The new Orem Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will open to free, public tours starting Friday, and visitors will see designs that hark back to when the site was a fruit tree orchard.
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.) The cherry blossom theme can be seen in the window of this sealing room in the Orem Temple.
According to the Salt Lake City-based church, the 15.39-acre site at 1471 S. Geneva Road, just west of Interstate 15 near Utah Valley University, was settled by Norwegian immigrants in 1864. Latter-day Saint converts, the Williamsen family homesteaded the area — known as Lake View — and tended orchards there for “generations.”
The church bought the land in 2004.
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) The cherry blossom theme can be seen in this bannister of the Orem Temple.
Because of its history, the cherry blossom is the main design element of the temple’s interior finishes in the art glass, wood panels and metal handrails.
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) The cherry blossom theme can be seen in this chandelier in the Orem Temple.
The exterior and interior feature simple design, with natural materials. Marble wainscots and wood columns are used throughout become more articulated as visitors move through the ordinance rooms, ending in the Celestial Room. The woodwork is painted, and the wall coverings are subtle to allow attention to focus on what takes place in the various rooms. The secondary spaces are simpler.
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) The cherry blossom theme can be seen in these windows of the Orem Temple.
The Orem Temple was announced by church President Russell M. Nelson at the October 2019 General Conference. Construction on the 70,000-square-foot structure began in 2020.
Tours start Friday and continue daily through Dec. 16, with the exception of Sundays and Thanksgiving Day. The temple is scheduled to be dedicated Jan. 21.
(Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) An arson fire damaged the Latter-day Saint temple when it was under construction in Orem.
Fire broke out while the temple was under construction in July 2022. Firefighters quickly doused the blaze, but the building suffered “significant smoke damage throughout the entire temple,” according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, resulting thousands of dollars in damage. No one was injured.
ATF determined that the fire was arson and offered a $5,000 reward for information. No arrests have been made.
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) The Celestial Room in the Orem Temple.
Latter-day Saints view a temple as a House of the Lord, a place where the faithful participate in their religion’s highest ordinances, including eternal marriage.
There are 15 temples currently operating in Utah — Bountiful, Brigham City, Cedar City, Draper, Jordan River (South Jordan), Logan, Monticello, Mount Timpanogos (American Fork), Ogden, Oquirrh Mountain (South Jordan), Payson, Provo (set to close in February 2024 to undergo a massive makeover), Provo City Center (converted from the former Provo Tabernacle), Saratoga Springs (dedicated in August) and Vernal.
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) The brides' room inside the Orem Temple.
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) The baptistry, with oxen below the font representing the 12 tribes of Israel, in the Orem Temple.
The dedication of the Orem and St. George’s Red Cliffs temples (set for March 24) along with the rededication of the St. George Temple (scheduled for Dec. 10) will boost that tally to 18.
Eventually, that number will swell to 28. The iconic Salt Lake and Manti temples are undergoing renovations. And eight more temples are either under construction or have been announced in Utah: Deseret Peak (Tooele), Ephraim, Heber Valley, Layton, Lindon, Smithfield, Syracuse and Taylorsville.
