The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints provided its first look inside the new 39,800-square-foot Temple Square Visitors’ Center on Monday, April 13.
The visitors’ center opens its doors to the public on May 18. Monday’s media day on Temple Square provided the first opportunity to see some of the new experiences individuals can be a part of beginning next month.
The Church released the first official photos of the new visitors’ center on ChurchofJesusChrist.org. The new facility focuses on the Savior, with elements designed to help individuals understand the purpose of houses of the Lord and their role in the plan of salvation.
“The new visitors’ center is a window into our sacred covenants with Christ,” said President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “It helps people of all backgrounds understand the role our temples play and why they matter to our members and to the communities. Here, guests can discover how temple teachings connect to everyday life and uncover the greater context of Latter-day Saint beliefs and commitment to family and Christ.”
Framed by large windows, a replica of Bertel Thorvaldsen’s Christus statue is located inside the west wing of the new visitors’ center. The temple is visible through the windows behind the statue.
A sculpture titled Come Unto Me by Swiss artist Christian Bolt depicts the Savior after His Resurrection extending His hand to visitors on the main level of the new visitors’ center.
While a General Authority Seventy, Elder Brent H. Nielson (now an emeritus General Authority Seventy) served as the executive director of the Missionary Department. He now serves as the coordinator for the Salt Lake Temple Celebration.
“Our Church leaders really wanted the focus to be on Jesus Christ and the fact that this is His house,” he said. “The visitors’ center gives those not of our faith an opportunity to see inside a temple and better understand what happens there.”
While the temple itself will have open house tours, the six months of events surrounding the open house are being referred to by Church leaders as the Salt Lake Temple Celebration.
The Salt Lake Temple renovation project began after the temple and much of Temple Square closed to the public on Dec. 29, 2019. In February 2025, the late President Russell M. Nelson announced that the temple would host an open house from April to October 2027.
The opening of the new visitors’ center comes nearly one year before that open house begins.
New exhibits in the visitors’ center include a “Inside a Temple” experience, a new scale model of the Salt Lake Temple and a gallery of 11 replicas of houses of the Lord from around the world.
The Church also relaunched the Temple Square app that will help individuals plan their time at Temple Square. The app allows users to reserve times for the “Inside a Temple” experience and other events happening on Temple Square during the Salt Lake Temple Celebration.
‘Inside a Temple’ experience
Most temples in this dispensation have included a public open-house period that allows individuals who do not have a temple recommend to enter the temple, see its rooms and learn what happens there. However, temples don’t allow for such visits once its dedication has taken place.
Inside the new visitors’ center, a guided 30-minute tour allows visitors to visit full-scale replicas of rooms included in many temples. These include a replica welcome desk, baptistry, instruction room, sealing room and celestial room. Each is generic in nature and not a replica of rooms inside the Salt Lake Temple.
Rich Sutton, a senior director in the Church’s Temple Department, said this feature basically becomes a nonstop open house for visitors.
“This will always be available to the public to come and see what a temple is like,” he said. “The rooms themselves, even though they’re not dedicated temple spaces — they sure feel like it. They’re built to the same standards as temples are. And there is a feeling in there that is different. It’s peaceful. It’s quiet. It’s contemplative. It’s even worshipful. And it’s beautiful.”
Reservations for the “Inside a Temple” experience are required and can be made at TempleSquare.org.
