Provo City Center Temple (2024)

Repurposing of the Historic Provo Tabernacle

In the early hours of Dec. 17, 2010, the historic Provo Tabernacle went up in flames. Only the structure’s exterior walls remained standing. The building — originally completed in 1898 with a construction cost of around $100,000 — had previously been used for Church meetings, stake and regional conferences, and cultural events. The morning of the fire, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a statement saying, “The damage appears severe, and until we make a structural assessment we won’t know whether this historic treasure will be able to be saved.”

Nine and a half months later, Church President Thomas S. Monson gave an encouraging update during October 2011 general conference: “After careful study, we have decided to rebuild [the Provo Tabernacle] with full preservation and restoration of the exterior, to become the second temple of the Church in the city of Provo.” The structure was remodeled and repurposed as a Latter-day Saint temple, a testament to the reality of spiritual rebirth and renewal through receiving and honoring temple covenants.

Dedication of the Provo City Center Temple

The Provo City Center Temple was dedicated by Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, a Provo native, on March 20, 2016, during three sessions. Elder Oaks presided over the first two dedicatory sessions, then President Russell M. Nelson — president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles — presided over the third.

Attendees embraced the theme of the previous night’s cultural celebration, “Beauty for Ashes” (Isaiah 61:3), as they admired a house of the Lord sprung from the flames of just five years prior. The dedication was held on the first day of spring — and just as the season celebrates rebirth in nature after harsh winter, temple patrons can overcome the physical and spiritual death of a fallen world through the Resurrection of their Savior, Jesus Christ.

Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “We pray for all who come within these walls that they may come in worthiness and participate with joy and understanding of the great teachings and ordinances and blessings of this house, which are essential to the fullness of Thy everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Read the dedicatory prayer of the Provo City Center Temple here.

Timeline of the Provo City Center Temple

October

2011

Announced

A second temple was announced for Provo, Utah, by Church President Thomas S. Monson on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011, during October 2011 general conference. In his conference address, President Monson said, “The existing Provo temple is one of the busiest in the Church, and a second temple there will accommodate the increasing numbers of faithful Church members who are attending the temple from Provo and the surrounding communities.”

May

2012

Groundbreaking

Ground was broken for the Provo City Center Temple on May 12, 2012, with Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presiding. Although the Provo Tabernacle’s 2010 fire left an exterior structure on the site, ground was broken in front of the edifice. More than 5,600 people gathered in person for this event, including Elder L. Whitney Clayton of the Presidency of the Seventy, Elder William R. Walker of the Seventy and Elder Cecil O. Samuelson, emeritus Seventy and president of Brigham Young University.

January

2016

Open house

The Church held an open house for the temple from Jan. 15 to March 5, 2016. More than 800,000 visitors toured the temple during this time.

March

2016

Cultural celebration

On March 19, 2016 — the night before the temple’s dedication — 4,500 youth participated in a cultural celebration at Brigham Young University’s Marriott Center. The event, titled “Beauty for Ashes” (Isaiah 61:3), was attended by Church leaders like President Russell M. Nelson, president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; and Elder M. Russell Ballard and Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

March

2016

Dedication

The Provo City Center Temple was dedicated on March 20, 2016, by Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He presided over the first two of three dedicatory sessions, then President Russell M. Nelson, president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, presided over the third.

The Provo City Center Temple was announced on Oct. 1, 2011, by President Thomas S. Monson, 16th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. On May 12, 2012, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presided over the groundbreaking of the house of the Lord.

After an open house from Jan. 15 to March 5, 2016, Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated the Provo City Center Temple on March 20, 2016, during three sessions.

Architecture and Design of the Provo City Center Temple

The Provo City Center Temple has an area of 85,084 square feet and a height of 150 feet. Around the building is an exterior of red sandstone bricks and arched art-glass windows. Above the edifice are blue, conical towers, one on each of the four corners and one above a white tower in the center. Blue gable roofs also sit around the towers.

Inside the edifice is a theme of Victorian interior design to preserve the historic beauty of the Provo Tabernacle. The motif of flowers can be seen around the interior, such as columbine flowers in wood carvings, the lotus flower in art glass and sunflowers on wood panels in the bride’s room. Design elements that survived the tabernacle’s fire — like wood moldings, newel posts and balustrades — were used as models to produce similar woodwork.

African mahogany and walnut wood decorate the interior, such as in the staircases, railings, door frames and furniture. Within the baptistry is an oval-shaped font, with rose gold granite from India. Inside the main entrance is an early-1900s stained-glass depiction of Christ, reclaimed from a demolished Presbyterian church in New York.