temple square visitors center https://universe.byu.edu/temple-square-visitors-center temple square visitors center en-US Tue, 14 Apr 2026 03:54:14 GMT Temple Square Visitors' Center set to open, inviting the world to 'come and see' https://universe.byu.edu/metro/temple-square-visitors-center-set-to-open-inviting-the-world-to-come-and-see The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held a media day for a new visitors' center at Temple Square on April 13, offering the public a rare look inside a temple experience. Tue, 14 Apr 2026 03:54:14 GMT Rachel Ravsten https://universe.byu.edu/metro/temple-square-visitors-center-set-to-open-inviting-the-world-to-come-and-see

Temple Square Visitors' Center set to open, inviting the world to 'come and see'

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held a media day for a new visitors' center at Temple Square on April 13, offering the public a rare look inside a temple experience.

The new center provides a unique opportunity for visitors to learn about what happens inside temples, spaces typically reserved for members of the faith. It is set to open on May 18, 2026, ahead of the planned rededication of the Salt Lake Temple in 2027.

Church leaders said the project marks a major milestone years in the making.

It will be the first permanent experience where the public can walk through a replica of a temple without attending a limited-time open house.

During the media briefing, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve emphasized that the central role temples play in the lives of the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the same role that brought the earliest settlers to Salt Lake to build a temple in 1893.

Why? Because of their conviction and faith in Jesus Christ. That is their motive, that is what is moving us now, President Uchtdorf said, referencing early pioneers who built the Salt Lake Temple.

Emily Belle Freeman, Young Women General President, highlighted the collaborative effort behind the project.

We have had artisans, engineers, designers from all over the world come in to create this experience, Freeman said. We are hoping this will be a place where all feel welcome.

Matthew S. Holland, General Authority Seventy, and his wife, Paige Holland, guided a walkthrough of the visitors' center experience, which focuses on what leaders describe as key elements of temple worship: covenants with God and eternal families.

One of the central features is a Come Unto Me statue of Jesus Christ, located on the lower level, built by sculptor Christian Bolt and carved from Carrara marble.

We turn our attention to the Savior as the loving figure we know Him to be, Holland said.

The statue, commissioned specifically for Temple Square, depicts Jesus Christ with outstretched arms as a symbol of compassion and invitation.

Holland said the visitors' center is designed to effectively create a perpetual open house experience, allowing visitors at any time to explore rooms modeled after those in temples and learn about the ordinance ceremonies that take place there.

He said the design reflects temples from around the world, rather than replicating only the Salt Lake Temple.

President Uchtdorf emphasized reaching out because we are all children of God," and that it is the openness of the Temple Square Visitor's Center that will show what temples look like.

Temple Square Visitor Center
Young Woman General President Emily Belle Freeman introduces the new visitor center at Temple Square, focusing on a collaborative effort to finish the center and Salt Lake City Temple. (Aubree Curtis)
Twelve oxen sit below the baptismal font in the replica temple at the Temple Square visitor center. The twelve oxen represent the twelve tribes of Israel and the strength God's work requires to be completed. (Aubree Curtis)
A mini version of the Captain Moroni statue sits on top of the Salt Lake City Temple model in the visitor center. (Aubree Curtis)
Sister Paige Holland, wife of Matthew S. Holland, points out a square on a quilt in the visitor center at temple square. The quilt represented families from around the world. (Aubree Curtis)
A white marble statue, called a Christus, shows Jesus the Christ as a resurrected being. (Aubree Curtis)
Stairs descend into a baptismal font in the replica temple, which shows where worthy members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ages 11 turning 12 and up would perform baptisms for the dead. (Aubree Curtis)
General Authority Seventy Brent H. Nielson, his wife Sister Marcia Nielson, and Sister Paige Holland listen to explanation of the instruction room in the replica temple. (Aubree Curtis)
A decorative flower bouquet in the center of the replica Celestial Room. (Aubree Curtis)
Members of the local media listen to President Uchtdorf as he explains the purpose and goals of the new visitor center at Temple Square. (Aubree Curtis)
General Authority Seventy Matthew S. Holland introduces a model of the Salt Lake City Temple.

We invite you to come and see, and come and learn what we are believing, said President Uchtdorf.

The visitors' center will include a scale model of the Salt Lake Temple, exhibits of key rooms, religious artwork and guided tours lasting about 30 minutes.

More information and tour reservations are available at templesquare.org, with reservations for the Salt Lake Temple rededication opening September 1, 2026.

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