President Nelson says Salt Lake Temple preservation project will be complete by end of 2026

The renovation of the Salt Lake Temple and Temple Square has been underway for nearly five years and current projections show it will be completed at the end of 2026, President Russell M. Nelson said on Sunday.

During his remarks at the conclusion of the October general conference, President Nelson expressed gratitude for all those who worked on the temple preservation project, noting that it is what occurs in the building that is so significant.

“Here is my promise to you: Every sincere seeker of Jesus Christ will find him in the temple,” said President Nelson.

The Salt Lake Temple was built by Latter-day Saints pioneers between 1853 and 1893. The pioneers used ox-drawn wagons to bring quarried stones from Little Cottonwood Canyon and followed the instructions of church president Brigham Young that the temple be “built in a manner that it will endure through the millennium.”

More than a century later in 2001, Brent Roberts, managing director of the Special Projects Department of the Church of Jesus Christ, read a seismic report about the Salt Lake Temple. He said the report showed the temple would not withstand a significant earthquake. But the technology did not yet exist to address the issues.

Time passed, technology advanced and on Dec. 29, 2019, the temple was closed to patrons and construction workers began the renewing and preservation project. Roberts said President Nelson instructed him and Andy Kirby, director of historic renovations, to preserve the pioneer-era temple.

“We’re trying to preserve what we can,” said Roberts. “Because the First Presidency, President Nelson in particular, made the decision to move forward to preserve the temple — the whole temple — we needed to do seismic, and that seismic implementation is quite invasive.”

The goal of the project is to preserve the Salt Lake Temple into the millennium, said Roberts.

Construction teams have made progress on the years-long renovation including adding 100,000 more square feet to the temple. This adds capacity to the amount of work temple attendees will be able to do. It will have a second baptistry inside.

The celestial room, two original sealing rooms, the large assembly room on the fifth floor, four stone spiral staircases in each corner tower and most of the terrestrial room are being preserved. Kirby said the interior design will be unified throughout the temple.

The Salt Lake Temple will also have improved accessibility for patrons. There will be new elevators, some of which have increased capacity. Ramps and stairs will be eliminated between instruction rooms.

Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said the number of temple open houses and dedications taking place over the next decade will be unprecedented.

“The symbolic center of these events will be the rededication of the Salt Lake Temple and the activities associated with it,” said Elder Stevenson in the Sunday morning session of October conference. “These certainly will be days never to be forgotten.”

While the total renovation of Temple Square will not be completed until 2026, other parts of Temple Square have reopened.

The Church Office Building Plaza, the Main Street Plaza and the northwest plaza of Temple Square reopened earlier this year, according to a press release from Church Newsroom .

“It’s an oasis from the storms of the noise and chaos ... to feel the presence of the Savior,” said Jay Warnick, ground services manager for Church Headquarters Facilities, in the release.