Facilities hosting a new guest experience at Temple Square are among the latest focus of construction in the ongoing Salt Lake Temple/Temple Square renovation project in downtown Salt Lake City.
Two ground-level pavilions and a multilevel guest building are being built in the area where the South Visitors’ Center previously stood on Temple Square. Demolition of the visitors’ center was done in early 2020, and with crews having completed excavation of the area, the pavilions and guest building are being erected.
An aerial rendering from March 2022 of the renovated Temple Square and the Main Street Plaza in Salt Lake City, Utah. The guest pavilions can be seen to the right (south) of the Salt Lake Temple.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
An update on the facilities and experience was published Monday, Sept. 26, on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
The above-ground pavilions — offering direct and unobstructed views of the Salt Lake Temple from the same south side as the South Visitors’ Center — will be connected by a large, underground hall with new experiences introducing guests to the temple and its purpose.
This photo from September 2022 shows the area where the South Visitors’ Center used to stand on Temple Square in Salt Lake City and the start of construction of a new multi-level guest building featuring new guest exhibits.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The upper level of the guest building will house a statue of Jesus Christ and an updated cutaway scale model of the Salt Lake Temple. The lower level will feature an ongoing temple open-house experience, including replicas of sacred temple ordinance rooms, such as a baptismal font and instruction, sealing and celestial rooms.
The guest building and pavilions will provide visitors with an experience to help understand Heavenly Father’s plan of happiness, the role of the Savior Jesus Christ in that plan, the purposes of temples to unite families for eternity and the importance of families as society’s foundation.
The facilities and the experience are expected to open to the public when the Salt Lake Temple renovation is complete in 2025.
This photo shows the area in September 2022 where the South Visitors’ Center used to stand on Temple Square in Salt Lake City and the start of construction of a new multilevel guest building featuring new exhibits.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints