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A view of Salt Lake Temple, Temple Square renovations from those overseeing the project

President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints tours the Salt Lake Utah Temple in Salt Lake City on Saturday, May 22, 2021. Credit: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints speaks during a press conference in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 19, 2019 about renovations to the Salt Lake Temple and grounds. Credit: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News, Deseret News
Brent Roberts, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Special Projects Department managing director, talks about upcoming Salt Lake Temple renovations during a press conference at the Temple Square South Visitors Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2019. Credit: Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Andy Kirby, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Special Projects Department director of historic temple renovations, shows a rendition of what the Salt Lake Temple world room will look like after future restorations, at the Temple Square South Visitors Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2019. Credit: Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
The Salt Lake Temple nearing completion with a large crowd assembled for the capstone-laying ceremony. The temple was dedicated in April 1893.
A rendering of the Salt Lake Temple’s base isolation system. Credit: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
The Temple Square South Visitors’ Center and portions of the square’s south wall are being demolished to give construction crews access to excavate around the Salt Lake Temple for a major renovation, Friday, Jan. 17, 2020. Credit: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
A view of the Salt Lake Temple from the tunnel underneath North Temple street that will eventually connect the Conference Center parking lot to the temple, Salt Lake City, June 2021. Credit: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Crew members pair existing steel trusses, which are painted in yellow, side by side with new trusses as part of the seismic design of the Salt Lake Temple, Salt Lake City, June 2021 Credit: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Crews remove the capstone after the Angel Moroni statue is removed from atop the Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during renovation in Salt Lake City on Monday, May 18, 2020. Credit: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
President Russell M. Nelson, of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, center, and his counselors, President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, left, and President Henry B. Eyring, second counselor in the First Presidency, right, look over times removed from The Salt Lake Temple capstone time capsule in Salt Lake City on Wednesday May 20, 2020. Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints tours the Salt Lake Utah Temple in Salt Lake City on Saturday, May 22, 2021. Credit: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints tours the Salt Lake Utah Temple in Salt Lake City on Saturday, May 22, 2021. Credit: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints tours the Salt Lake Utah Temple in Salt Lake City on Saturday, May 22, 2021. Credit: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
President Russell M. Nelson, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and his wife Sister Wendy Nelson tour the renovation work at the Salt Lake Temple in Salt Lake City on Saturday, May 22, 2021. Credit: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints tours the Salt Lake Utah Temple in Salt Lake City on Saturday, May 22, 2021. Credit: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
The south and east sides of the Salt Lake Temple are covered by scaffolding and surrounded by construction equipment as crews continue the renovation project started in 2019. The Tabernacle can be seen behind the temple on the left and the Conference Cent Credit: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Progress of the demolition of the North Visitors’ Center on Temple Square, Salt Lake City, on Dec. 1, 2021. Credit: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The process of removing and cataloging stone for repair and restoration from the eastern towers and walls of the temple is viewed from the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in downtown Salt Lake City in December 2021. Credit: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church Office Building plaza is prepared to display flags representing the nations of the world and Styrofoam blocks are used as spacers to reduce the weight of the soil on the repaired deck as part of the Temple Square renovation project in downtown Credit: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The area where the second large concrete pour was completed as part of the Temple Square renovation project, in Salt Lake City, Utah, January 2022. Credit: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Little remains of the North Visitors’ Center after its demolition during the Temple Square renovation project, in Salt Lake City, Utah, January 2022. Credit: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
A rendering of the celestial room in the renovated Salt Lake Temple Credit: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
A rendering of one of the 10 new sealing rooms that will be built in the renovated Salt Lake Temple. There will be 23 total sealing rooms. Credit: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
A rendering of one of two baptistries that will be built in the renovated Salt Lake Temple Credit: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

During the construction of the Salt Lake Temple in the second half of the 1800s, President Brigham Young said, “I want to see the temple built in a manner that it will endure through the Millennium.”

That target duration has been reemphasized today by President Russell M. Nelson. Brent Roberts, managing director of the Church’s Special Projects Department, remembers the charge given when President Nelson announced in 2019 the renovation of the Salt Lake Temple and much of Temple Square.

President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints speaks during a press conference in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 19, 2019 about renovation plans for the Salt Lake Temple and Temple Square.
President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints speaks during a press conference in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 19, 2019 about renovation plans for the Salt Lake Temple and Temple Square. | Credit: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News, Deseret News

“He talked about (how) this project will enhance, refresh and beatify the temple and its surrounding grounds, replace obsolete systems and also handle safety and seismic concerns,” Roberts said, with the prophet also highlighting improvements for patron experiences and accessibility.

“From a standpoint of a construction worker and from an individual who’s responsible for this, it truly is an opportunity for use to replace outdated mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems as well as protect it into the Millennium, as he has said before. President Nelson has always made it clear that this is a project for the Millennium and for something that we can move forward with in the future.”

Roberts and Andy Kirby, director of historic temple renovations, joined the Church News podcast for a Tuesday, Feb. 15, episode that provided an update on and perspective of the Temple Square renovation project, which started in 2020 and is expected to finish in 2025.

The Salt Lake Temple nearing completion with a large crowd assembled for the capstone-laying ceremony. The temple was dedicated in April 1893.
The Salt Lake Temple nearing completion with a large crowd assembled for the capstone-laying ceremony. The temple was dedicated in April 1893.

Episode 70: The expansiveness of the Salt Lake Temple renovation project, with Brent Roberts and Andy Kirby

Renovating the temple and more

From its granite foundations to its heavenly spires, the historic Salt Lake Temple is a landmark and an iconic symbol for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Following a construction period of four decades, the temple was dedicated in 1893. Now, more than 125 years later, it is closed for five years for an extensive renovation, addition and seismic upgrade.

The Church Office Building plaza is prepared to display flags representing the nations of the world and Styrofoam blocks are used as spacers to reduce the weight of the soil on the repaired deck as part of the Temple Square renovation project in downtown Salt Lake City during December 2021.
The Church Office Building plaza is prepared to display flags representing the nations of the world and Styrofoam blocks are used as spacers to reduce the weight of the soil on the repaired deck as part of the Temple Square renovation project in downtown Salt Lake City during December 2021. | Credit: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The temple is just one part of the massive renovation project in downtown Salt Lake City. Adjacent to the temple, the two visitors’ centers — north and south — have been demolished, with only one such center to return.

Most of the area previously occupied by the North Visitors’ Center will be turned to landscapes and gardens. Also, the Church Office Building plaza is being repaired, waterproofed and revitalized with new landscaping.

Besides structural changes, the project will improve patron accessibility — both in language and mobility, with stairs and ramps being replaced by elevators, lifts and leveled floors. A tunnel from the Conference Center parking area will allow people easier access to the temple.

The 1960s construction of the sealing addition, chapel and north entrance additions are dismantled as part of the seismic upgrade of the Salt Lake Temple. The sealing addition will be rebuilt once upgrades are completed. The Salt Lake Temple renovation project, July 2020.
The 1960s construction of the sealing addition, chapel and north entrance additions are dismantled as part of the seismic upgrade of the Salt Lake Temple. The sealing addition will be rebuilt once upgrades are completed. The Salt Lake Temple renovation project, July 2020. | Credit: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.

Two-year anniversary and accomplishments

The project recently passed its two-year anniversary, with much of that time needed to decommission the temple — including the removal of furniture, lights, carpeting — as well as prepare for and complete the massive, 65-foot-deep excavation on the temple’s north side for a new three-story addition will go.

“We had to remove the original structure [temple annex] that was constructed in the 1960s and then go another 30 feet deeper than that,” Kirby said. “We were shoring into soils that hadn’t ever been dug into around at the temple site.”

The area where the second large concrete pour was completed as part of the Temple Square renovation project, in Salt Lake City, Utah, January 2022.
The area where the second large concrete pour was completed as part of the Temple Square renovation project, in Salt Lake City, Utah, January 2022. | Credit: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

In some ways, the project’s first two years was preparing for new construction, which is now beginning, he said.

Work now is focused on constructing the footings and foundation of the new temple addition, the seismic strengthening of the historic temple’s foundation. “We can see what those original pioneers constructed back in the 1850s,” Kirby said, “and it’s special to see that work because you think of the sacrifice that they made and how they were living and struggling at the same time, building the temple of the Lord.”

And he thinks of the two eras’ differences in processes and equipment. “They were using block-and-tackle rigging with horses to lift stones up onto the temple, and now we do it with giant, electric-powered tower cranes.”

Crew members pair existing steel trusses, which are painted in yellow, side by side with new trusses as part of the seismic design of the Salt Lake Temple, Salt Lake City, June 2021
Crew members pair existing steel trusses, which are painted in yellow, side by side with new trusses as part of the seismic design of the Salt Lake Temple, Salt Lake City, June 2021 | Credit: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Still to come on-site

Construction of the new north-side addition will provide — working from the bottom up — the foundation, walls, columns and floors, while work continues inside and around the base of the temple to strengthen it with seismic reinforcements.

A rendering of the Salt Lake Temple’s base isolation system.
A rendering of the Salt Lake Temple’s base isolation system. | Credit: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.

“That seismic work is groundbreaking and world-class structural engineering, seismic engineering and construction over several years,” Kirby said.

For structure stability, the pioneers relied on gravity and the weight of the historic temple, tipping the scale at some 187 million pounds.

For seismic upgrades, the temple is first tied together — stones, towers and roof trusses. “We will also tension the temple, the top down to the bottom,” Kirby said, “so we’re kind of clamping it down so it will act as one unit. When the earthquake happens in the future, the ground will move around the temple and the temple will hold firm.”

The base isolation then creates a separation of the structure from the earth, “which allows the earth to move but the building not to move,” he said.

’Unforeseen circumstances

Renovating a massive structure nearly 130 years old trying to follow the original drawings and documentation from temple architect Truman Angel has resulted in what Roberts called “unforeseen circumstances.” Builders didn’t always follow details from the drawings, and renovators often come across little — and not so little — surprises.

“We have found many of those things because we just don’t know — we don’t know what is behind the walls until we get into those walls,” Roberts said.

Brent Roberts, the Church’s Special Projects Department managing director, talks about upcoming Salt Lake Temple renovations during a press conference at the Temple Square South Visitors Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2019.
Brent Roberts, the Church’s Special Projects Department managing director, talks about upcoming Salt Lake Temple renovations during a press conference at the Temple Square South Visitors Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2019. | Credit: Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

And that’s besides finding occasional tools between walls or behind rafters or notes left among pioneer-era construction workers, Kirby said.

The two listed other unforeseen conditions: asbestos in the demolished 1960s addition, a major windstorm, downtown protests and riots, unexpected groundwater during excavation, COVID-19 pandemic absences and precautions, labor shortages, economic inflation, supply chain challenges and — ironically — a March 2020 earthquake.

“It helped us understand a little bit how the temple would move,” Kirby said, “and validated some of our assumptions of how it would perform in an earthquake.”

Pre-purchasing much of what materials were needed helped mitigate some of the supply chain difficulties, but delivery times have increased dramatically, said Roberts, adding that the Temple Square renovation project is not facing major supply challenges like other projects.

President Russell M. Nelson inspects the Salt Lake Temple renovation project on Saturday, May 22, 2021.
President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints tours the Salt Lake Utah Temple in Salt Lake City on Saturday, May 22, 2021. | Credit: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

What members worldwide should know

Roberts meets with the First Presidency and the Presiding Bishops at least several times each month, providing updates and answering questions.

“Members of the Church can trust that this project is in great hands because it’s led by a prophet,” he said, explaining that President Nelson always asks for a report. “He asks specific questions he wants to understand, and, of course, he understands, and then he provides thoughts and feelings and direction as only a prophet could.”

In discussing the project, President Nelson reiterates to Roberts and others that Temple Square itself needs to be focused on the Lord Jesus Christ, His mission and His ministry.

“That emphasis has helped each one of us look a little differently on this construction project,” Roberts said, adding “It is truly construction that will end up being a place where people can come and feel the peace and the Spirit of the Lord in all that they do.”

President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints tours the Salt Lake Utah Temple in Salt Lake City on Saturday, May 22, 2021.
President Russell M. Nelson, front left, tours the Salt Lake Utah Temple on May 22, 2021, with Brent Roberts, front center, managing director of the Church’s Special Projects Department, and Andy Kirby, front right, director of historic temple renovations. | Credit: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

What Roberts, Kirby know now

One lesson Kirby says he has learned from the project — as in life — is that difficult things can be done by focusing on the Lord and asking for His help.

Andy Kirby, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Special Projects Department director of historic temple renovations, shows a rendition of what the Salt Lake Temple world room will look like after future restorations, at the Temple Square South Visitors Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2019.
Andy Kirby, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Special Projects Department director of historic temple renovations, shows a rendition of what the Salt Lake Temple world room will look like after future restorations, at the Temple Square South Visitors Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2019. | Credit: Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

“Trials and struggles will be here, but if we keep an eye single to Father in Heaven and seek His guidance in what we do, He will inspire us, He will give us strength, and He will help us work through those difficulties,” he said, adding “When we pray in our meetings with contractors and engineers and architects, we seek His guidance and His spirit and inspiration to do difficult things, and I know He helps us all the time.”

The finished project will mirror President Nelson’s emphasis on temple ordinances, Roberts said. “Yes, the house of the Lord is beautiful and needs to be beautiful and needs to be done right, but it’s the beauty of the ordinances and the sacredness of what goes on in the temple that is truly important,” he said. “We’re just happy to be a part of preparing the way, under the direction of the Presiding Bishopric, so those higher ordinances that can happen in the temple.”

He added: “I have learned the truthfulness of that over and over again, as we have sought, the Lord in His guidance, sought our Heavenly Father to guide and direct us and to work out issues and problems, but most importantly, to feel the joy of the successes that we have in the construction thus far.”

President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints tours the Salt Lake Utah Temple in Salt Lake City on Saturday, May 22, 2021.
President Russell M. Nelson stands inside the tunnel leading from the Conference Center parking towards the Salt Lake Utah Temple in Salt Lake City on Saturday, May 22, 2021. | Credit: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
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