News
Installing Asphalt at the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple
Pavers have begun installing asphalt in the parking lots surrounding the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple and adjoining stake center. Soft landscaping is also underway with trees being planted along the driveway that leads to the temple complex. Excellent progress has been achieved on the brick exterior of the stake center.
Guatemala Missionary Training Center to Close
A news release from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced the closure of the Guatemala Missionary Training Center, located on the block northwest of the Guatemala City Guatemala Temple, effective January 2020. The closure of the facility will allow for better utilization of the Mexico MTC, which has accommodations for large groups of missionaries learning the Spanish language. Future use of the Guatemala building will be determined in consultation with local leaders.
Tours of the Raleigh North Carolina Temple Begin Saturday
Following 20 months of renovation, the beautiful Raleigh North Carolina Temple opens its doors to the public beginning this Saturday, September 21, and continuing through next Saturday, September 28, 2019, except for Sunday, September 22. The redesigned exterior improves the building's massing with a taller, more substantial tower, an enclosed portico, beige-colored limestone cladding, and new art glass windows.
Preparing for Main Floor at the Pocatello Idaho Temple
In preparation for pouring the main floor slab at the Pocatello Idaho Temple, steel beams and a metal floor deck have been installed over the basement walls with visible cut-outs for the stairs and elevators. On the north side of the structure, crews are backfilling the concrete walls and leveling the dirt inside. More concrete is being poured on the west side including the entrance canopy footings. The retaining structures on the east end of the site have nearly reached street level. Curbing continues to be added, giving more definition to the driveways and parking lots.
Porto Alegre Brazil Temple Parking Lot Expansion
The undersized parking lot at the Porto Alegre Brazil Temple is being expanded to the east to provide approximately 40 more spaces, doubling the capacity of the current lot. The homes that once occupied the land were razed in 2015 to make way for the expansion. This is not the first time that post-dedication construction has taken place at the temple site. In 2010, construction began on a four-story patron housing facility that was completed in 2013. It is located at the northeast corner of the temple grounds.
Trees Reach South End of Mesa Arizona Temple Grounds
For the past seven months, trees have been planted at the Mesa Arizona Temple grounds, starting at the north end of the site and working south. New trees have now been planted at the south end, next to the parking lot, marking an exciting milestone for the grounds renovation. Forms are up for the northeast retaining wall around the temple, footings have been poured for the pageant stage, and more stairs and walkways are appearing in the area between the temple grounds and pageant grounds. Several walls have been erected for the building that will house the Family Discovery Center.
Lisbon Portugal Temple Dedicated
The Lisbon Portugal Temple was dedicated today by Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in three dedicatory sessions held at the temple and broadcast to meetinghouses across the country. The temple is the first to be constructed in Portugal and the 166th temple in operation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Fill Dirt Compacted for the Praia Cabo Verde Temple
Numerous loads of structural fill dirt have been dumped and compacted on the site of the Praia Cabo Verde Temple in the areas where the temple and adjoining meetinghouse will be constructed. The work of drilling shafts for the pile foundations has also begun. Shoring up the soil and installing piles will create a solid base for the buildings in the temple complex.
Exterior Wall Progress at the Abidjan Côte d'Ivoire Temple
Exterior walls for the main floor of the Abidjan Côte d'Ivoire Temple are going up on top of the exposed foundation. Walls are in place on the west and south sides of the building, and concrete forms have set along the north side and northwest corner. Two columns of rebar can be seen rising over the north end of the foundation for the entrance walls that will sit underneath the temple's tower.
Raleigh North Carolina Temple Run a Success
More than 600 participants joined the Raleigh Temple 5K Run on Labor Day, September 2, 2019, in celebration of the reopening of the Raleigh North Carolina Temple. "This event was a terrific way to keep the temple in our sights and symbolize our earthly journey back to the Lord. We love to see our members exercise faith in every footstep together as they bring their families to the House of the Lord," said Robert Joaquin Foster, second counselor in the Raleigh North Carolina South Stake presidency. The free public open house for the temple begins next Saturday, September 21, and continues through Saturday, September 28, with the exception of Sunday, September 22, 2019.
New Stairs Poured at the Washington D.C. Temple Visitors' Center
A large curved staircase has been poured to connect the Washington D.C. Temple Visitors' Center to the temple parking lot, replacing a narrow set of stairs that previously served that purpose. The parking lot will soon be repaved by recycling much of the old parking lot. Inside the temple, the renovation work is progressing beautifully.
Tours of the Frankfurt Germany Temple Begin Friday
A free public open house for the remodeled Frankfurt Germany Temple, located in Friedrichsdorf, will be held Friday, September 13, through Saturday, September 28, 2019, excluding Sundays, from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. (No reservations are needed.) While the interior of the temple was completely updated, historic features of the exterior were preserved including the stone cladding and copper roof.
Enclosing the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple
With temperatures slowly sinking across the Interior Plains, laborers at the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple have boarded up the window openings and have nearly finished enclosing the structure. The metal framework for the spire sits on a staging pad in front of the temple. Watch a new video of a flight taken over the meetinghouse and temple.
Groundbreaking Announced for the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple
Elder Craig C. Christensen, president of the Utah Area, will preside at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple on Saturday, October 19, 2019. Attendance at the temple site is by invitation only, with the general public invited to watch the services live from designated local meetinghouses. The temple will be constructed in the new Beacon Pointe development, west of Redwood Road and north of Meadow Side Drive. The 87,000-square-foot, three-story temple and a 21,000-square-foot meetinghouse will share the site.
Fountain Operating at the Arequipa Peru Temple
Streams of water cascade down the three-tiered fountain at the center of the entrance plaza to the Arequipa Peru Temple. Over the next few weeks, skilled craftsmen will complete the interior of the building in time for the November public open house. The temple will be dedicated on December 15 and opened for ordinance work the week before Christmas.
Trees Transplanted to the Durban South Africa Temple Grounds
To give the grounds of the Durban South Africa Temple the feel of maturity, 8- to 15-year-old trees were transplanted to the grounds, and more fill-in foliage was planted ahead of the coming spring. Progress is being made on the entrance plaza including the water feature, which was filled and tested. Tests of the exterior floodlighting are underway as well using a temporary system. In the baptistry, the chandelier was lifted into place and glass panels were installed under the railing. Artists continue their work inside the temple while technicians set up data and security points.
Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple Dedicated
Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple today, making it the 165th temple in operation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Elder and Sister Bednar met with Haitian youth last evening at a devotional where they answered questions and encouraged the young men and women to prepare to enter the temple and to submit names for temple ordinance work.
Lisbon Portugal Temple Youth Devotional
Portuguese youth have been invited to a special devotional with Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to be held the evening prior to the dedication of the Lisbon Portugal Temple at the meetinghouse located on the temple grounds. The temple will be dedicated the next day on Sunday, September 15, in three sessions.
Abidjan Côte d'Ivoire Temple Rises Above Construction Barrier
The concrete exterior walls for the Abidjan Côte d'Ivoire Temple are now visible above the corrugated metal fence that separates the stake center property from the temple site. Forms are in place for the upper northwest corner walls, and rebar has been set for the upper west walls.
President of Portugal Visits the Lisbon Portugal Temple
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the president of Portugal, was received yesterday at the open house for the Lisbon Portugal Temple. Guests were eager to greet the president and to take photographs with him. Elder José A. Teixeira of the Presidency of the Seventy presented President Rebelo de Sousa with a bound book of his family history and a framed copy of his four-generation family line.
Structural Framing Begins for the Pocatello Idaho Temple
Steel beams have been laid across the north side of the basement for the Pocatello Idaho Temple, as structural framing gets underway. Cement mixers are still churning out concrete for the remaining foundation walls and for the parking lot curbing. At the southwest corner of the property, a foundation has been poured for the maintenance building where landscaping tools and equipment will be stored.
Haitian Youth Invited to Devotional with Elder Bednar
Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will preside at a youth devotional in Haiti this Saturday, August 31, at 3:00 p.m. in anticipation of the dedication of the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple on Sunday, September 1, 2019. The temple is the first to be constructed in the nation of Haiti and the second built on the island of Hispaniola, joining the Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple.
Official Rendering Unveiled for the Richmond Virginia Temple
Eight renderings of the interior and exterior of the Richmond Virginia Temple were on display tonight at an open house held for Church members, neighbors, and journalists interested in the temple project. Just before the open house, local leaders had an opportunity to be briefed by Church representatives and to ask questions. The design of the temple draws inspiration from early American architecture and traditions. A groundbreaking ceremony is expected to take place in the second or third quarter of 2020.
Inscription Stone Gilded at the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple
The sacred words Holiness to the Lord—The House of the Lord inscribed over the entrance to the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple were gilded today under the overcast skies of Rio's winter season. The temple's monument sign is installed, which also features inscribed stone that states the name of the temple and the Church. Construction is expected to be completed in the early months of 2020.
Renovation of Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple Nearing Completion
Just two months remain before the public can step inside the fully renovated Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple and tour this heavenly house of worship. No reservations are needed. Doors will be open from October 26 through November 2, 2019, during the following hours: Monday–Thursday, 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.; Friday–Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; Sunday, Closed. Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will preside over the rededication on November 17, 2019.
Angel Moroni Replaced on Columbia River Washington Temple
The now-weathered angel Moroni statue that was placed atop the Columbia River Washington Temple in 2001 was replaced with a new Moroni yesterday. The 13-foot gold-leafed fiberglass statue weighs about 250 pounds and is a highly recognized symbol of the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ. It was delivered from Utah by Bruce Wallgren and his son, Brian.
Superb Detailing of the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple
A close-up photograph of the tower of the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple provides a clearer view of the elegant Art Deco detailing incorporated into the temple's exterior. Carved stone surrounds the window openings and decorates the upper edge of each tier of the tower. Complementary art glass is beautifully backlit at night producing warm colors and a soft glow.
Tokyo Japan Temple Renovation Continues
Renovation activities continue at the nearly 40-year-old Tokyo Japan Temple. Structural framing can be seen for a new entrance structure that has been attached to the temple, and a new annex building has risen over the location of the previous facility. Construction walls and debris netting help reduce the impact of construction on the surrounding buildings by mitigating noise and dust.
5K Run Celebrates the Raleigh North Carolina Temple
A Labor Day 5K run has been organized to celebrate next month's reopening of the Raleigh North Carolina Temple. The event is free and open to the public at any athletic level including runners, joggers, walkers, and stroller pushers. The event begins September 2, 2019, at 8:00 a.m. at Olive Chapel Elementary School at 1751 Olive Chapel Rd and ends at the temple and stake center complex located at 574 Bryan Dr in Apex.
Pile Driving at the Bangkok Thailand Temple Site
Work continues on the pile foundation for the Bangkok Thailand Temple complex. The post-like structures help support the weight of heavy buildings by transferring the load to layers of soil with greater bearing capacity. A minimum of four months is expected to complete this phase of construction. Views of the progress are afforded by a multi-story building next door to the temple site. Watch a video of the current progress.
