Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Temple Locale

The double spires of the Brigham City Utah Temple rise over Main Street in the historic downtown area of Brigham City, directly across from the historic Box Elder Stake Tabernacle (or Brigham City Tabernacle). The temple exterior takes design cues from the pioneer-era Utah temples, especially the Salt Lake Temple. Fruit trees are grown on the grounds, honoring the tradition of fruit growing in the region.

Temple Facts

The Brigham City Utah Temple was the fourteenth temple built in Utah and the first built in Box Elder County.

The original Brigham City Utah Temple District covered the same region as the original Box Elder Stake.

The Brigham City Utah Temple won the PCI Design Award for Best Religious Structure in 2014. PCI stands for the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute.

Temple History

Announcement

On October 3, 2009, during the Saturday morning session of the 179th Semiannual General Conference, President Thomas S. Monson announced the construction of the Brigham City Utah Temple—Utah's fourteenth temple. Utah's most recently constructed temples at the time were dedicated earlier that year in the cities of Draper, Utah and South Jordan, Utah.¹

Site

On October 26, 2009, Church officials announced that the Brigham City Utah Temple would be constructed on a downtown block on Main Street known as Central Square, located directly west of the Box Elder Stake Tabernacle.² Speculation of this location began shortly after the announcement of the temple when a sign was posted on the site indicating that sale of all seven commercial lots on the block were pending. Central Elementary School once stood on the site, but it was razed several years earlier in a downtown redevelopment effort. President Boyd K. Packer had attended school there as a boy.

Approval

On November 5, 2009, sale of the Brigham City Utah Temple site formally closed, advancing the temple to the construction approval phase.

On December 3, 2009, the City Council of Brigham City held a public hearing to receive input on a request by the Church to vacate both the plats that subdivided the property into lots and their associated easements. The resolution was unanimously approved, reverting the block back to a single lot and giving the Church control over the utilities on site.³

On June 15, 2010, the Planning Commission of Brigham City approved plans for the Brigham City Utah Temple in conjunction with a Permitted Use Permit application submitted by the project manager. Building and landscape designs were created to reflect both the history of Brigham City and the classical designs found at the Logan, Manti, and Salt Lake temples. The warm white temple, faced with precast concrete limestone, would point east toward the historic Box Elder Stake Tabernacle with the top of the angel Moroni reaching several feet above the highest point of the tabernacle. The west facade would be detailed similarly to the east including a second spire.

The temple would have a 9,000-square-foot footprint with three above-ground levels. Parking would consist of 123 surface stalls, 130 underground stalls, and 29 street stalls. Fencing would be installed around the temple grounds themselves but not around the surrounding parking lot. The grounds would include a water feature and fruit trees, paying homage to the area's roots in fruit growing.⁴

On July 15, 2010, the City Council discussed planning activities for the temple groundbreaking, which included the closure of numerous streets and intersections.

Groundbreaking

"I am home," said President Boyd K. Packer in his opening remarks at the Brigham City Utah Temple groundbreaking held Saturday, July 31, 2010. President Packer, president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and his wife Donna are natives of Brigham City. President Packer had attended elementary school 80 years before on the very site where he stood. He continued, "I can see in my mind's eye a temple sitting here in about two years' time. It will be gorgeous; it will be white. You will see in the design of it reflections of previous temples that have been built, particularly the Salt Lake Temple. It will be a beacon from all over the valley."⁵

Angel Moroni

The gold-leafed statue of the angel Moroni was hoisted and secured into place atop the Brigham City Utah Temple on Tuesday, July 12, 2011, from about 1:40 to 2:30 p.m. Weather conditions delayed the planned 12:00 noon raising. All four streets surrounding the temple block were closed to allow the approximately 5,000 spectators to view the proceedings.

Open House and Dedication

The public was invited to tour the interior of the Brigham City Utah Temple from Saturday, August 18, through Saturday, September 15, 2012. Labor Day weekend saw lines that stretched around the block, as no guest was turned away.

President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve returned to his hometown to dedicate the Brigham City Utah Temple on Sunday, September 23, 2012. In his dedicatory prayer, he remembered the tabernacle, saying: "We invoke Thy blessings upon the stately Brigham City Tabernacle which for generations has stood as a beacon for this community. We seek Thy favor, Father, in pouring out Thy blessings upon all those who reside in the Brigham City Utah Temple District and in the surrounding communities. Prosper them as they honor this Thy house. Strengthen their resolve to stand firm in their knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ."