The Orem Utah Temple, the 188th dedicated temple in operation, is a significant religious structure located at 1451 S 1100 W in Orem, Utah, 84058. Announced on October 5, 2019, the temple’s groundbreaking and site dedication took place on September 5, 2020, under the leadership of Craig C. Christensen, the president of the Utah Area.
A public open house for the temple was held from October 27 to December 16, 2023, allowing the community to explore its beautiful interiors and unique features. The temple is built on a 15.39-acre site and includes a chapel in the same parking lot.
Architecturally, the Orem Utah Temple is notable for its exterior finish, which features pedras salgadas granite sourced from Portugal. The design embraces a symmetrical three-story steel structure with a central spire, and it does not include a gold-leafed Angel Moroni statue atop the spire.
Inside, the temple houses four instruction rooms, four sealing rooms, and one baptistry, all within a total square footage of 71,998. The height of the temple reaches 218 feet, sitting at an elevation of 4,539 feet above sea level. It is the nineteenth temple constructed in Utah and the sixth in Utah County.
At the time of the announcement, the Orem area was experiencing significant growth, with 26 stakes and additional wards on the rise. The land for the temple was purchased in 2004 from the Niels Williamson family, Norwegian emigrants who settled in the area in 1870. Notably, three descendants of the Williamson family attended the groundbreaking ceremony.
The architectural rendering of the temple was unveiled to the public on June 24, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the groundbreaking ceremony was relatively small. Elder Craig C. Christensen remarked that the Orem Utah Temple would serve as “an added refuge of strength in an increasingly uncertain world — a holy place where we learn and live more fully the great plan of happiness made possible by our Savior, Jesus Christ.”
Landscaping around the temple incorporates various plant species, including Norwegian sunset maple, snow queen hydrangeas, common periwinkle, whirling butterflies, bigtooth maple, and white fir. The beautiful interiors feature flooring made of Crema Marfil marble from Turkey, fabricated in California. The flooring showcases stunning patterns with diamond shapes, circular accents, and a cherry leaf border in shades of cream, red, green, and brown.
The temple windows, designed with taupe hues and art glass, feature cherry blossom motifs and depictions of the wetlands surrounding Utah Lake, including water, cattails, and bulrushes. The Orem Utah Temple stands as a beautiful testament to faith and community in Utah.