The Farmington New Mexico Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has opened its doors for public tours. Starting with a media day on Monday, July 14, the public has been invited to tour what will become New Mexico’s second house of the Lord, prior to its Aug. 17 dedication.
Three General Authority Seventies are guiding media day tours: Elder Steven R. Bangerter, assistant executive director of the Temple Department; Elder Jose L. Alonso, president of the North America Southwest Area; and Elder Anthony D. Perkins, who grew up as a teenager in Farmington.
Elder Bangerter said that “as we see temples emerging from the ground, wherever they are, wherever they’re constructed, we see a light begin to grow outward from the temple … in the hearts, in the minds, even in the countenance of the people surrounding that temple — both members of the Church and our friends that are not members of the Church.”
This media day commences the Farmington temple’s public open house, to be held from July 17 to Aug. 2, excluding Sundays. Invited guests will also tour the building Tuesday and Wednesday, July 15-16.
Next month, Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will dedicate the Farmington temple. The single dedicatory session will be broadcast to all units in the temple district.
In conjunction with Monday’s media day, the Church released interior and exterior photographs of the Farmington New Mexico Temple on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Once dedicated, this temple will serve Latter-day Saints not only in New Mexico but also in the Four Corners region of the southwestern United States — where the borders of Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico meet. The temple district includes multiple Spanish-speaking congregations and several congregations from the surrounding Native American reservations.
Design and features
The Farmington New Mexico Temple is a single-story structure of 29,066 square feet, with a Portuguese white granite exterior. Bronze fencing surrounds the 6.63-acre site, with a meetinghouse sharing the grounds.
Inside the building, patterns and detailing draw upon local Native American influence, like Native American feather patterns, organic chevron and diamond running patterns, geometric line work and stepped pyramid shapes. Design motifs also include inspiration from native flora, like the piñon pine cone and the globemallow flower.
Lighting fixtures are made of crystal, brass and resin, with the bride’s room featuring a Murano glass chandelier and vanity. Ceiling medallions — constructed of glass-fiber-reinforced gypsum — adorn the baptistry, bride’s room, sealing room and celestial room at the connection of the main decorative light fixture. Doors and millwork were crafted from sapele wood.
Carpeting includes muted turquoise, honey gold, cream and beige hues, with rugs exhibiting vibrant colors like coral, turquoise, green, orange and warm creams. The temple’s stone flooring comprises crème ella marble, juragold limestone, rosso asiago marble, amazonite granite, saffron marble and serpeggiante marble.
The Church in New Mexico
Church President Russell M. Nelson announced a house of the Lord for Farmington, New Mexico — to be the state’s second temple — on April 4, 2021. Three of the 20 temples he announced in April 2021 general conference were in the Four Corners states.
On April 30, 2022, ground was broken for the Farmington temple. Elder Anthony D. Perkins, a General Authority Seventy, presided over the ceremony.
Just over three years later, the temple will be dedicated by Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on Aug. 17.
New Mexico currently has one operating house of the Lord, the Albuquerque New Mexico Temple. It was announced April 4, 1997 — exactly 24 years before the Farmington temple was announced — and dedicated March 5, 2000, by then-Church President Gordon B. Hinckley.
Missionary work among New Mexico’s Native Americans began as early as the 1860s. In 1876, over 100 Zuni people in the Ramah area were baptized. The state’s first stake, the Young Stake, was established in May 1912.
During the Great Depression in the 1930s, Latter-day Saint communities in Farmington developed projects to produce necessities of life for people in need. Local Saints have since worked to serve the needy and those experiencing poverty in their communities.
Today, New Mexico is home to more than 69,000 Latter-day Saints in nearly 140 congregations.
Farmington New Mexico Temple
Address: 4400 College Boulevard, Farmington, New Mexico 87402
Announced: April 4, 2021, by President Russell M. Nelson
Groundbreaking: April 30, 2022, presided over by Elder Anthony D. Perkins, a General Authority Seventy
Public open house: July 17 through Aug. 2, 2025, excluding Sundays
To be dedicated: Aug. 17, 2025, by Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Property size: 6.63 acres
Building size: 29,066 square feet
Building height: 126 feet, 6 inches
