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


Ogden Utah Temple

Washington D.C. Temple

Provo Utah Temple

15th dedicated temple in operation; renovation scheduled to begin following the dedication of the Orem Utah Temple
Provo Utah Temple

© Greg Farley. All rights reserved.

Address

2200 Temple Hill Drive
Provo, Utah  84604-1766
United States
Telephone:  (+1) 801-375-5775

Services

Clothing rental available
NO cafeteria food served
NO patron housing available
Distribution center nearby (Store Locator)

Announcement: 

14 August 1967

Site Dedication: 

15 September 1969 by Joseph Fielding Smith

Groundbreaking: 

15 September 1969 by Hugh B. Brown

Public Open House: 

10–29 January 1972

Dedication: 

9 February 1972 by Joseph Fielding Smith (read by Harold B. Lee)

Site: 

17 acres  |  6.9 hectares

Exterior Finish: 

White cast stone; gold anodized aluminum grills; bronze glass panels; single painted spire

Architectural Features: 

Single attached central spire with an angel Moroni statue

Ordinance Rooms: 

Six instruction rooms, twelve sealing rooms, and one baptistry

Total Floor Area: 

130,825 square feet  |  12,154 square meters

Elevation: 

4,879.70 feet  |  1,487.33 meters

Temple Reconstruction

In his concluding remarks at the Sunday Afternoon Session of the October 2021 General Conference, President Russell M. Nelson announced that the Provo Utah Temple would be close for reconstruction following the dedication of the Orem Utah Temple.


Temple 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 History

The Provo Utah Temple was the sixth temple built in Utah and the first built in Utah County.

The Provo Utah Temple is one of only four temples with six instruction rooms. (The other three temples are the Ogden Utah Temple, the Jordan River Utah Temple, and the Washington D.C. Temple.)

The Provo Utah Temple and Provo City Center Temple were the second pair of temples to be built in the same city, following the Jordan River Utah Temple (1981) and Oquirrh 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 Ogden 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 Logan Utah Temple, the Manti Utah Temple, and the Salt 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 as part of a renovation project in 2003 that also changed the spire color from gold to white.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Provo Utah Temple was held just one week after the groundbreaking ceremony for the Ogden Utah Temple, marking the first time that two groundbreaking ceremonies were held in the same month. The two buildings were built at the same time and were nearly identical in appearance until the Ogden Utah Temple was given an architectural facelift in the early 2010s.

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.

Jordan River Utah Temple
20th dedicated temple in operation
Logan Utah Temple
2nd dedicated temple in operation
Manti Utah Temple
3rd dedicated temple in operation; closed for renovation; installing new irrigation lines; interior work progressing
Ogden Utah Temple
14th dedicated temple in operation
Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple
130th dedicated temple in operation
Orem Utah Temple
Major construction completed; installing and adjusting exterior lighting; open house and dedication coordinator called; temple president and matron called
Provo City Center Temple
150th dedicated temple in operation
Salt Lake Temple
4th dedicated temple in operation; closed for renovation; installing base isolators beneath the foundation; building the underground north addition; landscaping the Church Office Building plaza and Main Street plaza; building new restroom facility
Washington D.C. Temple
16th dedicated temple in operation