Announcement of the Fairbanks Alaska Temple
President Russell M. Nelson, 17th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, announced the Fairbanks Alaska Temple on Oct. 1, 2023, during the Sunday afternoon session of October 2023 general conference. A house of the Lord announced for this east-central Alaskan city was one of 20 announced by the Church — and the second for the state known as “The Last Frontier.”
When this sacred edifice was announced, Alaskan Latter-day Saint Sarah Buma burst into “tears of joy,” she reported on social media.
“My mind has landed somewhere between the waters of Bethesda and the great rivers of interior Alaska,” Buma wrote. “My emotions are as ‘the rushing of great waters’; giving thanks for living water, a living Prophet, a testimony of the living Christ that keeps me vital, and deep gratitude that continually stirs, restores and heals me.”
Timeline of the Fairbanks Alaska Temple
The Fairbanks Alaska Temple was announced by Church President Russell M. Nelson on Oct. 1, 2023. Details about the temple’s groundbreaking have not yet been released.
Architecture and Design of the Fairbanks Alaska Temple
According to site plans released by the Church on Nov. 25, 2024, the Fairbanks Alaska Temple will be a single-story building of approximately 10,000 square feet. The edifice will stand on a 7.59-acre site along Geist Road in Fairbanks, Alaska, on the south side of the road between Highway 3 and Thompson Drive. A nearby meetinghouse and ancillary building are also planned for the site.
Architectural renderings of the house of the Lord show an off-white exterior surrounded by rectangular windows. A multilevel tower with a golden-colored spire stands above the center of the building. Trees and flower gardens will adorn the grounds.