Many individuals around the world who have visited the Salt Lake Temple in its 133-year history have taken photos while standing on its granite stairs and the beautiful wood doors behind them.
When the Salt Lake Temple closed its collective doors on Dec. 29, 2019, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began a multi-year renovation and restoration project that is scheduled to culminate with a celebration and public open house that will be held April 5 through October 1, 2027.
Three months after the temple closed, its iconic doors were removed from the building for their own renovation.
On Tuesday, June 23, the refurbished doors were once again hung on the east side of the Salt Lake Temple.
Jacob W. Olmstead, a manager in the Historic Sites Division in the Church History Department, talked about those temple doors and the overall meaning of the temple as workers carefully placed the newly finished doors in place.
“The Salt Lake Temple is such an amazing emblem of the faith of Latter-day Saints, not only here in Utah but across the globe,” he said. “I think at its core, it is a symbol of a global faith.”
Olmstead said he sees the temple as a fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament prophet Isaiah.
“We know from the prophet Isaiah that the mountain of the Lord’s house will be established in the tops of the mountains, and all nations shall flow unto it. So, this building has a millennial future,” he said.
Richard Sutton, a senior director in the Temple Department, has been helping the Church to prepare for the influx of those visitors from around the world.
“We expect millions of people to come through the Salt Lake Temple,” he said. “But we expect millions more to come to Temple Square in addition to that and enjoy all of the offerings and experiences that will be on Temple Square.”
Sutton said that even with millions of visitors expected to come when the temple opens to the public, Church leaders know that not everyone who wants to come will have that opportunity.
“The Church has invested a lot of resources into virtual components of the open house and the celebration. The temple tour itself will be virtually available online. There will be other virtual offerings and videos created, so we can take Temple Square and the Salt Lake Temple to the world.”
More information about how to participate either in person or virtually can be found at TempleSquare.org. Applications are also being accepted on that same site through July 15, 2026, to volunteer in one of hundreds of ways at the Salt Lake Temple Celebration.
Those who have worked on different aspects of the renovations of the Salt Lake Temple each have had their own personal experiences — professionally and spiritually.
Dusty Roe, renovation senior superintendent for Jacobsen Construction, said he is grateful for this “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” that has provided many learning experiences for his life.
“Building temples is a little bit like life. Life’s not easy. Sometimes building temples is not easy. It takes a lot of focus sometimes and discipline,” Roe said.
He said the restoration process of the temple has resulted in various hurdles and that those challenges have all been resolved with help from Heavenly Father.
“A solution will present itself. There hasn’t been anything — regardless how difficult it’s been — that we haven’t been able to find a solution to. From a testimony standpoint, to try and reconcile that with life, hopefully we’ll all be able to find the solutions in life to get through.”
Josh Fajardo, a superintendent with Jacobsen Construction, said working on the Salt Lake Temple has been special for him and many others because they were married and sealed to their spouse there.
“Myself and my wife, we have a picture in front of these doors. So being able to put this piece of history back into place is — I’m sure that people that walk these Temple Square grounds are going to appreciate it,” he said.
Olmstead said he enjoys considering the Salt Lake Temple’s doors and also its spires for the symbolism both can provide.
“I think they provide a nice juxtaposition,” he said. “[Visitors] look at those spires, and their eyes are drawn upward. You look at those doors, and you understand you are on the threshold of the house of the Lord. You are at the dividing point between the sacred ordinances that take place on the inside that connect Latter-day Saints to Heavenly Father and their Savior, Jesus Christ, and the world outside.”
Tom Lindhardt is a senior project manager with the Church’s Special Projects Department. He said he has been impressed with the lengths the Church has gone to for the Salt Lake Temple to truly be the house of the Lord.
“Seeing the resources and the efforts and the work by so many that are going in to preserve this building and improve it for future use, it helps us focus on what is the purpose of the temple,” he said. “It’s truly the pearl inside the pearl box is what’s important. And getting this temple open back up for the members to go in and participate in the ordinances of the temple is what I’m so excited for.”
