Two days after President Russell M. Nelson announced 15 new temple locations and spoke of the importance of the ordinances, covenants and blessings available through temple work and worship, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opened the doors to its new Taylorsville Utah Temple on Tuesday, April 9.
“The temple is the gateway to the greatest blessings God has in store for each of us. The temple is the only place on earth where we may receive all of the blessings promised to Abraham,” said President Nelson, with the 15 announced temples bringing the Church’s total to 350 temples dedicated, under construction and announced.
“This is why we are doing all within our power, under the direction of the Lord, to make temple blessings more accessible to members of the Church.”
The Taylorsville Utah Temple will become the Church’s 192nd dedicated temple in early June.
And on Tuesday morning, April 9, the new house of the Lord had its first visitors at the start of a seven-week open-house period for the media, invited guests and the general public.
Welcoming the media for a news briefing and tour of the new temple on Tuesday were three Church leaders — Elder Kevin W. Pearson, a General Authority Seventy and president of the Utah Area; Elder James R. Rasband, a General Authority Seventy and assistant executive director of the Temple Department; and Sister Tracy Y. Browning, second counselor in the Primary general presidency.
Exterior and interior images of the Taylorsville Utah Temple were first published Tuesday, April 9, on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Temple milestone events
Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will dedicate the Taylorsville Utah Temple on Sunday, June 2, in two sessions scheduled at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. MDT. The sessions will be broadcast to all units within the temple district. Elder Gong will dedicate the Church’s 191st house of the Lord — the Puebla Mexico Temple — two weeks earlier, on May 19.
After Tuesday’s media day events, tours for invited guests will continue through Friday, April 12, with a public open house is scheduled for Saturday, April 13, through Saturday, May 18, excluding Sundays.
The Taylorsville temple was announced by President Nelson during the women’s session of the October 2019 general conference. Less than 10 weeks later, the First Presidency identified the site location, centrally located within the Salt Lake Valley just west of Interstate 215 and southwest of the Belt Route’s 4700 South interchange.
The house of the Lord is a three-story, 73,492-square-foot building with a center spire, on a 7.5-acre site at 2603 W. 4700 South. Previously on the site sat a Church meetinghouse and a recreational field.
Elder Gong presided over the temple’s groundbreaking services Oct. 31, 2020.
The Taylorsville temple’s features
Built of structural steel and stone cladding, the temple features a pioneer-era Gothic architectural style, with the arches and motifs inspired by local pioneer-era tabernacles in communities along Utah’s Wasatch Front.
The temple’s exterior art glass and design underscore that pioneer heritage and the west Salt Lake Valley’s natural colors with stylized versions of local Utah wildflowers — bird’s foot trefoil, “Red Beauty” Bergenia cordifolia and broad-leaved gilia — as well as the colors of deep burgundy, lavender and gold.
The landscaping includes annuals, shrub beds, evergreens and deciduous trees.
Gold and lavender broadloom carpets are found in the general areas, with white carved carpets in the sealing rooms and wall-to-wall wool rugs in the bride’s room and dressing rooms.
General stone flooring throughout the interior is Perlatino from Italy, with Cream Ella in the sealing and celestial rooms.
The interior art glass features a range of yellows, greens and purples, with red accent jewels.
Temples in Utah
The Taylorsville temple is one of 30 total temples in operation, under construction, under renovation or announced in Utah, home to nearly 2.2 million Latter-day Saints spread throughout more than 5,400 congregations.
Houses of the Lord in Utah that are operating are the Bountiful, Brigham City, Cedar City, Draper, Jordan River, Logan, Monticello, Mount Timpanogos, Ogden, Oquirrh Mountain, Orem, Payson, Provo City Center, Red Cliffs, Saratoga Springs, St. George and Vernal temples.
The renovated Manti Utah Temple is scheduled for rededication on April 21 and the Layton Utah Temple for dedication on June 16.
Two dedicated temples are under renovation — the Salt Lake and Provo Utah Rock Canyon temples.
Other houses of the Lord under construction are the Deseret Peak, Ephraim, Heber Valley, Lindon, Smithfield and Syracuse temples. Two additional temples for Utah — for West Jordan and Lehi — were among the 15 new locations announced by President Nelson on Sunday.
Taylorsville Utah Temple
Address: 2603 W. 4700 South, Taylorsville, Utah 84118
Temple announced: Oct. 5, 2019, by President Russell M. Nelson
Groundbreaking: Oct. 31, 2020, by Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
To be dedicated: June 2, 2024, by Elder Gong
Public open house: Saturday, April 13, through Saturday, May 18, excluding Sundays
Property size: 7.5 acres
Building size: 73,492 square feet
Building height: 216 feet, 9 1/4 inches
