The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released details about renovations to the interior of the Salt Lake Temple on Sept. 21, emphasizing efforts to honor the temple’s past while making updates for capacity and accessibility.
According to the Church's statement, the temple will have two baptistries instead of one, and 22 sealing rooms instead of 13 upon completion. Instruction rooms will be updated with additional seating to accommodate more patrons at once.
In a 2019 press conference, President Russell M. Nelson said all upgrades to the temple “will emphasize and highlight the life, ministry and mission of Jesus Christ in His desire to bless every nation, kindred, tongue and people.”
Some changes to the temple’s interior include removing elements that were added during past renovations, particularly one in the 1960s when certain historic elements were painted over or removed. Current efforts are being made to replace them with designs that more closely match the original temple, the statement said.
“The renovated temple will feel more consistent and more like the original Salt Lake Temple from beginning to end,” Bill Williams, director of architecture for the Church, said in the statement. “I think for most people it will feel like, ‘Wow. Now it feels like the Salt Lake Temple from stem to stern.’”
All areas with certain historical and spiritual significance — such as the celestial room, two sealing rooms, a large assembly room on the fifth floor, four stone spiral staircases and “most of the terrestrial room” — will be preserved and restored, according to the statement.
Historic research will bring back designs and patterns that were original to the temple, incorporating them in carpets, paint and trim, the statement said.
Some areas could not be restored and had to be removed, the Church's statement said. Among these areas are a staircase connecting the first and second floors, many interior walls made from unreinforced masonry and hand-painted murals in the instruction rooms. However, sections of murals and other artifacts will be preserved in the Church History Library.
Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé said the Salt Lake Temple is a “living building.”
“We have done everything possible to preserve this holy edifice. I rejoice that this significant renovation is creating spaces for future generations to have their own sacred experiences,” he said in the Church's statement.
New elevators, some with higher capacity, have been added to the temple, the statement said. Stairs and ramps between instruction rooms have been removed. A new central corridor system has been added to increase navigability of the temple.
Patrons will have a more pleasant experience from new air conditioning, plumbing and electric systems.
While the temple remains closed for renovations, the Church released a video update an Aug. 30, inviting visitors to enjoy the Church Office Building Plaza and adjoining Main Street Plaza, which were completed earlier this year.
“It’s an oasis from the storms of the noise and chaos … to feel the presence of the Savior,” Jay Warnick, ground services manager for Church Headquarters Facilities, said of the plazas.
Construction reached a significant milestone with the completion of the concrete transfer girders surrounding the east and west towers of the temple, the video said. In an earthquake, the girders would transfer the load of the temple to a stronger foundation.
Other updates to Temple Square include progress on a new foundation to relocate the Seagull Monument to the southwest quadrant of Temple Square, stone cladding on the South Pavilions and updates to entry pavilions along North Temple Street.
“The project will enhance, refresh and beautify the temple and its surrounding grounds,” Church President Russell M. Nelson said in 2019. “Obsolete systems within the building will be replaced. Safety and seismic concerns will be addressed.”
Temple Square, which closed in December 2019, is expected to fully reopen in 2026.