expects “natural curiosity” will bring church members, visitors and tourists to downtown Salt Lake City.
"So I'm hopeful that tourism doesn't wane at all," he said.
"It will maybe increase, in fact, as people come here and see our beautiful capital city and our wonderful state and — most importantly — our wonderful people that reside here," he said.
"It's going to be a very positive event in our state, certainly for members of the church, for nonmembers, for tourism, travel," Herbert said. "The state will benefit significantly."
What was the reaction like?
As I reported for the Deseret News, people shared their thoughts about the renovation plans on Twitter.
Has the Salt Lake Temple ever been renovated before?
The temple went under a major renovation from 1962 to 1966, according to the Deseret News. The Salt Lake Temple was rededicated and more sealing rooms were placed on the north side.
Salt Lake Temple facts
- Temple Square is one of the largest tourist attractions in Utah. It brings in 3 to 5 million visitors per year.
- The Salt Lake Temple’s Angel Moroni statue was sculpted by Cyrus Edwin Dallin, who is not a member of the church.
- The Joseph Smith Memorial Building has a 2,484 piped organ.
- 15,000 people attended the first Temple Square Christmas lighting ceremony.