Interior Renderings Released for Tooele Valley Utah Temple

New renderings have been released showing the planned interior design of the Tooele Valley Utah Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The temple, which was announced in April 2019 by Church President Russell M. Nelson, will be located northwest of the intersection of Erda Way and Highway 36 in Erda, Utah. An exterior rendering of the three-story, 70,000-square-foot temple was previously released April 7, 2020.

“These beautiful renderings depict the care and attention to detail that will go into the construction of this house of the Lord,” said Brent Roberts, managing director of the Church’s Special Projects Department. “The temple is our holiest place of worship. We believe this will be a place where Latter-day Saints in the Tooele Valley and beyond can go to obtain peace and divine direction in their lives.”

The design of this temple features a cast stone exterior with copper shingles done in a pioneer style, said Bill Williams, director of temple design for the Church. He and other architects drew details from nearby historic tabernacles in planning for this temple. Additionally, several flowers native to the Tooele Valley—including cliffrose and silvery lupine—are featured throughout the temple in various rooms as well as on art glass and the building’s exterior.

A groundbreaking date for the temple has not yet been set.

Utah currently has 17 operating temples. In addition to Tooele Valley, temples have also been announced in Layton, Orem, Syracuse, Taylorsville, and Washington County. A temple in Saratoga Springs is currently under construction.

Latter-day Saints consider temples to be the “house of the Lord” and the most sacred places of worship on the earth. Temples differ from the Church’s meetinghouses (chapels). All are welcome to attend Sunday worship services and other weekday activities at local meetinghouses. The primary purpose of temples, however, is for faithful members of the Church to participate in sacred ceremonies such as marriages that unite families forever and proxy baptisms on behalf of deceased ancestors who did not have the opportunity while living.