The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released detailed plans for previously announced St. George Utah Temple renovations at a news conference on Wednesday, May 22.
The temple will close on Nov. 4 according to a news release on Church Newsroom.
The renovations will include extensive structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and finish work. They are expected to be completed in 2022.
Church representatives shared interior and exterior renderings and site plans at the conference in the temple’s visitor center on Wednesday.
New walkways, landscaping, additional shade trees and water features will be added to the temple block, according to Church representatives.
The temple’s foundation will be partially excavated to install new mechanical cooling and heating systems along with seismic upgrades using steel to replace original wood trusses.
The upper portion of the existing annex will be replaced by a design that representatives said will “complement the historic structure.”
A new baptistry entrance and exit along with a new bride’s exit and plaza will also be added.
The St. George Utah Temple serves members of the Church located in parts of Arizona, Nevada and southwest Utah. The Church invites members in these areas to attend the nearby Las Vegas and Cedar City Temples during the period of renovation.
Michael Suhaka, managing director of the Church’s Temple Department, told Church Newsroom, “We will do all we can to accommodate and welcome those who desire to worship in the house of the Lord. We look forward to the completion of the renovation of this historic temple and the anticipated public open house and temple dedication events that will follow.”
Public access will be restricted with some temporary road and sidewalk closures during renovation, but the Temple Visitors’ Center will remain open.
“We have taken great care to consider the patrons, the building’s functionality and the hallowed site it resides on. We have been guided by the historic significance of this great pioneer-era temple and the celebrated place it holds in the state of Utah,” senior project manager Chris Robbins said.
The temple will host a public open house and be rededicated following completion.
