A new video shows what’s happened in the first four months of renovation work for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ iconic Salt Lake Temple — all in about 30 seconds.
The church released a time-lapse video Thursday of the early work in the four-year renovation project.
So far, it’s more digging than building. The view looks down on the temple’s south side and the courtyard area between the temple and where the South Visitors’ Center used to be.
The video shows crews removing the small fountain in that courtyard, and digging up the sod and sidewalks around it. Then, one can see excavators starting to expose the foundation of the temple’s south wall.
The temple closed Dec. 29 to begin the four-year renovation and seismic upgrade of the landmark building. The earthquake that hit the Salt Lake Valley on March 18 demonstrated the need for the seismic retrofitting, when the statue of the Angel Moroni dropped its trumpet during the shaking.
The temple — begun by Mormon pioneers in 1853 and dedicated 40 years later — is scheduled to reopen in 2024. A public open house is planned, the first time since 1893 that people outside the faith will be allowed to enter, followed by a rededication.
