SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — After nearly five years of construction on the Salt Lake City Temple, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is providing an inside look at the ongoing interior renovations.
The Salt Lake City Temple — an iconic building located in the heart of Utah’s capital — has been under construction since December 2019. While it is commonly known that the church is making seismic upgrades to the historic building, the church released insight Saturday into the future of the temple’s layout and design.
The church said it is making several changes to restore the design to its original Victorian-era look, which was altered several times in the 1900s. It also is expanding the temple to increase its capacity and accessibility, according to the church’s press release.
Once completed, the temple will have two baptistries, nine additional sealing rooms, and an underground addition that will add 100,000 square feet to the building.
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The temple will also use single-room video presentations available in more than 90 languages to better accommodate non-English speaking members who visit the temple.
The church said a team of historians and preservationists have worked to decipher which elements of the temple were in its original design and which were added on or covered in subsequent years. The original design elements will be incorporated throughout the temple in its fabrics and carpets.
“As soon as you walk through the doors of the north entry pavilion, it will look like a Victorian-era temple, which was never the case after previous renovations,” said Bill Williams, the church’s director of architecture.
Some structural elements, such as the staircase between the first and second floors and several interior walls, were not able to be preserved due to the seismic upgrades. Those elements were photographed and will be kept in the Church History Library.
The interior of the temple will appear more historic than it did previously, but the systems and utilities will be the most up-to-date they have been.
The church is updating the mechanical systems and utilities to improve their efficiency. This includes elevators, heating and air conditioning, and plumbing. The temple’s layout is also being simplified to make it easier to navigate through the building.
“We want to create a positive, seamless experience for everyone who visits the temple,” said Andy Kirby, director of the church’s historic temple renovations. “We removed all 1960s infrastructure, with its low ceilings and confusing corridors. The new central corridor, with its skylight view of the temple, makes it easier to find your way.”
The construction is scheduled to be completed in 2026.
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