McAllen Texas Temple
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Photo: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
Elder Uchtdorf Dedicates the McAllen Texas Temple
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated the McAllen Texas Temple on Sunday, October 8, 2023. Prior to the dedication, Elder and Sister Uchtdorf visited the U.S.-Mexico border. "In a world with a lot of walls, we need to continue to build bridges," he said. "The temple is a beautiful symbol for that peaceful effort, and it will radiate throughout the community here…and it will spread out all across the world." The 27,897-square-foot temple is the fifth dedicated house of the Lord in Texas.
Photo: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
Interior Photographs of the McAllen Texas Temple Released
The McAllen Texas Temple has opened for guest tours. Journalists and other invited guests will be hosted by members of the North America Southwest Area presidency and a member of the Temple Department Executive Committee over the next few days. Public tours begin Friday, August 25, and continue through Saturday, September 9, 2023, with no tours held on Sundays. All are invited to attend. The 27,897-square-foot temple sits on a 10.61-acre site and measures 108 feet to the top of the tower finial. The design is inspired by citrus crops grown in and around McAllen, as well as Spanish colonial architecture found in the area. Among the patterns featured are citrus blossoms, barbed quatrefoils, scrolls and ribbons. "Tears fell from my eyes as I realized our Heavenly Father has been listening to the fervent prayers of countless [Church] members for many years," said local Church member, Elizabeth Rodriguez de Anda, of the temple. "I am grateful to our Heavenly Father for this modern-day miracle."
Photo: Katherine James
Attend the Upcoming Open House of the McAllen Texas Temple
The Rio Grande Valley community will get its first look at the newly constructed McAllen Texas Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints later this month. Free daily tours will be offered from Friday, August 25, through Saturday, September 9, 2023, with no tours held on Sundays. The temple is located at the intersection of Trenton and Colonel Rowe Boulevard. All who wish to attend are encouraged! No reservations are needed.
Photo: Katherine James
McAllen Texas Temple Open House and Dedication Dates
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will dedicate the McAllen Texas Temple on Sunday, October 8, 2023, in two sessions broadcast at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. An open house will be held beginning with a media day on Monday, August 21. Invited-guest tours will follow from Tuesday, August 22, through Thursday, August 24. The general public is invited to tour the building every day from Friday, August 25, through Saturday, September 9, 2023, excluding Sundays.
Photo: Cesar Roel Herrera
Grounds of the McAllen Texas Temple Completed
The dazzling grounds of the McAllen Texas Temple have been completed, as seen in new aerial photographs of the temple site. Construction on the temple complex began around the same time as the Brasília Brazil Temple, Bentonville Arkansas Temple, and Moses Lake Washington Temple, which share the same core plan and are all slated for dedication on the same day in September. The dates for the open house and dedication of the temple in McAllen have not yet been announced.
Photo: Sarah Whittier Kotter
Flowers Planted on the McAllen Texas Temple Grounds
The grounds of the McAllen Texas Temple are looking pristine. A row of soft pink and purple flowers brighten the front flowerbed and seem to point the way to the temple. The exterior of the building is a striking example of the beauty and character that can be achieved with precast concrete paneling. Construction of the building began 28 months ago and is nearing completion.
Photo: Raul Ramirez
First Temple Presidents and Matrons Called for Three More Temples
The first temple presidents and matrons have been called for three temples that are under construction. Carlos Villarreal and Myrna Ann Garza Villarreal will serve as president and matron of the McAllen Texas Temple. Kenneth Lee Sorber and Kristy Nelson Sorber will oversee the Orem Utah Temple. And Wisit Khanakham and Sumamaan Srisarakham Khanakham will serve the patrons of the Bangkok Thailand Temple.
Photo: Katherine James
Construction Update on the McAllen Texas Temple
Dozens of staked palm trees stretch across the site of the McAllen Texas Temple, which has been under construction for 25 months. Lamp posts, ornamental fencing, and walkways provide structure to the grounds while grass sod, plants, and trees bring life and beauty. The front doors of the temple have been installed, and stained glass has been glazed in several window openings.
Photo: Denise Stembridge
Two Years of Construction on the McAllen Texas Temple
The McAllen Texas Temple is dazzling under the brightly painted skies of South Texas. While finish work continues on the interior, landscaping advancements are being made on the grounds including additional concrete pours and plantings. Construction of the temple reaches its two-year anniversary this month on November 21. The project is anticipated to be completed sometime next year, but no dates have been announced.
Photo: Jasmine Rico Joens
McAllen Texas Temple: Let Your Light So Shine
The McAllen Texas Temple is a glorious sight in the Rio Grande Valley, especially in the evenings when it shines under an architectural floodlighting system. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Construction continues inside the temple and on the grounds where concrete is being poured and trees planted.
Photo: RGV Followers of Christ
Community Open House for the McAllen Texas Temple
Members and missionaries will be hosting an open house for members of the community who are curious about the McAllen Texas Temple under construction at 300 W Trenton Rd. The event will be held on Saturday, July 23, from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the meetinghouse in Edinburg (a suburb of McAllen) located at 401 S Jackson Rd. Attendees may ask questions and learn how families can be together forever.
Photo: Mark A. Brown
The McAllen Texas Temple: A Reminder of the Light of Life
The beautiful light emanating from the McAllen Texas Temple at night is a reminder of the light of life promised by Jesus Christ. "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life," (John 8:12). While landscaping of the temple grounds makes progress, interior crews continue their finish work on the temple and meetinghouse.
Photo: Edgar De Anda
Palm Trees Planted on the McAllen Texas Temple Grounds
Royal palms are the latest addition to the McAllen Texas Temple grounds. Landscapers have been planting trees and shrubs for weeks, creating an oasis of the once empty corner lot. McAllen shares a special relationship with the Mexican city of Reynosa, which is located directly across the international border. The two cities signed a resolution to become sister cities on July 24, 1992. A reaffirmation signing was held on April 27, 2016.
Photo: Heffner Design Team
Planting Trees on the McAllen Texas Temple Grounds
Soft landscaping began last month on the grounds of the McAllen Texas Temple including the planting of numerous trees. Plans call for 400 trees and 20,000 shrubs to cover the 10-acre site. The verdant grounds will feature handsome plazas, peaceful contemplative spaces, and colorful flower gardens. The temple will be the fifth constructed in Texas. Two more have been announced for Fort Worth and Austin, but no site locations or renderings have been released yet.
Photo: Edgar De Anda
Young Single Adults Visit the McAllen Texas Temple
Members of the McAllen YSA Branch recently visited the grounds of the McAllen Texas Temple where they received a presentation from the missionary couple that oversees the visitors' center trailer on the construction progress and importance of the temple. With the exteriors of the buildings largely complete, hardscaping of the grounds is moving forward, and work is well underway on the interiors.
Photo: Melinda Garza Goodman
Nighttime View of the McAllen Texas Temple
Flood lights were recently set up at the construction site for the McAllen Texas Temple, giving a preview of how the temple may look once the permanent exterior lighting system is installed and operating. The monument sign has been installed facing the intersection of W Trenton Rd and N Col Rowe Blvd. Across the street from the temple is a meandering hike and bike trail that offers beautiful views of the temple.
Photo: Vanessa Franco
Special Delivery for the McAllen Texas Temple
A special delivery was transported to the McAllen Texas Temple this week. A flatbed truck arrived on site carrying a classy monument sign, which bears the name of the Church and the name of the temple beneath the street address. The concrete panels match the design and color of the panels on the exterior walls. Crews are building concrete block planters around the temple foundation, and much of the curbing has been poured.
Photo: Emily Osborn
Temple and Meetinghouse Progress in McAllen, Texas
The light of the sun breaks through the dark clouds over the McAllen Texas Temple site where crews have begun to board up the window openings and shift their focus to the interior. The structural framing and sheathing are in place for the adjacent meetinghouse, and roofers are installing the roof deck and underlayment. The city of McAllen enjoys warm, sunny weather year round, lying at approximately the same latitude as Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Cupola Installed Atop the McAllen Texas Temple
A domed cupola was secured to the top of the McAllen Texas Temple steeple this week, completing the Mission Revival look of the building. Hardscaping of the grounds has begun for the garden spaces and landscape structures. The temple will be the fifth for the Lone Star State. A sixth temple, the Fort Worth Texas Temple, was announced two weeks ago in the closing session of the October 2021 General Conference.
Photo: Edgar De Anda
Cladding of McAllen Texas Temple Nears Completion
Billowy clouds drift over the South Texas city of McAllen where the state's fifth temple is under construction. Cladding of the McAllen Texas Temple is nearly completed—the portico having been clad most recently. Framing and sheathing of the meetinghouse behind the temple in steadily progressing. McAllen lies in the Rio Grande Valley across the border from the Mexican city of Reynosa.
Photo: Noah Miller
McAllen Texas Temple Steeple Clad in Precast Panels
Cladding of the McAllen Texas Temple in precast concrete panels in nearly finished. The windowed steeple has now been clad, leaving only the portico at the entrance to be completed. The scalloped parapets that are prominently featured on each side of the building reflect the Spanish and Mexican roots of the area, bearing a resemblance to the facade of the famed Alamo in San Antonio.
Photo: Edgar De Anda
Panels Attached to the Mechanical Level of the McAllen Texas Temple
The installation of precast panels on the exterior of the McAllen Texas Temple has reached the upstairs mechanical level. The spire frame will be covered next. A few of the window openings have been boarded to enclose the building, and framing is now well underway for the on-site meetinghouse.
Photo: Beth Jensen
Installing the McAllen Texas Temple Parapet Panels
Cladding of the McAllen Texas Temple has reached the roofline where the parapet panels are being installed. At the center of the each side is a mission-style parapet facade with scalloped coping along the top and an ornamental flower design in the center. The areas yet to be clad include the entrance portico, the mechanical level, and the steeple. The portico will feature arched openings with a scroll keystone over the center arch.
Photo: Maria Torres
Steeple Frame Installed for the McAllen Texas Temple
The McAllen Texas Temple recently received a new addition. Rising over the roof at the center of the building is the frame for the tiered steeple. Excellent progress is also being made on attaching wall panels to the building frame. The steeple will be similarly clad and topped with a domed cupola. The McAllen Texas Temple will become the second southernmost temple in the United States, just behind the Fort Lauderdale Florida Temple.
Photo: Edgar De Anda
Installing Precast Wall Panels for the McAllen Texas Temple
Wall installers at the McAllen Texas Temple are making quick work of cladding the exterior of the building's steel structure in precast panels. The concrete is precisely colored and cast with elegant moldings and ornamentation for the exact positions where the panels will be attached to the building. McAllen is the largest city in Hidalgo County in the state of Texas.
Photo: Fran Avila
Structural Frame Rising for the McAllen Texas Temple
The framing crew at the McAllen Texas Temple is throwing steel and making quick work of building the frame for Texas' fifth temple including the steel studs that will hold the mission-style facade over the entrance portico. The city of McAllen sits just over the Mexican border, forming an international conurbation with the city of Reynosa—one of six along the U.S.–Mexico border.
Photo: Edgar De Anda
Structural Framing Underway for the McAllen Texas Temple
Observers of the McAllen Texas Temple construction project are excited to see steel columns being positioned and secured to the concrete foundation as the work of building moves onward and upward. Crane operators carry out the heavy lifting using of one several cranes on site. Guests are welcome to visit the temporary visitors' center housed in a construction trailer.
Photo: Emily Osborn
Ground Leveled Around the McAllen Texas Temple
Construction of the McAllen Texas Temple remains below grade with work advancing on the foundations and utility runs for the temple and the meetinghouse located behind it. The ground around the temple has been leveled and staked, marking key locations for the landscaping. The temple will be oriented toward the intersection of of Trenton Road and 2nd Street.
Photo: Edgar De Anda
Excavation for the McAllen Texas Temple
In the six weeks since the groundbreaking event was held for the McAllen Texas Temple, signage has been posted outside the construction fence, and a visitors' trailer has opened where those interested in the construction may ask questions and receive other information. Excavation for the temple has been carried out, and work is progressing on building the foundation.
Photo: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
Ceremony Celebrates the Construction of the McAllen Texas Temple
"As the central spire rises heavenward to this beautiful house of the Lord, might we as God’s children ever increase our faith and look to the heavens for wisdom and not to the ever-shifting values of the world," said Elder Art Rascon, an Area Seventy, at the groundbreaking for the McAllen Texas Temple on November 21, 2020. Elder Rascon presided at the small ceremony and offered the prayer dedicating the site. He prayed for the thousands of Latter-day Saints "in this lovely valley in southern Texas and across the border into Mexico who have worked faithfully to establish Thy kingdom and prepared their hearts and minds awaiting this day." He thanked God the Father "for their longsuffering, fervent prayers and continued diligence to live the gospel of Jesus Christ."