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

Temple Facts

The Farmington New Mexico Temple will be the second temple built in New Mexico, following the Albuquerque New Mexico Temple (2000).

Temple History

Announcement

On April 4, 2021, President Russell M. Nelson announced plans to construct the Farmington New Mexico Temple at the 191st Annual General Conference. At the time of the announcement, New Mexico was home to approximately 70,000 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in some 138 congregations. The first roots of the Church were established in New Mexico in the 1860s. Many Church settlements in New Mexico absorbed refugees from the Latter-day Saint colonies in Mexico during the Mexican Revolution in 1912. The temple in Farmington would become the state’s second temple. The first, the Albuquerque New Mexico Temple, was dedicated on March 5, 2000.¹

Site

On June 23, 2021, the location of the Farmington New Mexico Temple was announced as a 6.62-acre parcel where the stake center for the Farmington New Mexico Stake stood. The property was situated across the street from San Juan College at the intersection of College Boulevard and Windsor Drive. Plans called for a single-story temple of approximately 25,000 square feet and for a new meetinghouse to replace the existing stake center.²

Rendering

On October 19, 2021, the official exterior rendering was released for the Farmington New Mexico Temple.

Groundbreaking

"To us, this region is home," said Elder Anthony D. Perkins of the Quorum of the Seventy who presided at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Farmington New Mexico Temple on Saturday, April 30, 2022. Elder Perkins and his wife, Christine, grew up in the region. They met in Farmington and held their wedding reception there. They were joined by about 500 Church leaders and guests to celebrate the construction of the 25,000-square-foot temple and meetinghouse. In his site dedicatory prayer, Elder Perkins said: "We pray that women, men, and youth of every race and ethnicity, every language, every political persuasion, and every walk of life will feel welcome to come up to worship in this holy place and depart in unity as covenant-keeping disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ."³

Open House and Dedication

An open house for the Farmington New Mexico Temple began with a media day on Monday, July 14, 2025. Following two days of tours for invited guests, the public was invited to tour the building from Thursday, July 17, through Saturday, August 2, excluding Sundays. Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated the temple on Sunday, August 17, 2025. The dedicatory session was broadcast to all units in the temple district.⁴

Temple Design

Exterior

The building features structural steel with a stone rain screen. The exterior stone is Portuguese white granite with a warm undertone.

The landscape design is influenced by the geometric shapes found in the buildings and designs of the area. The Ameristar fencing is bronze and complements the walkways and plazas.

Interior

The colors and designs throughout the building draw inspiration from the local Native American influence and native flora. This includes elements such as the piñon pine cone and globemallow flower. The design motifs feature Native American feather patterns, organic chevron and diamond running patterns, geometric line work, and stepped pyramid shapes.

The carpet features muted turquoise, honey gold, cream and beige in 24-by-24 carpet tiles, with carvings of native floral, organic chevron and diamond running patterns. These elements were chosen for their significance to the Native American population and their reference to local flora. The rugs display the same motifs, with the addition of stepped pyramids, in vibrant colors including coral, turquoise, green, orange and warm creams. The stone materials used include Crème Ella marble, JuraGold limestone, Rosso Asiago marble, Amazonite granite, saffron marble and serpeggiante marble.

The lighting fixtures are made of crystal, brass and resin. The brides’ room features a Murano glass chandelier and vanity.

The millwork is crafted from sapele wood, featuring designs that incorporate native geometric patterns and piñon pine cone floral motifs.

The baptismal font railings are bronze-colored prefinished metal with glass panels.

The doors are made of sapele wood with hardware finish. The hardware designs and details continue the native geometry and floral motifs that appear throughout the temple.

The ceiling medallions are constructed of glass-fiber-reinforced gypsum and incorporate the temple’s native floral design motif and geometric stepping patterns. The baptistry, brides’ room, sealing room and celestial room all feature a ceiling medallion at the connection of the main decorative light fixture in the center of the room.

The interior art glass, designed by Holdman Studios and installed by Progetto Arte Poli, features a palette of cream, turquoise, coral, yellow, gold, green, blue, clear and frosted colors. The designs incorporate the native floral motifs, organic chevrons, diamond running patterns and stepped pyramids found throughout the temple.

Original artwork used in the interior includes “A Child’s Prayer” by Kwani Povi Winder, “Looking Toward Cortez, Colorado” by Frank Magleby and “Sunset in Silver and Gold” by Wilson Hurley.