Which Floors on the Salt Lake Temple Were Renovated (2019–2025)?

The renovation primarily focused on several key areas:

• Interior Main Assembly Floors: These include the celestial room, sealing rooms, and the assembly halls. These spaces underwent careful restoration to preserve their historic design, murals, and finishing details.
• Mezzanines and Corridors: Modern upgrades were made to improve accessibility, lighting, and fire safety, while maintaining original architectural features.
• Foundational and Underground Levels: Significant reinforcement and expansion occurred below ground, adding new sealing rooms and office space, including a new underground baptistry.
• Roof and Spires: Although technically not floors, the roof structure and spires were reinforced and repaired, including work on the golden spires at the top.

Note: The upper, sacred interior spaces (such as the celestial room and sealing rooms) were carefully preserved or restored, while parts of the mechanical and electrical infrastructure were upgraded throughout various levels.

What Was Preserved in the Salt Lake Temple?

• Murals and Artwork: Many historic murals, especially those depicting religious scenes, were documented, carefully removed for preservation, and then reinstalled after structural work.
• Architectural Details: Original stained-glass windows, ornate moldings, and woodwork were restored or preserved, reflecting the Victorian-era craftsmanship.
• Key Decorative Features: The cast-iron oxen at the baptismal font, Tiffany stained-glass windows, and decorative stone staircases were restored to their original state.
• Historic Finishes: The original dark woods, fixtures, and detailed interior finishes from 1893 were restored to maintain the authentic atmosphere.

What Was Removed from the Salt Lake Temple (with no intention to return)?

• Murals and Paintings: Some murals were removed temporarily for seismic and structural work. These artistic pieces are being preserved for future reinstallation, but temporarily left out during construction.
• Outdated Mechanical & Electrical Systems: Old wiring, HVAC components, and plumbing that were no longer up to code or energy-efficient standards were removed and replaced.
• Non-Original Interior Elements: Certain non-historic, modern interior finishes or fixtures that conflicted with the preservation standards were removed or replaced.
• Old Lighting & Fixtures: Outdated lighting fixtures were replaced with new, historically sensitive LED lighting to better illuminate the interiors.

In summary:

• The renovation mainly refreshed the interior floors hosting sacred spaces—such as the celestial room and sealing rooms—while ensuring historic murals and artwork were preserved.
• The upper interior decoration, key architectural features, murals, and fixtures from 1893 were carefully preserved or restored.
• Murals and some non-essential or outdated fixtures were temporarily removed during construction with plans for future reinstallation, not discarded permanently.
• The foundation, roof, and structural elements saw significant reinforcement, ensuring the temple’s resilience for generations to come.