Groundbreaking of the Deseret Peak Utah Temple
On May 14, 2021, a wind-driven storm blew toward the Deseret Peak Utah Temple site and threatened to damage thousands of dollars of unplaced landscaping elements before the temple even started being constructed. But “at the last minute, the storm seemed to split in two, passing the site on either side and sparing potential damage.”
The next day, on May 15, 2021, the Deseret Peak temple’s groundbreaking ceremony began, presided over by Elder Brook P. Hales, a General Authority Seventy. Around 220 people attended the invitation-only event, but it was also livestreamed to thousands of people. Some civic leaders, like Utah Congressman Burgess Owens, were in attendance.
In his dedicatory prayer on the site, Elder Hales said, “Help us that through the Atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ, we might be prepared and worthy to enter Thy sacred house to receive the blessings of exaltation available for ourselves and for our ancestors.”
Timeline of the Deseret Peak Utah Temple
April
07
2019
January
19
2021
Name changed
The temple, previously referred to as the Tooele Valley Utah Temple, had its name changed to the current name on Jan. 19, 2021. The location was also moved 2.6 miles southwest of the previous location, with this change announced on Jan. 19 as well.
May
15
2021
Groundbreaking
The Deseret Peak Utah Temple was announced April 7, 2019, by Church President Russell M. Nelson. The groundbreaking and site dedication were presided over by Elder Brook P. Hales, a General Authority Seventy, on May 15, 2021.
Architecture and Design of the Deseret Peak Utah Temple
The Deseret Peak Utah Temple will be a three-story building of approximately 70,000 square feet. Above the white, cast-stone exterior will be copper shingles. Exterior renderings show the temple will have several layers, each layer smaller than the one below. Atop the building will be a central tower on a square base with a domed cupola on top and a tall, arched window on each side.
Throughout the temple — such as in the windows and doorways — is a prominent theme of tall arches, often used to represent Jesus Christ’s emergence from the tomb three days after His death. The house of the Lord will include four sealing rooms that each seat 50 people. The temple will be built on a 17.98-acre site, with small trees, grass plots and multicolored bushes covering the grounds. A 20,000-square-foot meetinghouse will also be built on the site.
Interior Photos of the Deseret Peak Utah Temple
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