Provo Utah Temple
15th operating temple
© 2007, Rick Satterfield. All rights reserved.
Services
Clothing rental availableCafeteria available
NO patron housing available
Distribution center nearby
Announcement:
14 August 1967Site Dedication:
15 September 1969 by Joseph Fielding SmithGroundbreaking:
15 September 1969 by Hugh B. BrownPublic Open House:
10–29 January 1972Dedication:
9 February 1972 by Joseph Fielding Smith (read by Harold B. Lee)Site:
17 acresExterior Finish:
White cast stone; gold anodized aluminum grills; bronze glass panels; single painted spireOrdinance Rooms:
Six ordinance rooms (stationary) and twelve sealingTotal Floor Area:
128,325 square feetTemple Locale
Located on Provo's east bench near the mouth of magnificent Rock Canyon, the Provo Utah Temple claims a stunning backdrop of towering mountains. The extensive temple grounds are decorated with a cascading water feature and numerous flowers, shrubs, and trees. Across the street is the Missionary Training Center (MTC) where thousands of young missionaries reside year round preparing for missionary service around the world. The campus of Church-owned Brigham Young University (BYU) borders the temple to the southwest.
Temple Facts
The Provo Utah Temple was the sixth temple built in Utah and the first built in Utah County.
Often dubbed "one of the busiest temples in the Church," the Provo Utah Temple operates six ordinance rooms, allowing sessions to begin every 20 minutes. (Only three other temples have six ordinance rooms: the 
14th operating templeOgden Utah Temple, 
20th operating templeJordan River Utah Temple, and 
16th operating temple; closed for renovation; interior completely dismantled; exterior renovations progressingWashington D.C. Temple.)
The Provo Utah Temple and 
150th operating templeProvo City Center Temple will be the second pair of temples to be built in the same city, following the
20th operating templeJordan River Utah Temple (1981) and 
130th operating templeOquirrh Mountain Utah Temple (2009) in South Jordan, Utah.
The Provo Utah Temple was originally named the Provo Temple.
The announcement of the Provo Utah Temple and
14th operating templeOgden Utah Temple was prompted by a statistic computed in the mid-1960s that 52 percent of all ordinance work was performed in three temples: the 
2nd operating templeLogan Utah Temple, the 
3rd operating templeManti Utah Temple, and the 
4th operating templeSalt Lake Temple.
The original design for the Provo Utah Temple included a gold-leafed statue of the angel Moroni atop a gold-colored spire. The statue was eventually eliminated from the design, though one was added over 31 years after its dedication.
The Provo Utah Temple was constructed as a sister building to the
14th operating templeOgden Utah Temple, which was built and dedicated at the same time.
The Provo Utah Temple stands adjacent to Church-owned Brigham Young University. The Church's other two universities; Brigham Young University–Hawaii in Laie, Hawaii, and Brigham Young University–Idaho in Rexburg, Idaho; also have adjacent temples.
President Joseph Fielding Smith presided at the dedication of the Provo Utah Temple, but at his request, the prayer he had written was offered by President Harold B. Lee, first counselor in the First Presidency.
The Provo Utah Temple was dedicated in just two sessions by seating attendees—in addition to the temple—in the Marriott Center, George Albert Smith Fieldhouse, Joseph Smith Building, Harris Fine Arts Center, and Knight-Mangum Hall (Language Training Mission) on the BYU campus. Over 70,000 attended in what was the largest temple dedication in history.
In the late 1970s, a feasibility study was prepared by the Provo Temple presidency for the establishment of a Provo Temple Visitors Center. The study included statistical compilations of responses to a survey sent to stake presidents within the temple district. However, no visitors' center was ever established.