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

Open House and Dedication

The public open house for the Modesto California Temple will be held from October 16 through October 31, 2026 (excluding Sundays). The event will begin with a media day on Tuesday, October 13, followed by two days of tours for invited guests. Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will preside at the dedication on Sunday, November 22, 2026. The dedicatory session will be broadcast to congregations in the temple district.¹

Groundbreaking Ceremony

Elder Gary B. Sabin, first counselor in the North America West Area presidency, presided at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Modesto California Temple on Saturday, October 7, 2023. "We are reminded that temples bring us closer to Christ, and when we come closer to Christ, we are more joyful," he said. In his site dedicatory prayer, he prayed that this house of the Lord "will stand as a beacon of light and hope and a witness of the reality and divinity of Thy Beloved Son and of the eternal nature of the soul and the divine potential of thy children."²

Temple Rendering

On December 19, 2022, the official rendering of the Modesto California Temple was publicly released.³

Temple Site

On October 10, 2022, the location of the Modesto California Temple was announced as a 17.63-acre site adjacent to an existing meetinghouse located at 4300 Dale Road. Plans call for a single-story temple of approximately 30,000 square feet.⁴

Temple Announcement

On April 3, 2022, President Russell M. Nelson announced plans to construct the Modesto California Temple at the April 2022 General Conference. Modesto (Spanish for modest) is known for its rich agricultural history. This will be the 10th temple in California. Located in the Central Valley, the city is the county seat and largest city in Stanislaus County. California has more than 755,000 Latter-day Saints in over 1,200 congregations. Other temples in the state at the time of the announcement included the Feather River California Temple, Fresno California Temple, Los Angeles California Temple, Newport Beach California Temple, Oakland California Temple, Redlands California Temple, Sacramento California Temple, San Diego California Temple, and Yorba Linda California Temple.⁵

Temple Design

Exterior

The temple features a combination of insulated concrete forms and structural steel construction clad with stone. The design incorporates motifs inspired by California’s Central Valley, including almond blossoms, waterways flowing from the Sierra Nevada region, agricultural fields, canal systems and local railroads.

The temple sits on a 17.63-acre site designed to create a welcoming and peaceful setting. The landscape design reflects the agricultural character of the Central Valley and complements the temple’s architectural themes.

The site perimeter includes ornamental metal fencing combined with concrete masonry unit construction.

Interior

The interior design celebrates the natural beauty and agricultural heritage of California’s Central Valley. Almond blossom and strawberry motifs appear throughout the temple in decorative elements, art glass and millwork. Blue, green and gold tones were selected to represent the abundance of crops, animals and water that sustain the region.

Blue and soft-gold-toned broadloom carpets are used throughout general areas and instruction rooms, while cream-toned textured carpets are featured in the celestial and sealing rooms. The carpet and rugs were manufactured by Rugs International of Roswell, Georgia; Bentley Mills of City of Industry, California; and Commercial Flooring Systems of Salt Lake City, Utah.

The primary stone used throughout the temple is Crema Ella marble. Accent stones include Emperador Light, Azul Macaubas, Verde Giada, Inca Gold and Crema Bella. Stone fabrication and installation were provided by Cleveland Marble of Orange, California, and Santucci of Italy.

Interior walls are painted in various colors selected to complement the temple’s agriculture-inspired palette. Decorative painting was completed by Iconography of Salt Lake City, Utah. Vinyl wallcoverings are used in the celestial room, sealing rooms, instruction rooms and bride’s room. Painting was completed by DC Vient of Modesto, California.

The designs for the art glass were initially created by HKS with additional design input from Holdman Studios of Lehi, Utah. Final fabrication and manufacturing were completed by Willet Stained Glass Studios of Winona, Minnesota. The glass designs incorporate almond blossom and strawberry motifs that reflect the region’s agricultural heritage.

Decorative lighting throughout the temple includes glass, acrylic, brass and crystal elements. Manufacturers include HB Lighting of New York, New York; CIANA Lighting of Cedar Hills, Utah; and Artistic Frame of New York, New York.

The baptismal font features fiberglass oxen and a bronze railing system capped with cherrywood. The railings were fabricated by Ducworks of Logan, Utah.

Cherrywood doors are used throughout the temple. Custom hardware was designed by HKS and manufactured by ASSA ABLOY of New Haven, Connecticut, with a bronze finish. Exterior doors were supplied by Tubelite (EFCO) and American Building Supply, while interior doors were manufactured by Masonite of Tampa, Florida, and Fetzer Architectural Woodworking of Salt Lake City, Utah.

The temple uses a combination of gypsum-board ceilings and acoustic ceiling tiles. Ceiling installation was completed by Swinerton of Sacramento, California, and the decorative painting was done by Iconography of Salt Lake City, Utah.

Cherrywood is used for stained millwork, while paint-grade maple and poplar are used for painted millwork. Fabrication was completed by Fetzer Architectural Woodworking of Salt Lake City, Utah. Linear patterns incorporated into the millwork reflect the agricultural fields and irrigation systems characteristic of the Central Valley.

The furniture was supplied by Artistic Frame of New York, New York; Falcon of Newport, Tennessee; Ferrell Mittman of High Point, North Carolina; Gianni of Chicago, Illinois; Keilhauer of Toronto, Ontario; Kindel Furniture Company of Grand Rapids, Michigan; Midwest Commercial Interiors of Salt Lake City, Utah; New Classics of Denver, Colorado; and Spec Seats of Gardena, California. Mirrors were provided by Havenlight of Orem, Utah.

The drapes in the instruction rooms were provided by Allbright Window Coverings of Canoga Park, California.

Original artwork and decorative features throughout the temple celebrate the landscape, waterways, orchards and agricultural abundance of California’s Central Valley. The original paintings include “Almond Blossoms” by California native Louisa Lorenz and “Sierra Splendor” by Nathaniel Skousen.