SALT LAKE CITY—The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released new renderings Wednesday morning in connection to the Salt Lake temple’s closure. The renovation for the temple and the surrounding grounds was announced earlier this year.
The temple will close for an estimated four years starting December 29th. In preparation for the closing of the temple and visitors’ centers, the Church will be using the Conference Center as a temporary visitor’s center.
The Conference Center was formally open for tours based on appointments, but now will be open to the public. The construction will start this January with the South Visitors Center and the South temple wall being demolished.
The interior of the temple will not change as much physically, but it will change rather visually. Church historians are working on discovering the original paint colors of the walls, preserving the existing murals and finding similar woods, furniture and lighting that the temple would have had in the late 1800s.
Additional renovations will be made to improve accessibility and the seismic stability in the temple. Though there will be major changes to temple square, the grounds will remain open during the renovation and construction of the temple.
The church has launched a new website,templesquare.org, for updates on this exciting renovation. The temple, upon completion, will then be open to the public for an open house to celebrate its re-opening and the restorations that are made.