Second LDS temple in Provo opens to public

The new Provo City Center Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opened to the public on Jan. 8, allowing the public to tour the building before it closes to the general public.

The open house will last over seven weeks. It will close on March 5 in preparation for dedication of the building on March 20, after which only members of the LDS faith in good standing can enter.

The temple replaces the Provo Tabernacle, a meeting hall built in the early 20th century that burned to the ground in 2010. The temple was completed Dec. 17—five years to the day of the fire.

“The challenge was to really be true to the old building,” said Roger Jackson, the principle architect of the temple.

During the five years of construction, Provo has seen growth in nightlife activities—bars, clubs and music venues rising in prominence in the adjacent downtown sector. Rosemary Wixom, primary general president and member of the Temple and Family History Council for the LDS Church, said the temple will shine in stark contrast to the nighttime activities of the area.

“It offers that diversity,” Wixom said. “It offers that perspective that … we have agency, and that the choices we make on this earth are part of (God’s) plan. It offers a serene, spiritual escape from the world.”

Kent Richards, also a general authority for the church and a member of its temple committee, said there has been a lot of interest in this temple additionally because it will become the 150th operating temple in the church.

Members in good standing attend the temple to receive what they believe to be holy ordinances necessary for their salvation, they then continue to attend to receive those ordinances by proxy for the dead—particularly their own ancestors. They believe what they do there helps those in the afterlife.

“If we didn’t have a belief in the eternity of the soul, there would be no need for temples, but because we believe what we do here carries on to the next life—that’s why we have these beautiful temples,” Richards said.

Members can be married and sealed in the temple, and consistent with a high volume of young LDS adults in the area, over 500 marriages have already been scheduled.

Tours run every day except Sunday from 7 a.m. into the evening. Making reservations is encouraged, and can be done at TempleOpenHouse.LDS.org.