South Jordan, Utah is just three months away from being the only city in the world to have two operational temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Oquirrh Mountain Temple is almost ready to hold its two-month long public open house, where organized tours are provided, and LDS officials gave the Utah media an advance tour. The most detailed report, with video and a collection of photos, has been published by KSL Channel 5; additional coverage in the Mormon Times
KSL video embedded below. You can toggle between the news story and an aerial view of the temple:
Video Courtesy of KSL.com
Named after the Oquirrh Mountains bounding the west side of the Salt Lake Valley, the Oquirrh Mountain Temple, which will serve 83,000 Mormons spread out among 12 stakes in the southwestern part of the Salt Lake Valley, is also the fourth temple in the Salt Lake Valley, the 13th in the state of Utah and the 130th in the world. At 60,000 square feet, it's classified as a mid-sized temple, and it was built because of the tremendous growth in the south end of the valley in the last 20 years. A list of all LDS Temples is available HERE.
During the media tour, Elder Quentin L. Cook of The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, "The Salt Lake Temple being dedicated in 1893, when there were only 215,000 people that were members of the Church all across the, from Canada to Mexico. To see this valley, now have a fourth temple and to see the growth and the commitment of the saints, is a cause to rejoice."
In addition, Elder William R. Walker, a member of The First Quorum of the Seventy and executive director of the temple department, showed them the new temple's architectural features, such as the pristine granite exterior. "The granite on this temple is the same as you see on the new church history library," he said. Imported from China, Elder Walker says it's known as Uinta gold. Inside, the new temple is decorated with limestone tile flooring from Egypt and Morocco as well as plush carpeting, gold leaf inlay, oak millwork and dozens of murals and religious paintings.
The Oquirrh Mountain Temple will open for public tours on June 1st and will run through August 1st, except on Sundays as well as on July 4th and July 24th. Reservations can be made online or by phone. Tours are free, but visitors must have reservations to participate in the open house. Reservation and other information available HERE.
The temple will be dedicated on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, August 21-23, in a total of nine dedicatory sessions. Afterward, it will be open only to those who have valid temple recommends.
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