When visitors enter the newly renovated Salt Lake Temple, they will step into a holy space that honors the pioneer past and better accommodates the worship of God for more people for generations to come.
Church Prophet and President Russell M. Nelson has promised that 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.”
Honoring History and Moving into the Future
Preserving as much of the interior as possible while protecting the temple against earthquakes meant that substantial changes were needed. Even so, the completed temple will feel more consistent and more like the original Victorian-era temple completed in 1893.
Some portions removed in the current renovation were not original to the temple. This house of the Lord has been renovated several times since its original dedication—including in the 1930s, the 1960s, and the 1980s. The most extensive renovation took place from 1962 to 1966. At that time, many historic elements were painted over or removed.
Fortunately, many portions of the temple with particular historical and spiritual significance are being preserved and restored. These include the celestial room, two original sealing rooms, the large assembly room on the fifth floor, the four stone spiral staircases in each corner tower and most of the terrestrial room.
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Improving Capacity and Accessibility
Besides seismic safety, another primary purpose of the renovation was improving capacity and accessibility. These efforts to allow the temple to serve more people necessitated more changes to the interior.
The underground addition to the temple has an additional 100,000 square feet. The temple will have two baptistries instead of one. The original cast-iron oxen are being restored and placed in one of the new baptistries. It will have 22 sealing rooms (where marriages occur), up from 13. It will have five instruction rooms with increased seating space and one veil room.
The renovated temple will be like many other temples with single-room video presentations, available in more than 90 languages.
Improvements are also being made to enhance accessibility. New elevators (some with higher capacity) have been added throughout the building. Stairs and ramps have been eliminated between instruction rooms. The instruction rooms will have high-quality audio/visual systems for support of different languages and patrons with hearing impairment. As is the case in other temples, the endowment ordinance now has subtitles.
Lighting and mechanical systems are being upgraded to improve patron comfort and eliminate distractions. More efficient utilities, such as new heating, air conditioning, electrical and plumbing systems are also being added.
Learn more about the Salt Lake Temple’s interior renovation by reading the full news release on Church Newsroom.
For more updates about the Salt Lake Temple and Temple Square renovation projects, check out the articles below.
▶ Watch: Latest updates on the Salt Lake Temple and Temple Square renovation projects
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