The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced groundbreaking dates for the Grand Junction Colorado and Elko Nevada temples.
Both were among 20 new temple locations announced by President Russell M. Nelson during April 2021 general conference.
Both groundbreakings will be invitation-only events, with initial details of the two published Friday, Feb. 25, on Newsroom.
Both temples will be the third in their respective states.
Grand Junction Colorado Temple
Elder Chi Hong (Sam) Wong, a General Authority Seventy and counselor in the North America Central Area presidency, will preside at the April 16 groundbreaking for the Grand Junction Colorado Temple.
The temple’s site was announced on June 23, 2021, with the exterior rendering released the same day as the Elko temple and two other temples in the western United States.
Located on Colorado’s Western Slope, the Grand Junction temple will sit on a 6.94-acre site at the intersection of Horizon Drive and North 12th Street. Plans call for a single-story temple of approximately 25,000 square feet.
Colorado is home to more than 150,500 Latter-day Saints in 311 congregations and 35 stakes. The Grand Junction temple will be the third in the state, with operating temples in Denver (dedicated in 1986) and Fort Collins (2016).
Elko Nevada Temple
The Elko temple groundbreaking will be Saturday, May 7. Elder Paul B. Pieper, a General Authority Seventy who is president of the Church’s North America Southwest Area, will preside.
The temple’s site location was announced June 10, 2021, and an exterior rendering was released three months later, on Sept. 17, 2021.
The Elko Nevada Temple is slated for a 5.2-acre site adjacent to the southeast corner of Ruby View Golf Course, in the north part of the city. A single-story edifice of roughly 10,000 square feet is being planned.
It joins the Las Vegas Nevada Temple, which was dedicated in 1989, and the Reno Nevada Temple, in 2000. Nearly 185,000 Latter-day Saints — in 42 stakes and some 350 congregations — reside in the state.
