After receiving major renovations, both inside and out, for nearly four years, the St. George Utah Temple will begin its free public open house later this week! Latter-day Saints in the area have been patiently awaiting the re-opening, so those in the area are surely very excited for the rededication that is scheduled for December 10th. The temple was originally only planned to be closed for around two years. But among other delays, Covid-19 did not help anything. We’re just glad that the time has finally come to re-open the temple.

The public is invited to tour the temple during the free open house, which will begin this Friday, September 15, and go for nearly two months through Saturday, November 11, excluding Sundays and Saturday, September 30, due to general conference. Free reservations can be made online.

As far as the renovations go, they included extensive structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and finish work. The temple has an all-new heating, air conditioning and cooling system, LED lighting, and state-of-the-art high-efficiency systems throughout. Great care was taken to preserve the original beauty and the intent of the temple’s original craftsmanship. The north and west additions to the temple have been rebuilt to match the original architecture of the building. The sacred structure is now more accessible, with added elevators, better stairs, walkways and hallways. There is also a new baptistry entrance on the south side of the temple and a bride’s exit on the northeast corner.

A number of significant changes were also made to the temple grounds, and the entire temple block, which is now improved with new walkways, landscaping, water features, and additional shade trees. The landscaping now includes water-wise plants, and the irrigation system is enhanced with secondary water.

The St. George Temple is actually the very first temple that was built and finished in the west. We word it that way because the Nauvoo Temple and the Kirtland Temple were built first. But once the St. George Temple was finished, neither was in operation. The temple was originally dedicated in 1877, ahead of the Salt Lake Temple, which wasn’t dedicated until 1893. This is actually the second time the St. George Temple has received extensive renovations. It was remodeled extensively in the mid-’70s, and then rededicated in 1975 by President Spencer W. Kimball.

Below photos courtesy of Church Newsroom.