Church to Rededicate Arizona Temple

Ceremonies are scheduled for April 15 and 16 to rededicate the recently renovated Arizona Temple. The temple has been closed for more than a year for extensive remodeling, including the addition of a large new annex.

Preceding the rededication, the temple will be open for public tours every day except Sundays from March 19 through April 3.

“Because the renovation and restructuring of the temple’s interior almost creates a new building, at least inside, it has been deemed appropriate to reopen the temple to the public and to rededicate the edifice,” said C. Bryant Whiting, temple president.

The temple was closed February 2, 1974, and during the past year the interior has been completely remodeled, adapting it to film presentations. A new entranceway has been added, as well as a one-story, 114 by 148 foot annex to the south. The architecture of the temple is a variation on classic style, with a facade of glazed terra cotta.

The Arizona Temple was originally dedicated in 1927 by President Heber J. Grant. It serves Saints in the southwestern United States, Mexico, and Central America. In Arizona alone, there are approximately 115,000 members of the Church.