Title: Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple — Facts, Design, and Construction Update
Overview
The Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple is a major new temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located at 2200 Temple Hill Dr, Provo, UT 84604. Announced by President Russell M. Nelson on October 3, 2021, the building is a large, modern temple project that will become the sixth temple in the state of Utah.
Site and Location
- Address: 2200 Temple Hill Dr, Provo, UT 84604.
- Site size: The new temple will be built on a 17-acre site. This is larger than the previous site’s 15 acres because a road that was at the old front of the temple was removed for the new project.
- Elevation: The temple sits at approximately 4,876 feet (1,486 meters) above sea level.
- Parking and meetinghouse access: The temple will not share a parking lot with a meetinghouse. A meetinghouse parking area is located off to the corner across the street.
Design and Materials
- Exterior: The temple’s exterior will be clad in granite.
- Spire and statue: The design features a single attached central spire. There will be no gold-leafed Angel Moroni statue on the new spire; the existing Angel Moroni statue from the earlier site is in storage.
- Size and scale: The Provo Rock Canyon Temple will be a large facility, approximately 163,000 square feet in total. Its vertical profile will reach about 81 meters (265 feet, 6 inches).
Timeline and Public Materials
- Announcement: October 3, 2021, by President Russell M. Nelson.
- Rendering release: The publicly released architectural rendering was issued November 24, 2021.
- Name change: The project was formerly referred to as the Provo Utah Temple; it was formally renamed the Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple on February 20, 2024.
- Construction start: Groundbreaking and construction activity began on February 24, 2024.
- Expected completion: The temple is projected to be completed in late 2027.
Context and Church Statistics at Announcement
At the time the temple was announced, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reported roughly 16.8 million members worldwide and there were approximately 500 congregations (wards and branches) in the state of Utah. The Provo Rock Canyon Temple will add to Utah’s temple presence as the state’s sixth operating or announced temple.
Significance
The Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple represents both continuity and change: it continues Provo’s longstanding temple heritage while introducing a new site layout, granite exterior, larger footprint, and a unique single-spire design without the traditional gold-leafed Angel Moroni statue displayed. Its location on Temple Hill will make it a prominent feature in the area, and its size and elevation contribute to a commanding presence on the Provo landscape.
If you’d like, I can prepare a timeline graphic, a list of nearby temples for comparison, or a short post you can use as an announcement update for your blog’s readers.