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

Open House and Dedication

The First Presidency has announced the open house and dedication dates for the Helena Montana Temple. A media day will kick off the open house on Monday, May 15, followed by invited guests tours over the next two days. The general public is welcomed to tour the temple from Thursday, May 18, through Saturday, June 3, 2023. No tours will be held on Sundays, May 21 and 28. The temple will be dedicated in two sessions at 10:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 18, 2023. Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will preside.¹

Groundbreaking Ceremony

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Helena Montana Temple has been announced for June 26, 2021. Elder Vern P. Stanfill of the Quorum of the Seventy will preside. Attendance at the site is by invitation only, but a broadcast link will be provided to those living within the temple district. The 10,000-square-foot temple will be the second in the state and will share a site with a rebuilt stake center at 1260 Otter Road. Video and photographs will be made available after the event.²

Temple Design

Plans for the Helena Montana Temple call for a single-story temple of approximately 10,000 square feet with a center spire. The temple will share the site with a newly constructed stake center.

Temple Rendering

On April 20, 2021, an official exterior rendering of the Helena Montana Temple was released.

Temple Site

On April 20, 2021, the location for the Helena Montana Temple was officially announced as a 4.8-acre site at 1230 Otter Road where the stake center for the Helena Montana Stake is located. The stake center will be razed and rebuilt while the temple is constructed.³

Temple Announcement

Montana's second temple was announced on April 4, 2021, at the 191st Annual General Conference by President Russell M. Nelson. There are more than 50,000 Latter-day Saints and approximately 125 congregations in the expansive state of Montana. The Helena Montana Temple will serve members living in the western side of the state who currently attend the Billings Montana Temple, the Spokane Washington Temple, or the Cardston Alberta Temple.⁴

Temple Facts

The Helena Montana Temple will be the second temple built in Montana, following the Billings Montana Temple (1999).

The Helena Montana Temple will be the first temple built using modular construction methods.

Temple Design

Exterior

The design of the building complements other architectural designs in Montana’s capital city. The decorative patterns were derived from the buttercup plant found throughout the state, utilizing the flower and leaf designs to draw upon principles of Native American geometric patterns. The temple’s detailing includes buttressing and employs horizontal bands, like mountain cliff faces with geologic seams. The primary decorative detail band on the temple’s exterior marks the transition between the building and the sky.

The art glass was designed by McNicholas Architects of Chicago, Illinois, and was fabricated by Glass Images & Creations in Orem, Utah. The glass is divided into three parts, representing the roots of the buttercup plant, the plant’s potential (buds and stems), and the full flower, with blossoms and leaves. The edges of the glass create a blue border to the window, a reference to Native American beadwork.

Plants were chosen by landscape architects Nathan Steiner and Eric Lycke to grow successfully in the area and provide attractive seasonal color, texture and variety.

The plaza in front of the temple is concrete, with steps leading up to the entrance. A walkway around the building lies inside the bronze decorative fence.

The entry portico references the Richardsonian-Romanesque entry of the Power Building in Helena, with its low arch.

Interior

Carpeted rooms feature a standard carpet tile from Milliken, headquartered in South Carolina. The blue, green, gold, cream and other neutral colors are used in an organic pattern to tie back to nature and other decorative elements. The area rugs used in the temple are produced in China by the company Rugs International of South Carolina. Porcelain tile used throughout the temple is from Florida Tile, manufactured in the United States.

The decorative paint was designed by McNicholas Architects. It mirrors the exterior motif, representing the buttercup plant form. Colors used in the patterns are soft greens, blues and neutrals with 22-karat gold leaf.

The interior art glass was designed by McNicholas Architects. It features the same structure, colors and textures as the exterior windows.

The railings around the baptismal font were designed by Naylor Wentworth Lund Architects in Salt Lake City, Utah. The materials used are painted aluminum with a stained cherry-wood cap. They are fabricated by Arnold Quality Metal Works in Logan, Utah.

The decorative light fixtures are made of acrylic, crystal and brass. They were fabricated by Preciosa in China.

Doors are constructed out of quarter-sawn cherry, some with glass paneling for added visibility. Cherry wood was selected for its stability and its resilience to changing environments and humidity. The doors were made by Masonite Architectural of Quebec, Canada, and Rayford & Associates Inc. in Alabama. Door hardware pieces are solid forged brass catalog pieces from Baldwin Hardware of Reading, Pennsylvania.

Paint was used for all wall surfaces in the temple. The warm beige tone ties to the inviting color scheme of the flooring and fabrics throughout the building.

The millwork was designed by McNicholas Architects in keeping with the art deco style. The traditional base, wainscot and crown in each room are enhanced by the use of a structural vertical element called a lesene, which traverses the wainscot to the base via a recessed panel. Remmert & Company of Alabama manufactured the millwork, which was installed by Architectural Woodworking Concepts of Rhode Island.

The temple’s original artwork includes “Oh, Ye Mountains High” by Utah artist Josh Clare, “His Sheep May Safely Graze” by Wyoming artist Grant Redden and “Sentinels of Hidden Lake” by Wyoming artist Jim Wilcox.