‘Come and see; come and learn,’ President Uchtdorf invites at Temple Square Visitors’ Center

More than six years after the Salt Lake Temple and many parts of Temple Square closed for a major renovation, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opened the doors to its brand-new Temple Square Visitors’ Center to members of the media on Monday, April 13.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and Young Women General President Emily Belle Freeman both expressed excitement at the milestone while speaking with the media on Monday morning.

President Uchtdorf said he is grateful for the effort shown by the first members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to seek out a place where they could worship the Savior in peace. He also expressed hope that others will find that peace when they visit the new visitors’ center and eventually the Salt Lake Temple.

“We invite you to come and see, to come and learn,” he said. “We are one family. ... We are all children of Heavenly Father.”

President Uchtdorf dedicated the new visitors’ center in a private meeting earlier in the morning.

The new center features both above-ground and below-ground sections for the public to learn about the role of the house of the Lord in helping individuals draw closer to the Savior and make covenants with Him.

President Freeman said she is particularly hopeful for the youth who will come and learn about the Savior through the visitors’ center experience.

“In the temple is where we learn the beautiful promises God gives to His children,” she said. “I love the quiet moments here, away from the world.”

President Uchtdorf and President Freeman led a tour through the new visitors’ center, which includes replica rooms from the Church’s temples. They explained each as they passed from replicas of a temple entry to a baptistry, to an instruction room, to the celestial room and to a sealing room.

In the celestial room, President Uchtdorf said he hopes visitors will find answers “to the basic questions everyone has.”

“This is a symbol of entering Heavenly Father’s presence,” he said as he invited those on the tour to come back and “sit, reflect, feel peace.”

The visitors’ center will open to the public on Monday, May 18.

The new facility focuses on the Savior, with elements designed to help individuals understand the purpose of temples and their role in the plan of salvation.

Elder Matthew S. Holland, General Authority Seventy, said there is a new “spirit of openness” illustrated by this new visitors’ center that he hopes people will appreciate.

“I think every member who is able to — especially if they are close — should make an effort to come and see, first and foremost because it reflects the love and imagery and focus of Jesus Christ as the center part of our worship," he said.

Framed by large windows, a replica of Bertel Thorvaldsen’s Christus statue is located inside the new visitors’ center. The temple is visible through the windows behind the statue.

President Freeman said that as the Church has prepared to welcome visitors back to the new space, she has thought about the youth and the learning experiences they can have in it.

“I hope that they will come in groups,” she said. “And they will walk through those rooms, and they will ask questions and find answers, and they will see that Jesus Christ is the center of their faith.”

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.

President Freeman spoke with excitement about the chance for those who are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to see and understand parts of the house of the Lord that they haven’t in the past.

“There is so much to share here and so much to learn here,” she said.

According to President Uchtdorf, the Church is prepared to welcome millions of individuals to the Temple Square Celebration. For those who cannot come in person, President Freeman said the Church has taken extraordinary steps to ensure they can still see and be a part of the celebrations virtually through the Temple Square app and revamped TempleSquare.org.

“For some people, they will be able to come here and walk down the walkways and through each of these buildings, but I love that no matter where you live, all over the entire world, there will be an opportunity to experience and be a part of what is happening here,” President Freeman said.

Emily Utt, a Church historian, has helped the Church work on renovations of the temples in Washington, D.C.; Manti, Utah; and Salt Lake City. She said the first visitors’ center on Temple Square opened in 1902 after nearly 30 years of informal tours while the temple grounds were still under construction.

For Utt, the observation that has stood out the most as she has worked on the Salt Lake Temple renovation project is the coming together of the people, in both the past and present.

“I think what I’ve seen really is this continuity of connection. We, for generations, have sought God, have wanted to be with Him, have wanted His Spirit,” she said. “We want to find Jesus Christ, and we want to find communities where we can be together.”

Jacobsen Construction is one of many companies working on the Salt Lake Temple restoration project. Executive Vice President Amy Christensen attended the visitors’ center media day and talked about how great it is to see everything coming together after six years of work.

“This is a center of Christianity,” she said. “And you’ll be able to feel that ... as you understand temples through this [visitors’ center] experience.”

Jacobsen alone has had up to 1,000 people per day working six days per week since the project started.

Near the conclusion of the tour he led, President Uchtdorf paused and shared his memories of being sealed together with his family in the temple in Switzerland in the 1950s.

“The sealing is something we have to live up to,” he said, adding that the promises of the Savior through the temple include the doctrine that “imperfect people can become perfect in Him.”