Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple
The Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple /ˈoʊkər/ is a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) located in South Jordan, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City. South Jordan was the first city in the world to have two temples (it also has the Jordan River Temple). The temple was the fourth in the Salt Lake Valley and the 13th in the state of Utah.
Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple in May 2009. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number | 130 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dedicated | August 23, 2009 Thomas S. Monson | by ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Site | 11 acres (4.5 hectares) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Floor area | 60,000 sq ft (5,600 m2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 183 ft (56 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Draper Utah Temple | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Followed by | Vancouver British Columbia Temple | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Official website • News & images | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple serves approximately 83,000 Latter-day Saints living in the western Salt Lake Valley. The building is faced with light beige granite quarried and milled in China.
History
The Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple was built on a bluff on the edge of the Daybreak Community;[1][2] the property was donated to the church by Kennecott Land, a portion of a company that mines copper and precious minerals from the Oquirrh Mountains, just a few miles west of the temple. The edifice features a single stone spire 193 feet (59 m) high, topped by a 9-foot (2.7 m) statue of the angel Moroni. Ground was broken for construction on December 16, 2006.[3] At the groundbreaking it was announced the structure would be named the "Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple"; it had previously been known as the "South Jordan Utah Temple".[4]
Located on an 11-acre (45,000 m2) site, the temple sits at the foot of the Oquirrh Mountains that form the western edge of the Salt Lake Valley and faces east toward a panoramic view of the Wasatch Mountains. From the site, visitors can see the other three temples in the valley: the Draper, Jordan River and Salt Lake temples.
On June 13, 2009, the spire was struck by lightning during a thunderstorm. The statue of the angel Moroni was tarnished, and was replaced on August 11, 2009.[5][6]
Prior to dedicatory services that took place on August 21–23, 2009, the public was invited to tour the new temple during an open house from June 1, 2009 to August 1, 2009.[7]
In 2020, the Oquirrh Mountain Utah was closed in response to the coronavirus pandemic.[8]
See also
- A. Roger Merrill, temple president (2012–2015)
- Comparison of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by geographic region
- Temple architecture (Latter-day Saints)
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah
References
- Hinckley, Gordon B. (November 2005). "Opening Remarks". Ensign. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
- "New Salt Lake Valley Temple Announced". Newsroom. LDS Church. October 1, 2005. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
- Moore, Carrie A. (December 17, 2006). "Ground broken for LDS temple". Deseret News. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
- "Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple information". Church News. August 29, 2009. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
- Taylor, Scott (August 11, 2009). "Moroni statue replaced at Oquirrh Mountain Temple". Deseret News. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
- "New Moroni statue placed atop Oquirrh Mountain Temple". KSL.com. August 11, 2009. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
- "Open House and Dedication Dates Announced for Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple". Newsroom. LDS Church. January 31, 2009. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
- Stack, Peggy Fletcher. "All Latter-day Saint temples to close due to coronavirus", The Salt Lake Tribune, 26 March 2020. Retrieved on 28 March 2020.
Additional reading
- "Groundbreaking Held for Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple". Newsroom. LDS Church. December 16, 2006. Archived from the original on January 4, 2007. Retrieved December 19, 2006.
- Page, Jared; Moore, Carrie (December 1, 2006). "S. Jordan planners OK temple". Deseret Morning News. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
External links
- Media related to Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple at Wikimedia Commons
- Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple Official site
- Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple at ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org