Demolition Reveals Historic Details as Renovation Begins on St. George Temple
Contributed By Sydney Walker, Church News staff writer
A rendering of the new temple annex for the St. George Utah Temple. The temple closed on November 4, 2019, for extensive renovations.
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Renovation work is underway on the historic St. George Utah Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The temple closed for renovation on November 4, 2019, for extensive structural, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and finish work.
The St. George temple has undergone several significant renovations since its dedication on April 6, 1977. Crews are working to preserve as much of the original craftsmanship as possible, including the original building. Twentieth-century additions on the north and west sides have been removed.
Project manager Eric Jamison told Newsroom, “The structure of the building is in fantastic condition given its age. Despite its age, the temple has endured very well.”
Emily Utt, historic sites curator for the Church History Department, said several small details have been found so far to help historians better understand the history of the temple.
“So, for the first time in 100 years, we’re able to see where the original door openings were in this building, what the floor plan was, what the paint colors were,” she said.
Plans for the renovation were released in May 2019. The existing annex, which was added in the mid-1970s, will be demolished and replaced by an annex designed to appear complementary of the historic temple itself, with replicated turrets, windows, and columns.
The temple block will feature new walkways, landscaping, water features, and additional shade trees. A new bride’s exit and plaza will be added to the east side of the temple annex. Doors on the temple’s south side replacing a pair of large, ground-level windows will create a new baptistry entrance and exit.
The renovation of the St. George Utah Temple is scheduled to be completed in 2022, and the temple will be rededicated following a public open house.
Jason Cobb, on-site foreman for Grant Mackay Demolition Company and a member of the Church, said he feels working on the temple allows him to be part of history.
“It feels amazing to me to have the opportunity to be able to work on temples,” said Cobb, “to be able to feel the love that the Lord has for His house and for each one of us.”
The St. George Utah Temple was the first temple dedicated in Utah, the first in the 30-plus years after the Nauvoo Temple and the longest-operating temple in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, going nearly 150 years strong.
Renovation of the Salt Lake Temple is also underway. Continual updates on the renovation of the temple can be found at TempleSquare.org.
A rendering of the priesthood room in the St. George Utah Temple. The temple closed on November 4, 2019, for extensive renovations.
Rendering of the east elevation plaza at the St. George Utah Temple. The temple closed on November 4, 2019, for extensive renovations.
Rendering of the new temple annex perspective showing the west tower of the St. George Utah Temple.
Rendering of the baptistry exit plaza at the St. George Utah Temple. The temple closed on November 4, 2019, for extensive renovations.
A track hoe loads semitrucks with salvaged debris from the St. George Utah Temple renovation on January 20, 2020. The materials are sorted into piles and then loaded and hauled to recycling plants. Sustainability and recycling are a high priority during the project, which is projected to be completed in 2022.
Renovation begins for the St. George Utah Temple, which will get a new north entrance, west addition, and updated safety and energy-efficient systems once the project is completed in 2022.
Salvaged materials are sorted, loaded, and hauled to recycling plants during the renovation project of the St. George Utah Temple. Renovations are anticipated to be completed in 2022.
Workers build protective covers on areas of the St. George Utah Temple during its renovation in January 2020. Renovations are projected to be completed by 2022.
Workers build protective covers on areas of the St. George Utah Temple during its renovation in January 2020. Renovations are projected to be completed by 2022.
Removal of the west end of the St. George Utah Temple, which was added in the 1970s to accommodate an elevator, begins on January 20, 2020, in St. George, Utah. The temple renovation is projected to be completed in 2022.
Sorted piles of debris from the ongoing renovation of the St. George Utah Temple wait to be loaded onto trucks and transported to recycling plants in St. George, Utah, on January 20, 2020.
Removal of the west end of the St. George Utah Temple, which was added in the 1970s to accommodate an elevator, begins on January 20, 2020, in St. George, Utah. The temple renovation is projected to be completed in 2022.
The exterior window of the St. George Utah Temple is uncovered January 20, 2020, after more than 40 years during removal of the 1970's-era west addition that housed an elevator and utilities. A newly constructed addition will closely match the original architecture and will include updated elevator and utility systems in St. George Utah.
