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St. George temple renovation plans unveiled, to begin later this year
May 22, 2019, 2:01 PM
New temple annex perspective. Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
ST GEORGE, Utah — We now know what the renovated St. George Temple will look like and when restoration work will begin.
Plans unveiled Wednesday include a new annex, new plaza, updated and restored artwork, furniture, lighting and features throughout the nearly 150-year-old building.
The plans call for restoring many things from the 19th Century, before the 1970s renovation. They also include extensive structure, mechanical, plumbing and finish work.
Church historians say the St. George Utah Temple is one of the most historically significant buildings in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, serving church members in southwestern Utah and parts of Nevada and Arizona.
“The St. George Temple is one of the most beautiful, premier temples in all the world, and definitely in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” said the managing director of special projects department, Brent Roberts.
The temple will close November 4, 2019, and reopen in 2022.
“We recognize that our ancestors had a part to play in building this temple. This community is so ingrained with the labor of love of those great ancestors,” said Ralph Atkin, Regional Director, St. George Public Affairs Council.
Roberts said they are most excited about the open house when it’s all done.
“It has been 50 years since the doors of the St. George Temple were open to the public, generally,” said Roberts. All members of the community will be invited to the open house, to be scheduled and planned at a later date.
Roberts said 12,000 youth and 90,0000 adults go to that temple, but it also sees a lot of visitors from around the world. They are expected to go to either Cedar City or Las Vegas temples during construction.
