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

Temple Facts

The Deseret Peak Utah Temple was the twenty-third temple built in Utah and the first built in Tooele County.

Temple History

Announcement

On April 7, 2019, the Tooele Valley became the location of the twenty-first temple announced for Utah. There were twelve stakes organized in the valley with stake centers located in the communities of Tooele, Stansbury Park, Grantsville, Lake Point, and Erda. In prior years, Church membership had grown steadily in the county with members driving over 30 miles to participate in temple worship at the Salt Lake Temple.¹

Site

On September 25, 2019, the location for the Tooele Valley Utah Temple was announced as a property located northwest of the intersection of Erda Way and Highway 36 in the community of Erda. The temple would be a three-story building of approximately 70,000 square feet with an adjacent 20,000-square-foot meetinghouse.

The following year, an application submitted by Church representatives was approved by the Tooele County Planning Commission to rezone the 167 acres surrounding the temple site where a residential development was proposed. Many residents disagreed with the plan for higher-density housing and sought to repeal the rezoning. In response to the situation, the First Presidency issued the following statement: "We acknowledge the efforts of those who have raised questions and sincere concerns about the Tooele Valley Temple project, including the residential development surrounding the temple. There is a sincere desire on the part of the Church to avoid discord in the community. Therefore, regardless of the outcome of a pending signature-gathering effort, we have determined to withdraw our rezoning request for the residential portion of the temple project. We look forward to working with local officials and community members to determine next steps to move forward with the construction of the temple."

On January 19, 2021, a new name and location for the temple was announced. The formerly named Tooele Valley Utah Temple became the Deseret Peak Utah Temple. It would be constructed in the city of Tooele, just west of the intersection of 2400 North 400 West.²

Renderings

On April 7, 2020, an official exterior rendering was released for the Deseret Peak Utah Temple. Three weeks later, a series of interior renderings were also released. The three-story temple would be approximately 70,000 square feet. Plans also called for the construction of an adjacent 20,000-square-foot meetinghouse. The exterior of the temple would be clad in cast stone with copper shingles. Inspiration for the architectural details were drawn from nearby historic tabernacles. Several flowers native to the Tooele Valley would be featured in the art glass and throughout interior and exterior including cliffrose and silvery lupine.³

Groundbreaking

A beautiful spirit descended upon Utah's Tooele Valley on Saturday, May 15, 2021, at the groundbreaking service for the Deseret Peak Utah Temple. Elder Brook P. Hales of the Quorum of the Seventy presided at the event. In his site dedicatory prayer, he asked: "Please bless all that will live in this temple district that they will feel the godly power of this sacred edifice." About two hundred Church members and invited guests attended at the temple site that morning under blue skies. Elder Hales prayed, "Help us that through the Atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ, we might be prepared and worthy to enter Thy sacred house to receive the blessings of exaltation available for ourselves and for our ancestors."⁴

Open House and Dedication

A public open house for the Deseret Peak Utah Temple was held Thursday, September 26, through Saturday, October 19, 2024, excluding Sundays and Saturday, October 5, where 130,911 visitors toured the building. A media day was held on Monday, September 23, followed by two days of tours for invited guests. The temple was dedicated by President Russell M. Nelson on Sunday, November 10, 2024, at 4:00 p.m. The dedication was broadcast to all units in the temple district and rebroadcast to the same locations at 7:00 p.m. the same evening.⁵

Temple Design

Exterior

The Deseret Peak Utah Temple is clad in glass fiber reinforced concrete, fabricated by Unlimited Designs in Salt Lake City, Utah, and installed by Allens Masonry. A dolomite aggregate from the Tooele Valley is being used in the admixture.

Design motifs include salt grass and lupine flower incorporated in exterior stone, font bowl and millwork; cliff rose incorporated in millwork, rugs, decorative paint, font railing and glass art; and lupine flower incorporated in exterior stone, paint, lighting, millwork and art glass.

The temple’s exterior art glass was designed by FFKR Architects and was fabricated by Holdman Studios in Lehi, Utah. The glass features lupine, cliff rose and grasses native to the region.

The ornamental fence is a Western Fence Company aluminum tube fence painted black.

Interior

• Flooring:
  • Carpet: Bentley Mills general broadloom carpet, with carpet tiles in dressing areas
  • Rugs: Rugs International nylon rugs
• Lighting: Cast brass, glass and crystals
• Stone: Burdur Beige, Emperador Light (Spain), White Cliffs, Aquarella Macuba, Thassos White
• Millwork: African mahogany (khaya)
• Font Railings: Aluminum railing painted with LP1304 Liquapearl pearlescent coating, with glass panels and quarter-sawn khaya mahogany top rail
• Doors and Hardware: Khaya veneer with birch solids

Decorative Painting

• Walls:
  • Paint: Sherwin Williams: SW 7531 Canvas Tan, SW 7571 Casa Blanca, SW 7557 Summer White, SW 7103 Whitetail, SW 7573 Eaglet Beige, SW 7566 Westhighland White
  • Wallcovering: Seabrook / KP 50507 / Emory, MDC / Tussah / TFC1196-4165 / Sugarcane, MDC / All About Linen / BBAL17-4165 / Calming Cream, MDC / Mix This / DG1271-4165 / Free Zone, MDC / Cayman / MCY2512-4165 / Champagne, Astek / RD341 / Painted SW 7573 Eaglet Beige
• Art Glass Design: The interior art glass features lupine, cliff rose and grasses native to the region.

Fabricators and Installers

• Paint: Accent Painting (Salt Lake City, UT)
• Decorative Paint: David G. Horne (Sandy, UT)
• Decorative Lighting: Ciana Lighting (Heber, UT)
• Crystal Chandeliers and Sconces: Ciana Lighting (Heber, UT)
• Millwork: JLR Contractors (Lehi, UT); The Wood and Iron Factory (Tijuana, Mexico)
• Art Glass: Holdman Studios (Lehi, UT)
• Stone: US Superior Stone and Tile (San Leandro, CA)
• Tile: Daltile (Dallas, TX)
• Area Rugs: Rugs International (Calhoun, GA)
• Carpet: Bentley Mills (City of Industry, CA)
• Hardware: ASSA ABLOY (Murray, UT)
• Font Railings: Metals Manufacturing (West Valley City, UT); JLR Contractors (Lehi, UT)
• Mirrors: Wallis Brothers’ Framing Inc. (Nibley, UT)
• Furniture:
  • Theodore Alexander (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)
  • Kindel (Grand Rapids, MI)
  • Hickory Chair (Hickory, NC)
  • Pearson Furniture (Hickory, NC)
  • Hancock and Moore (Hickory, NC)
  • Keilhauer (Toronto, Canada)
  • Craftsman Upholstery (Orem, UT)
  • MTC Studio Designs (Woods Cross, UT)
  • Artistic Frame (Kannapolis, NC)
  • Ferrell Mittman (High Point, NC)
  • Jeffrey Cobabe (Salt Lake City, UT)
  • Jonathan Charles (Vietnam)
  • Johannus (Netherlands)
  • St. Timothy-Cabot Wrenn (Hickory, NC)
  • Falcon (Newport, TN)
  • Steelcase (Grand Rapids, MI)
  • Century Furniture (Hickory, NC)
  • Pottery Barn (San Francisco, CA)
  • Nemschoff Chairs (Sheboygan, WI)
  • JSI (Jasper, Indiana)
  • Gianni (Cicero, IL)
  • Friedman Brothers (Medley, FL)
  • Spec Seats (Gardena, CA)
• Ceilings: Pete King (American Fork, UT); Design West Acoustics (Springville, UT)
• Exterior Doors: Steel Encounters (Salt Lake City, UT)
• Interior Doors: Architectural Building Supply (Salt Lake City, UT), manufactured by Masonite, USA, installed by JLR Contractors (Lehi, UT)