PROVO — With archaeological work completed around the site of the old Provo Tabernacle, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is ready to break ground for the church's new temple to be built on the site.
The church announced today that the groundbreaking for the new Provo City Center Temple will be held on Saturday, May 12 at 9 a.m., with Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presiding. Church spokesman Scott Trotter said tickets will be required to attend the groundbreaking ceremony, which will also be broadcast to LDS stake centers in and around Provo.
Tickets will be available through local LDS ecclesiastical leaders within the new temple district.
Trotter said that once the groundbreaking takes place, work will begin on the new temple. Based on the time between groundbreaking and dedication for the recently completed Draper Utah and Oquirrh Mountain LDS temples in Salt Lake County, the construction time for the Provo City Center Temple should be a little more than two-and-one-half years.
The Provo City Center Temple will be built on the block southwest of the intersection of two of Provo's main arterial roads: Center Street and University Avenue. It is being constructed on the site of the Provo Tabernacle, a community landmark and gathering place from the time it was built in the 1880s until it was destroyed by fire in December 2010. Church officials have previously announced that the new temple will be designed to reflect the original design of the Tabernacle.
The new temple will be the second temple in Provo. The existing Provo Utah Temple is located approximately two miles northeast of the new temple, close to the church's Missionary Training Center and the Brigham Young University campus. It is generally considered to be one of the most heavily used temples in the church. The new temple, along with another new temple currently under construction in Payson, will relieve some of the operational pressure on the 40-year-old Provo Temple.
EMAIL: jwalker@desnews.com
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Joseph Walker began his professional writing career in 1980 as a staff writer for the Deseret News in Salt Lake City, eventually becoming the newspaper's television and live theater critic. He left professional journalism more ..
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I thought they were going to run with my suggestion and designate this as the "Utah Pioneer Temple" !?
Well, although the official name has already been announced, it's NOT too late (until the groundbreaking ceremony) for the More..
OK, I have a question. It was supposed to be a rebuild of the original. No? If you're just going to build a modern building just knock down this beautiful building and you have desecrated the Coalville tabernacle, etc.
Build it More..
This is so exciting for Provo! With this new building, the new convention center, and the Nu Skin building, downtown Provo will look amazing! Hoping it will boost business there too!