Arizona and St. George Temples Close As Part of Renovation Project

The Arizona Temple and the St. George (Utah) Temple will be closing their doors this year under a major renovation program aimed at providing better patron facilities.

Some refurbishing already has taken place at the Arizona Temple which will be closed from approximately February 2 until December 1. The St. George Temple will be closed for a longer period of time, from March 2, 1974, until approximately December 1, 1975. Both temples will be remodeled to facilitate the film presentation of the endowment ceremony.

In announcing the closing of the two temples, the First Presidency stated that Spanish-speaking members of the Church who normally would attend the Arizona Temple will be able to attend the Los Angeles Temple where Spanish sessions are held.

The work on these two temples is part “of a constant upgrading of the temples,” according to Church Architect Emil B. Fetzer.

“For instance, the Idaho Falls Temple was recently reopened following a major renovation program that took almost a year. Extensive work was done on the air-conditioning and the heating, as well as a great deal of refurbishing and painting. In addition, we created a new chapel, a new bridal department, and new locker facilities both for men and women patrons and for the temple workers. We reworked the cafeteria and the dining room, and the temple presidency’s offices, as well as installing a grand stairway from the ground floor to the lower level.

“In planning for these and other renovations, we have been mindful of the existing architecture. We have tried to blend with the various temple styles where there are any exterior additions.

“At St. George, for instance, we are going to remove the annex that is now there and replace it with a much larger, one-story structure. But we believe that the new structure will tie in better with the temple architecture.

“Major additions to the Hawaii Temple are on the planning board. These additions will be on the south, north, and west sides of the temple and will provide for better facilities. Right now there are temporary arrangements for the filmed endowment presentation, but with the renovation this will be a permanent feature. Work on this temple probably will begin in the spring. When it is completed, temple patrons will enter by the front door instead of the side door as they now do. A similar change already has been made at the Los Angeles Temple where we have been conducting some renovation work. We also have been working at the Oakland, California, Temple and the Alberta Temple, Cardston, Alberta, Canada.”

Arizona Temple

St. George Temple