Provo Utah Temple

Story

The Provo Utah Temple is the 17th constructed and 15th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . Located in the city of Provo, Utah, it was built with a modern single-spire design, similar to the original design of the Ogden Utah Temple.Since Provo’s early years, a hill just northeast of downtown Provo was known as "Temple Hill." Instead of a temple, however, the Maeser Building was built on the hill in 1911 as a part of the Brigham Young University campus. A 17acre block of property at the base of Rock Canyon was chosen as the site for the Provo Temple.The intention to construct a temple in Provo was announced by the LDS Church on August 14, 1967, and a groundbreaking ceremony was held on September 15, 1969, with construction beginning soon thereafter. Emil B. Fetzer, the architect for the Ogden and Provo temples, was asked to create a functional design with efficiency, convenience, and reasonable cost as key factors.The temple was dedicated on February 9, 1972, by LDS Church president Joseph Fielding Smith. The two dedicatory services were broadcast to several large auditoriums on the BYU campus, including the 22,700-seat Marriott Center. The temple has 6 ordinance rooms and 12 sealing rooms, and has a total floor area of 128325sqft. Thirty-one years after the temple's completion, a statue of the Angel Moroni was added to the spire, which itself was changed from gold to white.