Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple
Latest News
Recent News Articles
- May 28, 2024 – Video of the Day: Demolition begins for the Provo Temple
- April 19, 2024 – Demolition work begins at Provo Temple ahead of eventual reconstruction
- April 19, 2024 – Angel Moroni statue removed at Provo Utah Temple, among other demolition work
- April 4, 2024 – A look at temple renovations and the Provo and Manhattan temples
- March 19, 2024 – Provo Temple closes after 52 years
- February 20, 2024 – The Provo Temple Will Reopen as the Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple
- February 19, 2024 – Provo Utah Temple closing for major reconstruction this weekend
- February 7, 2024 – Temple closing, impact on Provo
- December 18, 2023 – Latter-day Saints launch a last-ditch push to save that Space Age Provo Temple
- December 12, 2023 – Provo Temple Windows Smashed, Suspect Arrested
News Stories
Photo: Brent R.
Elevator Shafts Rising on the Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple Site
Recent aerial photographs of the Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple give a sense of the large footprint being constructed for the building. Concrete footings are being formed and poured, and three elevator shafts are rising on the west end. Two rooms and a hallway have been created below the level of the footings for housing and accessing the baptismal fonts.
Photo: Brent R.
Growing Foundation for the Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple
More concrete footings and foundation walls have been installed for the Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple. The temple is a replacement building for the Provo Utah Temple, which was the first temple built in Utah County and the sixth built in the state (or territory). There are now six dedicated temples in Utah County with five operating and one under renovation. A seventh temple is under construction in Lindon, and an eighth temple has been announced for Lehi.
Photo: Brent R.
Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple Foundation Progress
With the assistance of two large cranes, reinforced concrete footings and basement structures are being installed for the foundation of the Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple, which will rise on Provo's east bench, just west of Rock Canyon. Portions of Temple Hill Drive have been removed, providing land that will be incorporated into the new parking and landscaping west of the temple.
Photo: Lee R Cowan
Forming the Footings for the Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple
Forming has begun for the first footings of the Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple, which is being built on the site of the former Provo Utah Temple. The temple closed on February 24, 2024. Within two months of closing, landscape removal and demolition began. A portion of the temple's foundation was left in the ground, providing a stabilizing substructure and creating a connection between the old building and the new.
Photo: Julie C Markham
Preparing for the Foundation of the Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple
While the final remnants of the Provo Utah Temple basement are removed or buried, crews are beginning preparations for the foundation of the new Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple. The foundation will sit slightly west of the old foundation, allowing for parking on all sides of the temple. Large mounds of aggregate (gravel) have been staged on site, which will be used in building a strong foundation.
Photo: Brent R.
Clearing the Basement of the Provo Utah Temple
Demolition continues of the Provo Utah Temple, which will be replaced with the new Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple. Heavy machinery is sorting and removing the final pieces of debris from the basement before the concrete walls are fully removed. The temple is located at the mouth of Rock Canyon, across the street from the Provo Missionary Training Center and just north of Brigham Young University. It has long been considered one of the busiest temples in the Church.
Photo: Lee R Cowan
Heavy-Duty Equipment Continues Demolition of the Provo Utah Temple
A heavy-duty machine known as "Impact" was recently added to the demolition team at the Provo Utah Temple to accelerate progress on the project. In the accompanying photograph, the operator of the machine surveys the progress and determines his next steps. The iconic panels that once surrounded the upper floors have been completely removed, and the east and west sides are gone, leaving just the core of the upper structure on top of the remaining ground floor.
Photo: Tyler Moulton
Captivating Progress on the Demolition of the Provo Utah Temple
It's been eight days since Moroni left his post on the Provo Utah Temple, and much has happened since then. The entire steeple has been removed except for the base tier, major portions of the ground floor have been demolished, and the east retaining wall is coming out. Work recently began on removing the panels from the upper floors by using a breaker attachment that functions like a jackhammer. Numerous trees have been cut down and chipped into massive piles.
Photo: Lee R Cowan
Angel Moroni Is Removed from the Provo Utah Temple
The angel Moroni statue was removed from the spire of the Provo Utah Temple early this morning. A 300-ton crane was used to lift the gold-leafed figure off of the building, which is slated to be razed and rebuilt as the Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple. Temple Hill Drive, the street between the temple and the missionary playing field, has been closed to all vehicular traffic. Over the past few days, demolition crews have been removing the entrance hardscape and taking down trees. The front portico has also been removed.
Photo: Julie C Markham
Erecting a Construction Office for the Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple
At the end of the missionary field in Provo, a construction office is being erected for the contractors of the Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple. A level platform was created and temporary electrical poles were installed in preparation for the building. Concrete pipe has been staged for months for work to be carried out on water mains around the temple. Moving vans have been used to remove furnishings from the current temple.
Photo: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
Provo's First Temple to Be Renamed the Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple
A new name has been released for the Provo Utah Temple, which will close on Saturday for reconstruction. The new temple will be known as the Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple. During the closure, members of the temple district are encouraged to attend other operating temples. The new building will still stand at the mouth of Rock Canyon on Provo's east bench, overlooking Brigham Young University, the Provo Missionary Training Center, and Utah Lake. The temple will be built to current codes with energy-efficient electrical, heating, and plumbing systems. It will feature a reconfigured layout from the previous building.
Photo: Julie C Markham
Provo Utah Temple Packed with Patrons Ahead of Closure
Patrons have been packing the Provo Utah Temple as it enters its final days of operation before closing for demolition and reconstruction at the conclusion of ordinance work on Saturday, February 24, 2024. Preliminary construction and staging has been underway across Temple Hill Dr where the overflow parking lot is located. Temporary electrical poles have been installed, and a portion of the property has been cleared.
Photo: Jonathon Floyd
Act of Vandalism Damages the Provo Utah Temple
A 30-year-old man has been booked in Utah County Jail on a third-degree felony charge of property damage/destruction. The Provo Police Department received a report yesterday after 3:30 p.m. of a man with a hammer smashing windows near the front entrance of the Provo Utah Temple. The suspect fled the scene but was later apprehended with the help of camera footage that captured a view of the vehicle and a partial license plate number. "We are saddened by the vandalism that occurred yesterday at the Provo Utah Temple but are grateful no one was injured and that operations were not affected," said Irene Caso, a Church spokesperson. "Questions regarding this vandalism should be directed to local law enforcement." The Provo Utah Temple is slated for reconstruction and will closed at the end of the day on February 24, 2024.
Photo: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
Design Review for the Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple
Plans for the new Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple go before the Provo City Design Review Committee next Thursday. The larger and taller building would be a complete replacement of the existing temple. Temple Hill Drive, the street located west of the temple site, would be vacated and become part of the new grounds. The new temple would be constructed slightly west of the existing building, allowing for ample parking around the entire edifice and reducing the slope that patrons must climb to enter the House of the Lord.
Photo: Jonathon Floyd
Reconstruction Closure Date Announced for the Provo Utah Temple
The closure date for the Provo Utah Temple, which will be reconstructed under a new design, has been announced as Saturday, February 24, 2024, at the conclusion of ordinance work for the day. Members of the temple district are encouraged to attend other temples during the closure as their circumstances permit. Those desiring to receive their own ordinances should contact a temple in the surrounding area to schedule an appointment.
Photo: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
Planned Design Unveiled for the Provo Utah Temple
Church officials have given the public a glimpse of the planned design for the Provo Utah Temple, which will be reconstructed following the dedication of the Orem Utah Temple. The three-story edifice will stand at the same location as the existing building and feature striking gold accents including the spire. Just as it was constructed originally, the temple will not have an angel Moroni statue. A statue was added in 2003 as part of a renovation project that also turned the spire from gold to white. No specific date for the closure of the temple has been announced.
Temple District Changes Come to Utah Valley
In preparation for the Payson Utah Temple dedication next month when numerous temple workers will be transferred from the Provo Utah Temple, all of the stakes in Orem have been reassigned from the Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple District to the Provo Utah Temple District.
Ogden's "Sister Temple" in Provo Has No Plans For Makeover
Following the announcement that the Church would completely transform the exterior appearance of the Ogden Utah Temple, questions began to fly regarding its counterpart in Provo. Would it receive the same treatment? Church officials say no plans are on the table.