Saratoga Springs Utah Temple

Saratogaprings S

WATCHING A TEMPLE GROW

Family documents construction from their backyard.

THE ANGEL MORONI

The significance & meaning of this temple topper.

ART GLASS

New temple offers a new experience for Holdman Studios.

Photo by Cleber T. de Souza

Photo by Jessica Lewis

A NEW TEMPLE Rises

On April 2, 2017, Thomas S. Monson, then president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spoke the following words during the Sunday morning session of the church’s April 2017 General Conference:

“My dear brothers and sisters, I greet you most warmly as we are met again in a great general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Before I begin my formal message today, I would like to announce five new temples which will be built in the following locations: Brasília, Brazil; greater Manila, Philippines, area; Nairobi, Kenya; Pocatello, Idaho, USA; and Saratoga Springs, Utah, USA.”

It was the last time President Monson would speak in General Conference, and the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple was the last temple he would announce before his death on Jan. 2, 2018.

The announcement came just one year after the dedication of the Provo City Center Temple, a project that created a temple out of the ashes of a fire that destroyed the former Provo Tabernacle. Because of the unique construction techniques used for the Provo City Center Temple and the love church members had for the former tabernacle, this temple’s construction was eagerly followed by church members not only in Utah Valley but across the world.

With that new temple having opened so recently in the valley, the announcement of another temple in Utah Coun-

Photo by Karl Schempp, karlschemppphotography.com

Saratoga Springs Temple

ty came as a surprise to many. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ living in Saratoga Springs did not expect the astounding news that was delivered that day: a new temple was to be built in their city.

They would wait two long years before an exact location for the temple was announced, although some speculated that an area full of corn fields located about 1.5 miles west of the shore of Utah Lake could be the place, particularly where a small hill rose up from the agricultural land.

On May 7, 2019, the temple’s location was revealed to be in those corn fields. It was formally announced that the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple would be constructed inside the Beacon Pointe subdivision west of Redwood Road and north of Meadow Side Drive.

The wait for the temple, however, was not over; there were still several long years of work ahead. Construction of the temple began in October of 2019.

The wait is now nearly complete.

The new 87,000-square-foot edifice rises from the area of that small hill in the cornfields. Its location offers a spectacular view of Utah Lake and the Wasatch Mountain range to the east. A single street, Founders Boulevard, provides a grand entrance up to the temple from Redwood Road.

The public will now get a glimpse of the interior of this impressive structure as an open house will begin Saturday, April 15, and run through July 8 (excluding Sundays). The temple will officially open after dedication ceremonies Aug. 13.

It’s been a long journey, but the end is near, and Saratoga Springs is about to become the home of one of 28 temples either operating or under construction in the state of Utah.

Reserve some time to view this magnificent structure that will serve as a landmark in western Utah Valley for many years to come.

TEMPLE Open House

On Saturday, April 15, a unique opportunity will begin for the public: the Saratoga Springs Utah temple will open to visitors. Generally, only members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may enter the church’s temples. When a new or recently remodeled temple opens, however, an open house for the public may be held, during which the public can tour the interior of the building.

That time has come for residents of Saratoga Springs and Utah Valley who have watched the new Saratoga Springs temple rising from farmland on the west side of Utah Lake. Following a media day on April 10 and private sessions for invited guests on April 11, the public open house for the temple will begin Saturday, April 15, and continue daily (excluding Sundays) through July 8.

The public is invited to take advantage of this open house to view the inside of the building and learn more about what happens inside its doors. Even after the open house is complete, all are welcome to enjoy the beautiful grounds of the temple.

Saratoga Springs Utah Temple PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE INFORMATION

DATES

Daily beginning April 15 and continuing through July 8 (excluding Sundays)

TIMES

Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

ADDRESS

987 S. Ensign Drive, Saratoga Springs

ADMISSION/RESERVATIONS

Admission is free; reservations are recommended. To make a reservation, visit churchofjesuschrist.org/featured/saratoga-springs-utah-open-house.

TOUR DURATION

Approximately 1 hour

WHAT TO EXPECT

Visitors will view a brief video overview followed by a short walking tour through the temple. Comfortable shoes and modest dress are recommended. The tour is wheelchair accessible. Service animals are not permitted in the temple. Please refrain from smoking on temple property.

Photo courtesy of the Brothersen Family

LONGEST OPEN HOUSE IN UTAH HISTORY

At 85 days long, the public open house for the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple will be the longest temple open house in Utah’s history.

Following is a list of Utah temple open houses and their length.

Saratoga Springs Utah Temple: April 15 to July 8, 2023 - 85 days

Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple: June 1 to Aug. 1, 2009 - 62 days

Draper Utah Temple: Jan. 15 to March 14, 2009 - 59 days

Provo City Center Temple: Jan. 15 to March 5, 2016 - 51 days

Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple: Aug. 6 to Sept. 21, 1996 - 47 days

Bountiful Utah Temple: Nov. 4 to Dec. 17, 1994 - 44 days

Jordan River Utah Temple (after temple renovation): March 17 to April 28, 2018 - 43 Days

Jordan River Utah Temple (original opening):  Sept. 29 to Oct. 31, 1981 - 33 days

Payson Utah Temple: April 24 to May 23, 2015 - 30 days

Brigham City Utah Temple: Aug. 18 to Sept. 15, 2012 - 29 days

Logan Utah Temple (after temple renovation): Feb. 5 to March 3, 1979 - 27 days

Cedar City Utah Temple: Oct. 27 to Nov. 18, 2017 - 23 days

Provo Utah Temple: Jan. 10-29, 1972 - 20 days

Vernal Utah Temple: Oct. 11-25, 1997 - 15 days

Ogden Utah Temple: Dec. 16-30, 1971 - 15 days

St. George Utah Temple (after temple renovation): Oct. 15–25, 1975 - 11 days

Monticello Utah Temple: July 16-18, 1998 - 3 days

Manti Utah Temple (after temple renovation): June 6-8, 1985 - 3 days

Salt Lake: April 5, 1893 - 1 day

The Saratoga Springs Utah Temple will be dedicated on Sunday, Aug. 13, by President Henry B. Eyring, second counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Three dedicatory sessions will be held that day at 9 a.m., noon and 3 p.m. The sessions will be broadcast to all units within the temple district.

People wait in line to tour the Payson Utah Temple during the second day of its open house on April 25, 2015.

Photo by Karl Schempp

Photo by Karl Schempp

Photo by Karl Schempp

Photo courtesy of the Brothersen family

Photo courtesy of the Brothersen family

CONSTRUCTION

Photo courtesy of the Brothersen family

Photo courtesy of the Brothersen family

Photo courtesy of the Brothersen family

Photo by Karl Schempp

Temple in the BACKYARD

FAMILY SHARES ITS EXPERIENCE WATCHING THE SARATOGA SPRINGS TEMPLE RISE

Members of the Brothersen family were just settling into their new Saratoga Springs home in 2009 when they started hearing the predictions.

“When we were moving our stuff in, people were like, one day, there’s going to be a temple out there. You watch,” said Karen Brothersen as she indicated the hundreds of acres of agricultural fields located just north of her home.

Today, a portion of the land is no longer used to grow corn. Instead, the new Saratoga Springs Utah Temple stands in the

midst of the fields, just as their neighbors anticipated.

It’s hard to imagine a better view of the new temple than from inside the Brothersens’ family room. The large windows there provide a breathtaking panorama of the temple, the Lake Mountains to the west, the northern end of Utah Lake and the Wasatch Mountains to the east.

Of course, this view gave the Brothersen family — Karen and her children Kaylee, Konnor, Kase and Kenzie — a frontrow seat for watching the temple’s construction.

Brothersen family members are, from left: Karen, Kenzie, Konnor, Kaylee and Kase.

Furniture & Awnings

“We were like, sweet, we get to watch the process of building it,” said 12-year-old Kase.

Their unique view inspired the family to create an Instagram account in November 2019 that documented the progress of the temple. They titled their Instagram account “saratogaspringstemple_backyard” to reflect the fact that they were, literally, watching this historic undertaking from their backyard.

They took pictures, wrote captions for the pictures, shot drone videos and broadcast video live on Instagram. Underlying their work was a desire to share what they were experiencing with others.

“I think that mainly it’s just to show people that can’t see” what the family is seeing, said 17-year-old Kaylee Brothersen.

They posted as they saw things happen. Karen’s calling at the time of the temple groundbreaking was stake Young Women president, so she got to participate in the groundbreaking ceremony. A picture on the family’s Instagram account shows her with her golden shovel.

They felt the explosions set off to ready the ground for

construction and caught some of the action in photos. They sat on their deck and watched the cranes lift metal beams and other items into place. Karen and 5-year-old Kenzie went for walks around the temple while the older children were at school. Karen watched as the fountains at the temple were turned on for the first time.

“I thought it was cool to see it go up piece by piece,” said 14-year-old Konnor.

Sometimes a couple of posts went up in one day; sometimes weeks went by between posts.

The Instagram account has attracted about 400 followers, but the response they’ve received seems to indicate it’s had a much larger reach. Karen said she has been approached by people she doesn’t know who say they have enjoyed viewing the family’s posts, and friends outside of the area have also commented about it.

“We’ve had a lot of traffic” on the account, Karen said. “In our stake conference, one of the stake presidency members even mentioned our Instagram account as a way of sharing the gospel, and so I thought that was really neat.”

A favorite moment was watching the Angel Moroni statue being placed on the temple. Karen heard it was going to happen and started keeping a watchful eye on the temple site.

“At first, I didn’t know exactly what time (the statue would arrive), but I saw the big trailer pull into the neighborhood, a long huge trailer that only could have encompassed Moroni. So I booked it over there,” Karen said. Other people also showed up to watch during the couple of hours she waited for the statue placement to occur.

Karen broadcast a video of the event live on Instagram.

“As soon as they pulled him out of the trailer, it was almost like both a reverence and an excitement happening together,” she said. “Some were cheering…. It was a really cool excitement and reverence all at the same time.”

Daughter Kaylee was able to watch the statue be placed during her lunch break at Westlake High School. Kenzie, Karen’s 5-year-old daughter, got to witness the event with her

Saratoga Springs Temple

Photo courtesy of the Brothersen family

Photo courtesy of the Brothersen family

mother. “It’s gold and it’s shiny a little bit when the sun hits it,” Kenzie said.

Karen has had a deep love for the temple ever since joining the church at age 20. She served a church mission at Temple Square in Salt Lake City, where she was able to attend the temple every week.

“I think what I want people to get out of our Instagram is not only just the nuts and bolts of it, the construction, but also the spirit behind it,” Karen said.

The temple’s construction came at a difficult point in her life, Karen said. “To have a temple right here, I could just tell that Heavenly Father was aware of me and going through hard times and that the temple would bring peace and protection that otherwise wouldn’t have happened,” she said.

As a single mom, she draws strength and peace from the temple.

“When I lay my head down on my pillow at night, it’s perfectly framed in the window,” she said. “It’s the perfect way to fall asleep and it’s the perfect way to wake up. It’s a heavenly nightlight for me.”

Those who want to go back in time and see for themselves the process of constructing this new Utah Valley temple can visit saratogaspringstemple_backyard and view all the Brothersen family’s posts.

Veteran, women, family owned

Photo courtesy of the Brothersen family

ArtTHE GlassOF

CREATING WINDOWS FOR SARATOGA SPRINGS TEMPLE WAS

PERSONAL FOR HOLDMAN STUDIOS

Holdman Studios has created art glass windows for more than 100 temples for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but to the studio’s artists, the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple is a bit different.

It’s been a much more personal experience.

The temple is visible from Lehi’s Thanksgiving Point area where Holdman Studios is located, and some Holdman Studios artists actually live in the new Saratoga Springs temple district. When a walk-through of the temple was conducted for the crews who helped construct it, Holdman Studios’ entire staff went on the tour — something the studio has never been able to do before.

“I see it as our temple for our studio,” said Holdman Studios owner Tom Holdman. “As we gaze upon the windows, all of the cut fingers and the cracked pieces of glass and accidents that have happened along the journey will fade.”

Holdman Studios artists rarely have an opportunity to see their work installed in the place it was designed to occupy. Most of the time, their creations are carefully packed and shipped to the final destination, never to be seen again.

“We have had the opportunity to do stained glass in over 50 countries around the world,” Holdman said. “Here, in Saratoga Springs, was an opportunity for us to see it complete in the structure, and that’s something we don’t often get the chance to do.”

Holdman Studios has worked on or provided design assistance for art glass windows in about 150 Church of Jesus Christ temples around the world. In March, Holdman Studios had members of its team helping install windows in the Layton Utah Temple, the Orem Utah Temple, the Red Cliffs Utah Temple and the Cobán Guatemala Temple.

Saratoga Springs Temple

Design work on the Saratoga Springs temple began in January of 2019; the last windows were installed in the temple in the fall of 2022. Holdman Studios created a total of 567 art glass windows for the temple, which required more than 95,000 individual pieces of glass.

Designing art glass windows for a temple is very much a collaborative effort, Holdman said. Church architects and designers meet together with Holdman Studios artists to discuss and draft ideas.

“When a temple is announced, we then work together as a team,” Holdman said. “We think about how we can help the patron when they enter (the temple) to make it feel like they are home, how to help them to feel comfortable so they can go into their inner self and feel the impressions that they need to hear.”

As part of the design process, Holdman said his team studies the culture, architecture, art and natural surroundings of the temple’s location.

“For instance, on the Red Cliffs temple that we are doing, we studied what botany is special to the area,” he said.

When design elements are decided upon for a temple, those elements are utilized throughout various aspects of the structure, from the stained-glass windows to the stonework and decorative painting. Holdman said temple patrons may not consciously notice this, but they will feel the harmony it creates.

“They feel a congruency through the temple, and that helps them feel more at peace with themselves,” he said.

Evident on the outside of the Saratoga Springs temple and in its art glass windows are motifs of mountains, sky and water. Textured glass in the windows creates a path, or river, from mountains above to waters below. To Holdman, this represents both the flow of physical water from the mountains above Utah Valley to Utah Lake and the flow of “living water” from Jesus Christ.

Creation of the Saratoga Springs art glass windows was not without challenges. “This is the first temple where COVID affected it as far as getting materials, and accomplishing the goal was a lot harder because there were supply chain issues with the glass,” said Aaron Yorgason, vice president of and lead designer at Holdman Studios.

Shipments of needed materials were delayed, which meant extra labor had to be hired to get the work done on time when materials finally arrived. Some glass manufacturers went out of business.

Similar supply problems continue to this day, but Holdman Studios has been able to weather the difficulties “through diligence and by divine intervention,” Holdman said.

“There are many miracles that happened in the completion of this temple,” he said, such as receiving inspiration regarding how to accomplish a seemingly impossible task or finding a needed material in the back room of a supplier’s facility where it had been stored for years.

Stained glass has a long history; created around A.D. 1000 in Europe, it was used as an education tool to help people who could not read learn the stories in the Bible.

“From the beginning, it was created as its own language,” Holdman said. “As you look at a visual image, it speaks to you; whether you speak English or Spanish or Japanese, you understand it. Whether you are a member of our church or of a different church, it still speaks to you and you understand it. And that’s the power of art, and it is enhanced by stained glass.”

Unlike other forms of art, stained glass has the additional aspect of light. How one experiences the art will differ depending on whether one is inside or outside, or whether it’s a sunny day or a cloudy one.

This fact makes viewing art glass a fascinating and engaging experience.

“As the sun rolls across the sky, the stained glass will alter and change,” Holdman said. “So it’s not just one piece of art, but hundreds of pieces of art, and so it is an ever-moving experience.”

Yorgason said having art glass in a temple adds a great deal to the visitor’s experience. “It’s a huge factor in the overall aura or feel of the interior,” he said. “It’s a large part of the patron experience because when you’re in the temple, there’s a lot of time when you’re reflecting” and can take time to view the stained-glass windows.

Both Holdman and Yorgason, who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said they have felt inspiration from heaven while working on temple projects.

“Sometimes we present something and it’s rejected, and I’ve had to get on my knees to get revelation because it wasn’t what I thought it would be,” Yorgason said.

“I feel like our team gets inspiration from above, that God is the ultimate artist and we are tools in his hand. I absolute-

ly believe that,” Holdman said.

It is fulfilling to know people will soon walk through the temple and feel the emotions the art glass was created to help them experience, Holdman said.

“Through the inspirations and the agonies of the process, what helps us through that, what helps us through the years’ worth of work, is knowing that you have the ability to share how you feel about the beauty of God’s creations,” he said. “For me, it’s amazing. I’m totally excited.”

The Saratoga Springs temple won’t be the last time Holdman Studios contributes to temple building in Utah Valley; the studio has also been working on windows for the new temples in Orem and Lindon.

Saratoga Springs Temple

Photos Courtesy of Holdman Studios

W e o f f e r a l u x u r y c u s t o m

c o n s t r u c t i o n c o m p a n y s e r v i n g

t h e g r e a t e r U t a h V a l l e y a r e a .

Angel Moroni THE FACTS ABOUT THE ICONIC TEMPLE SYMBOL

Amyth persists that all angel Moroni statues on temples face east; many do, but some do not.

For example, the angel Moroni on the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple faces west.

According to an article on churchofjesuschrist.org, scripture indicates that in the Second Coming, Christ will return from the east, and church guidelines indicate that where possible, angel Moroni statues on temples should face east. Occasionally, however, the orientation of the temple may result in the statue facing in a different direction.

The main door of the Saratoga Springs temple is located on the building’s west side; thus, the angel Moroni on the temple faces toward the front of the temple.

The Layton Utah Temple also has a west-facing angel Moroni. The statue was placed on the west spire of the temple in March of 2022. This temple is under construction and scheduled for completion in late 2023.

The first temple to be topped with an angel was the original Nauvoo Temple. It was a weathervane depicting a horizontal flying angel that was not identified as Moroni. That temple was destroyed by fire in 1848. The new Nauvoo Illinois Temple, which was dedicated in 2002, has an angel Moroni statue on top of its single spire, and that statue also faces west.

Photo by Karl Schempp, karlschemppphotography.com

The church’s renderings of many recently announced and under-construction temples show they will not feature an angel Moroni statue. Of the 10 temples currently under construction in Utah — Layton, Orem, Taylorsville, Red Cliffs (St. George), Deseret Peak (Tooele), Syracuse, Lindon, Smithfield, Ephraim and Heber Valley — only the Red Cliffs and Layton temple rendering shows an angel Moroni statue placed on its spire.

Three Utah temples never had an angel Moroni statue: Logan, Manti and St. George. The Ogden and Provo temples were built without Angel Moroni statues but had them added later. When first constructed, the Monticello temple has a white angel Moroni statue, but it proved hard to see against a cloudy sky. It was replaced with a gold-leafed version.

WHO WAS MORONI?

Moroni was the last Nephite prophet in the Book of Mormon. His father, Mormon, gave him a set of plates containing a historical record. Moroni added to the record, then sealed up the plates and hid them in the Hill Cumorah.

In 1823, three years after Joseph Smith’s vision of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, Moroni appeared to him and told him where the plates were buried. Moroni continued giving instruction to Smith until 1827, when he delivered the plates to Smith.

Smith translated the plates, which became the text of the Book of Mormon.

ORIGIN OF THE STATUE

The Salt Lake Temple was the first temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to feature an angel Moroni statue atop one of its spires. The statue was crafted by Springville sculptor Cyrus E. Dallin, whose artwork impressed Church President Wilford Woodruff.

When first asked by President Woodruff if he would accept a commission to create a representation of the angel Moroni for the temple, Dallin declined, citing as his reasons that

he was not a member of the church and “didn’t believe in angels.”

Woodruff persisted, asking Dallin to continue considering the idea and consult with his mother Jane Dallin about it. During a visit to Springville, Dallin asked his mother, a religious woman, for her opinion, and she encouraged him to

The angel Moroni statue by Springville sculptor Cyrus E. Dallin is shown on the Salt Lake Temple shortly after it was installed. Used by permission, Utah State Historical Society.

accept the offer.

When he argued that he did not believe in angels, she said, “Why do you say that? Every time you return home and take me in your arms you call me your angel mother.”

Jane persuaded her son to study the scriptures and Mormon theology in order to interpret the character of the angel Moroni. He found his inspiration in Revelation 14:6: “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.”

Dallin’s plaster model of the sculpture was completed by October of 1891. The 12-and-a-half-foot-tall statue was then fabricated out of copper and covered with 22-carat gold leaf.

On April 6, 1892, 40,000 people gathered at Temple Square to see the placement of the topstone and angel Moroni statue on the temple.

Years later, Dallin said, “I considered that my ‘angel Moroni’ brought me nearer to God than anything I ever did. It seemed to me that I came to know what it means to commune with angels from heaven.”

Other artists have gone on to design angel Moroni statues for various temples. In 1978, Karl Quilter and LaVar Wallgren developed a process of casting fiberglass, making it possible to create lightweight statues less expensively.

When Church President Gordon B. Hinckley brought forth the concept of smaller temples, Quilter was asked to design a version of Moroni that could be adapted for temples of different sizes.

ATTRACTING LIGHTNING

Today’s angel Moroni statues have a copper rod running through them vertically that extends for several inches above the top of the sculpture and attaches to a grounding cable at the bottom. This serves as a lightning rod and assists in

attaching the sculpture to the building.

The angel Moroni statue on top of the Bountiful Utah Temple was hit by lightning in 2016, putting holes in the head and back of the statue. The statue was replaced less than two weeks later.

Lightning hit the angel Moroni atop the Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple in 2009 during the temple’s open house. The statue was blackened in several places. It was later replaced.

Sources: churchofjesuschrist.org/study/new-era/2009/11/looking-up-to-moroni?lang=eng churchofjesuschristtemples.org facebook.com/LaytonLDSTemple newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/angel-moroni-statues-on-temples https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/gs/moroni-son-of-mormon?lang=eng “Cyrus E. Dallin: Let Justice Be Done” by Rell

G. Francis

Lightning struck and blackened the statue of the angel Moroni on top of the Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple in 2009. Photo courtesy Steve Allison

Photo courtesy of the Brothersen family

Extraordinary

25 YEARS & Counting

SARATOGA SPRINGS CITY SEES AMAZING GROWTH DURING ITS SHORT HISTORY

After decades of operation on the shore of Utah Lake, the popular Saratoga Resort closed for good in 1993. That loss to the area, however, led to the formation of one of Utah County’s fastest-growing communities.

Investors purchased the former resort land and work began on creating Saratoga Springs, a 600-acre master-planned community in the area. By July of 1997, curbs, gutters and sidewalks were in place and home builders were on site.

At the time, it was one of the largest master-planned communities in the state.

Homes went up as fast and they could be built, and the developers and landowners became interested in seeing the area incorporated as a city.

On Dec. 30, 1997, the Utah County Commission approved the creation of the Town of Saratoga Springs. The new town encompassed 6,944 acres and was home to less than 200 residents.

“We want to keep this a model city that maintains and improves on the standards of living that brought people to the area,” said Robert Kramer, a member of the newly created Saratoga Springs Town Council, at the time.

In a May 9, 2017, article in the Daily Herald, then Saratoga Springs City Councilman Bud Poduska recalled his experience of moving into a newly constructed home located five

miles south of the Saratoga Springs neighborhood development. He only had a handful of neighbors, most of the roads were still gravel, and there were no grocery stores, schools, churches or gas stations.

“It was all just farms and sage brush. When we had to drive into Lehi for something, sometimes we’d call the neighbor and say, ‘Hey, I’m low on gas, can you follow me in?’ It was a bit like the wild, wild West,” Poduska said.

It’s not a small town hidden in western Utah County anymore. Since its formal beginning, Saratoga Springs has experienced explosive residential growth. By 2010, its population had grown to around 18,000; in 2020, there were more than 38,000 residents.

Just 23 years after its incorporation, Saratoga Springs had grown to become Utah’s 24th-largest city. In fact, the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development identified Saratoga Springs as experiencing the fastest growth rate in the state from 2000 to 2010: 1,672.8%.

The growth hasn’t slowed down; it appears residents can look forward to a continued increase in population well into the future. The Saratoga Springs city website states the city is expected to have more than 120,000 residents at build out.

Commercial growth took a while to catch up with residential development, but eventually it exploded as well. Instead of having to drive to Lehi or even the Provo/Orem area, resi-

Photo courtesy Saratoga Springs City

dents now enjoy visiting major retailers such as Walmart and Costco as well as a wide variety of restaurants within their own community.

AnnElise’ Harrison, public relations specialist and events supervisor for Saratoga Springs City, listed a few reasons she believes people have been drawn to the city.

“First, location, location, location,” she said. Saratoga Springs lies in between the Salt Lake City metropolitan area and the Provo/Orem area, meaning having a home in Saratoga Springs is a good choice for people working in either area. It also means a job change from Salt Lake County to Utah County is less likely to require a family to move.

“I think the other thing about Saratoga Springs is you can kind of get away” from the city, Harrison said.

Despite all the development, there’s still a lot of open space in the city, and residents enjoy beautiful views of Utah Lake and the Wasatch mountain range.

The city’s location near the Jordan River, Utah Lake and the Lake Mountains also provides residents with a lot of outdoor activities.

“There’s just so many different recreational opportunities right outside of people’s back doors, and I think that is appealing to people,” Harrison said.

Saratoga Springs City has developed a variety of popular parks within its borders, including Neptune Park, which

includes pavilions, an event stage and a playground with a unique 30-foot-tall climbing structure.

Shay Park has a train theme and miniature train tracks where train rides are periodically offered. Patriot Park has a baseball theme and is home to baseball and softball fields, pickleball courts, a playground and pavilions. A mountain bike park was finished last year in the city, Harrison said.

Last year, Saratoga Springs celebrated its 25th year as a city, and this year, thousands of people will join the city’s residents in a celebration of the opening of the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple, the latest notable event to occur in the city.

As we mark this significant moment for Saratoga Springs, here is a look back at some of the significant events that have occurred during the city’s history.

EVENTS IN THE HISTORY OF SARATOGA SPRINGS

MAY 2003

The new $1 million Saratoga Springs Marina opens. Visitors to the new marina were now able to access the lake more easily. As part of the marina’s redesign, a new boat launch was built and the harbor dredged by 4 to 5 feet, making it easier for boats to drop.

DECEMBER 1997

Saratoga Springs City is incorporated.

MAY 2003

The Crossroads Shopping Center, Saratoga Springs’ first major commercial development, opens at 1320 N. Redwood Road. Residents who formerly had to drive to Lehi to buy milk could now purchase it and other essentials in their own city.

SEPTEMBER 2003

Saratoga Springs purchases a $2.5 million water system in the southern part of the city, the first step to running its own water utilities.

Photo by Jeff Beck

EVENTS IN THE HISTORY OF SARATOGA SPRINGS

JANUARY 2004

Saratoga Springs’ first medical office, the Crossroads Office Complex, begins construction.

MAY 2004

The TalonsCove Golf Club opens in Saratoga Springs. The city’s first full-service restaurant was anticipated to open in the course’s clubhouse in August 2004.

JANUARY 2008

Saratoga Springs reaches its 10th anniversary. Ken Leetham, Saratoga Springs city manager at the time, estimates the city had about 30 retail businesses, five medical/dental offices and about 50,000 square feet of other professional office space.

JANUARY 2009

Construction on the Pioneer Crossing expressway begins. This east-west transportation route was highly anticipated as it would ease traffic congestion through Lehi by providing another route for residents of Saratoga Springs and other western Utah County communities to get in and out of their cities and access the I-15 freeway.

SEPTEMBER 2009

JUNE 2012

A wildfire designated as the Dump Fire burns thousands of acres of land near Saratoga Springs, forcing the evacuation of many residents. Mayor Mia Love estimated one-third of her city was displaced.

AUGUST 2004

Saratoga Shores Elementary School

— the city’s first elementary school — opens with more than 600 students attending class in portable units. Their new school building, under construction across the street, would not open until August 2005.

The Saratoga Springs City Council votes to purchase $62 million worth of federal water for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As part of the agreement, the city also agreed to annex nearly 3,000 acres of church farmland and would compel some smaller landowners to join the annexation. The water would allow the business arm of the church to develop its land plus as much as several thousand more acres in the area.

AUGUST 2010

The Pioneer Crossing expressway opens.

JULY 2013

The Daily Herald reports Saratoga Springs is experiencing a restaurant boom with a Wendy’s under construction, a Taco Bell and Panda Express planning to start construction in the fall, and four more restaurants on track to open in 2014.

JANUARY 2015

Mia Love, a former mayor of Saratoga Springs, is sworn in as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives representing Utah’s 4th District. She was the first Black female Republican to serve in the U.S. Congress.

JUNE 2006

Saratoga Springs City announces its first big box retail store — a Super Walmart — will be built in the city at the intersection of State Road 73 and Redwood Road.

FEBRUARY 2007

Saratoga Springs’ first McDonald’s restaurant opens.

MARCH 2011

The Saratoga Springs City Children’s Library opens after the community raised tens of thousands of dollars to support the project.

APRIL 2017

The Saratoga Springs Utah Temple is announced by Thomas S. Monson, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, during the church’s April 2017 General Conference.

Saratoga Shores Elementary School opened in 2005 after students spent a year attending class in portable units.

A golfer plays a round at the TalonsCove Golf Club.

Workers prepare for the official opening of the Pioneer Crossing expressway in 2010.

Smoke and flames are seen over homes as the Dump Fire burns near Saratoga Springs in 2012.

Mia Love is sworn in as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2015.

DECEMBER 2017

Saratoga Springs reaches its 20th anniversary.

APRIL 2019

Patriot Park opens as the first baseball park in the city.

JUNE 2019

Saratoga Springs City announces that a Costco will be built in the city.

OCTOBER 2019

An extension of the Mountain View Corridor opens from 2100 North and Redwood Road in Lehi to S.R. 73 in Saratoga Springs.

DECEMBER 2019

The new Saratoga Springs Public Safety Building opens at 367 S. Saratoga Road.

Saratoga Springs’ new Public Safety Building opened in 2019.

Sources:

“Large development revives Saratoga area,” by Bekki Janson, The Daily Herald, July 3, 1997

“Saratoga Springs officially a town,” by Donald W. Meyers, The Daily Herald, Dec. 31, 1997

“Utah’s Population Growth: State, County, and City Changes 2000-2010,” Utah Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel, January 2012 saratogaspringscity.com/455/Growth-Demographics

Saratoga Springs city officials cut the ribbon officially opening Patriot Park in 2019.

Saratoga Resort A DESTINATION FOR DECADES

Long before Saratoga Springs became a city, it was a popular vacation spot for those seeking fun and relaxation. Here is a history of the Saratoga resort utilizing information from the article “Saratoga, Utah Lake’s Oldest Resort,” written by Richard S. Van Wagoner, which appeared in Utah Historical Quarterly, Volume 57, Number 2, 1989.

The warm springs located on the northwest corner of Utah Lake were initially a mere curiosity to the area’s early pioneers. An exploration team led by Parley P. Pratt, an apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spent two days sailing up and down the west shore of the lake in December of 1847, and the first group of Lehi settlers camped about two miles northeast of Sulphur Springs (later known as Snow’s Spring).

John Conrad Naile, a German convert to the church and former member of the Mormon Battalion, settled in Lehi in 1854 and, in 1860, he purchased the area surrounding the warm springs with some of the $3,000 in gold he had panned in California. He planned to grow a large apple orchard with irrigation water from the springs. When the apple cider venture he envisioned did not develop as planned, he used the land for raising flax and grazing cattle and horses.

In 1862, 22-year-old John Beck, another German convert to the church, leased the warm springs property from Naile and raised sheep and manufactured charcoal there. Beck and other German immigrants in his employ often bathed in the springs, and he began considering the idea of a creating spa patterned after the famous Saratoga Resort in New York.

In 1884, with some of the wealth he had accrued from his Bullion-Beck mine in the Tintic district, he bought more than 1,000 acres of land on Utah Lake, including the warm springs area he had been leasing. He named the 27 acres immediately surrounding the springs Beck’s Saratoga Springs.

The Oct. 15, 1885, Deseret News reported “brisk business” at the “J. Beck Saratoga farm.” By 1890, the resort was well established. A Sept. 14, 1891, advertisement in the Lehi

Banner noted that for 25 cents, one could bathe in two large plunge baths and six hot tub baths. The ad also claimed that “these springs possess wonderful medicinal properties … for rheumatism and disease of the skin … a plunge in these health-giving waters will cure ‘That Tired Feeling.’”

In the early days of the resort, hundreds of members of the LDS Church were baptized there.

A dancing floor and picnic tables were placed in the center of the three-acre apple orchard in 1894, and, in 1895, a large plunge pool was built on the lower springs and bathhouses were constructed on the sandy beach of Utah Lake. More improvements were made in 1897 along with construction of a new chicken ranch venture on the property (which ultimately failed).

Young men fill the outdoor pool at Saratoga Springs Resort during an Aaronic Priesthood function of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the early 1950s. Photo courtesy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Though many resort goers went to Saratoga for recreation, many went for health reasons and stayed for days or weeks at a time in the large boarding house or camp tents. A June 8, 1897, Lehi Banner article noted that a principal attraction of the resort was the hot spring “whose waters are claimed to be superior to any other in the state for their medicinal properties.”

In 1900, financial difficulties led John Beck to sell Saratoga to the Utah Sugar Company, which used the fertile area for growing sugar beets. Operation of the resort continued under its ownership. In 1914, the property was sold to the Austin Brothers and the Austin and Sons Sheep companies for $60,000. The Austins anticipated selling lake frontage lots for homes. They even envisioned a new town rising up in the area with the proposed name of “Lake Front.”

The property development and town never materialized, but the resort continued to thrive. In 1916, a new outdoor pool and bathhouses were built. Other additions included shooting galleries, candy booths, rowboats for the lake and many new tents for campers.

Swimming was only one of the activities that took place during the early days of the Saratoga resort’s history. There was also baseball, band concerts, dancing, boating, picnick-

ing and boxing exhibitions.

Frank H. Eastmond, operator of the popular Geneva resort on Utah Lake’s east side, announced in the spring of 1930 that he had purchased an interest in the Saratoga resort and would manage it during the upcoming season. Ambitious remodeling was undertaken; three new hot water wells were driven and the water piped into the swimming pools where fountains and sprays had been built. Large-capacity filtering units were installed in each pool.

After World War II, three of Eastmond’s sons joined him in the business. In 1948, they installed a new water system

Saratoga Resort offered mineral baths for healing, recreation and relaxation. Photo courtesy of the Lehi Historical Society & Archives

Saratoga Springs Temple

that piped culinary water 2.5 miles to the resort, eliminating the need to bring in drinking water by truck. It also made modern cafe facilities available and allowed the upgrading of restrooms and showers.

Improvements continued into the 1950s, including new landscaping and thousands of square feet of sun decking. Numerous city recreation organizations began busing children to Saratoga in the ‘50s for swimming instruction and entertainment. More pools and midway activities were added to the resort.

In 1953, management of the resort was turned over to Frank Eastmond’s sons. In 1963, Mick Eastmond became sole manager of the resort while other family members remained stockholders in the corporation.

In the spring of 1968, a fire at the resort consumed two historic wooden structures: the dance pavilion and the main building. The dance pavilion had been converted into an arcade, and the main building housed the indoor pool, dressing rooms, ticket office and snack bar. The debris was cleared quickly and the resort opened in time for Memorial Day.

The Lehi Free Press indicated at the time that the resort offered abundant camping and picnic areas, a midway with 35 rides and games, a miniature golf course, Utah Lake cruises and complete boat launching facilities, and a new recreation area built on the site of the old pavilion.

By the late 1970s, Mick Eastmond felt Saratoga needed a new image. He announced that the anticipated 150,000 visitors to the resort in 1978 would find expanded picnic grounds, a new boat harbor, a few kiddie rides and “lots of peace and quiet.” The following summer, the new Kamakazi waterslide opened.

The resort’s run started to slow in the 1980s. In July of 1980, a concert featuring the band Deep Purple was planned at the resort. Just prior to the performance, the power went out and the concert could not continue. Upset fans got unruly and began throwing rocks and beer bottles, causing damage to the resort, a police car and band equipment. More than 100 officers from local police departments were called in to help quell the disturbance.

In the early 1980s, heavy snowfall runoff caused Utah Lake to rise to its highest point in history, swallowing hundreds of miles of shoreline and causing damage to the resort. The resort closed for good in 1993. Mick Eastmond sold the property in 1995 to investors planning to develop a 600-acre planned-unit community. This community was the beginning of what is now known as the City of Saratoga Springs.

Additional sources:

“Concert Backer Suing Saratoga,” The Daily Herald, Aug. 4, 1980

“Utah Lake resort sails off into the sunset,” by Dennis Romboy, Deseret News, June 30, 1995

The Goates family gathers for a family reunion at Saratoga Springs on Aug. 6, 1927. Photo courtesy of the Lehi Historical Society & Archives

Two boys enjoy a ride at Saratoga Resort in this undated photo. Photo courtesy of the Lehi Historical Society & Archives

NEW DESERET INDUSTRIES OPENS MONTHS BEFORE TEMPLE

The new Saratoga Springs Utah Temple is not the only large facility to be completed in the city of Saratoga Springs by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in recent months.

After nearly three years of construction and preparation, the church’s 46th Deseret Industries location opened in Saratoga Springs in September of 2022.

The 54,000-square-foot Deseret Industries and Welfare and Self-Reliance Services facility, located at 104 W, Medical Drive, also includes offices for the church’s Family Services, Development Counseling Services and Employment Services. An adjacent building houses a bishops’ storehouse and home storage center.

The new facility serves 42 local stakes of the church in western Utah County.

“This new facility — the Saratoga Springs Deseret Industries complex — is all about caring for the one,” said Bishop W. Christopher Waddell, first counselor in the Presiding Bishopric of the church, during a dedication program for the facility in September.

The complex was built on land that for many years was part of the church’s ongoing farming efforts in the region. It was one of several plots used to supply the bishops’ storehouse, which provides food for families in need. Now people in need will be referred to the new storehouse or to counseling or to other services based on their needs.

“All will be received with open arms, without judgment and with Christlike love,” Waddell said.

Deseret Industries locations sell donated used items in good condition such as clothing, books, kitchen goods, shoes, home furnishings, small appliances and toys. Items can be donated as well as purchased at the Saratoga Springs DI location.

However, DI is more than a thrift store and donation center — its main purpose to serve as a job-training facility. DI associates work under the direction of a job coach who provides training and helps them prepare for future work opportunities. DI associates can also access resources like tuition benefits, employment services, certificate programs and development counseling.

Staff, missionaries and volunteers pose in front of the new Deseret Industries and Welfare and Self-Reliance Services facility in Saratoga Springs following a ribbon cutting ceremony on Sept. 15, 2022. Photo courtesy Intellectual Reserve

A total of 160,000 shoppers are expected annually at the store along with 40,000 order recipients at the bishops’ storehouse and 2,165 counseling hours at Family Services. Those numbers may be large, but they represent individuals.

Waddell spoke of how the Atonement of Jesus Christ was infinite but infinitely individual, and the temporal work of Welfare and Self-Reliance is also “all about the one.”

“This facility is large and it has lots of workers, but every individual who comes and needs help, whether for a food order or job assistance, everyone will receive individual assistance,” Bishop Waddell said.

The Welfare and Self-Reliance vision speaks of embracing the two great commandments to love God and one’s neighbor by ministering to temporal needs, building spiritual and temporal self-reliance, and blessing both givers and receivers.

Sister Kristin M. Yee, second counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency of the church, said during the Saratoga Springs facility’s dedication ceremony, “Before we can truly love God and our neighbor, we must first feel God’s love for us as His children. When we feel God’s love for us, we desire to love Him in return.”

Yee said God’s love permeates the work and people who come to the Welfare and Self-Reliance Centers — the missionaries, employees, job coaches and counselors who “carry the desire in their hearts to love as the Savior would.”

Highlands 2nd Ward Bishop Moises Ortiz, in the Eagle Mountain Utah North Stake, said he was happy to have the new complex built closer to his city so that members of his congregation could use the resources they need.

“Many members use these services, and it is a bit of a drive to go to American Fork or to Lindon for the bishops’ storehouse, so having a bishops’ storehouse here will be a blessing, especially when people are struggling with gas prices so high,” he said.

Two Church service missionaries take a tour of Deseret Industries at the new Welfare and Self-Reliance facility in Saratoga Springs on Sept. 14, 2022. The facility includes the efforts of many service missionaries in different functions. Photo courtesy Intellectual Reserve

Shoes are shown on display during the dedication program for the new Welfare and Self-Reliance Services facility in Saratoga Springs. Photo courtesy Intellectual Reserve

SARATOGA SPRINGS WELFARE AND SELF-RELIANCE FACILITY

Local stakes served: 42

DESERET INDUSTRIES

Square footage (building): 54,000

Square footage (DI retail area): 24,000

Full-time employees: 15

Enrolled associates: 135

Associates assisted: 200

Donors expected annually: 90,000

Shoppers expected annually: 160,000

EMPLOYMENT SERVICES

Church service missionaries: 12

Job seekers assisted expected annually: 600

Volunteer hours expected annually: 5,760

BISHOPS’ STOREHOUSE

Church service missionaries: 36

Volunteer hours expected annually: 18,000

Order recipients expected annually: 40,000

FAMILY SERVICES

Full-time counselors: 2

On-call counselors: 2

Leader consultation hours expected annually: 791

Counseling hours expected annually: 2,165

DEVELOPMENT COUNSELING SERVICES

Full-time counselors: 2

Church service missionaries: 2

Volunteer hours expected annually: 500

Annual expected DI associates assisted: 135

Annual expected people assisted outside DI: 20

HOME STORAGE CENTER

Church service missionaries: 10

Volunteer hours expected annually: 5,000

Shoppers expected annually: 5,000

JASON D. PARKER, DO

JESSIE A. DORAIS, MD

Where hope is felt, families grow, and dreams are achieved!

FULL OF TEMPLES

A County

The Saratoga Springs Utah Temple is the latest temple to be completed in Utah County, but it is far from the last. Utah County is the home of — or the future home of — a total of seven temples, and the renovation of an existing temple is planned.

In fact, considering all the work being done on temples here, there is currently more construction activity centered on temples in Utah Valley than anywhere else in the state. Upon completion of all this work, Utah County will be home to more temples than any other county in Utah. (When the Taylorsville Utah Temple is completed, Salt Lake County will have a total of five temples.)

Overall, Utah is home to 28 temples either completed or under construction. These temples serve the 2.2 million members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that live in Utah — more than 60% of the state’s population. Here is an overview of Utah County’s six other temples as well as the temple about to undergo renovation.

PROVO UTAH TEMPLE

2200 Temple Hill Drive, Provo

Total floor area: 128,325 square feet

Site: 17 acres

Ordinance rooms: Six instruction rooms, 12 sealing rooms, one baptistry

Dedicated: Feb. 9, 1972

6th dedicated temple in Utah

15th dedicated temple worldwide

Ground was broken for the Provo Utah Temple — originally named the Provo Temple — just one week after the Ogden Utah Temple. It was the first time in church history two temple groundbreakings were held in the same month. The Provo temple is one of the church’s larger temples and one of only four temples with six instruction rooms (the others are the Jordan River Utah Temple, the Ogden Utah Temple and the Washington D.C. Temple). It was also the first temple to be built in Utah County.

Church President Russell M. Nelson announced during the October 2021 General Conference that the Provo Utah Temple will be reconstructed upon completion of the Orem Utah Temple, which is anticipated for late 2023. A rendering later released by the church shows the Provo temple’s exterior will take on a completely new look as part of its reconstruction in a way similar to the Ogden Utah Temple when it was redone.

MOUNT TIMPANOGOS UTAH TEMPLE

742 N. 900 East, American Fork

Total floor area: 107,240 square feet

Site: 16.7 acres

Ordinance rooms: Four instruction rooms, eight sealing rooms, one baptistry

Dedicated: Oct. 13-19, 1996

9th dedicated temple in Utah

49th dedicated temple worldwide

Utah County waited nearly 23 years before its second temple, the Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple, opened in American Fork.

Gordon B. Hinckley, serving as first counselor in the First Presidency of the Church at the time, announced during the October 1993 General Conference that “another temple in Utah County” would be built “to relieve the pressure on the Provo Temple, which is operating far beyond its designed capacity.”

The architecture of the Mount Timpanogos Temple is similar to that of the Bountiful Utah Temple, which was dedicat-

PAYSON UTAH TEMPLE

1494 S. 930 West, Payson

Total floor area: 96,630 square feet

Site: 10.63 acres

Ordinance rooms: Three instruction rooms, seven sealing rooms, one baptistry

Dedicated: June 7, 2015

15th dedicated temple in Utah

146th dedicated temple worldwide

Known as the “Apple Blossom” Temple, this building’s design motif is centered on apple blossoms and wheat, reflecting the local area’s agricultural heritage. On the temple’s lower floors, the blossoms are depicted as buds; as one moves to higher floors, the buds open up and are ultimately depicted as fully bloomed.

Unusual to the temple are its two major entrances, each with a temple recommend desk. When first constructed, the grand edifice was surrounded by fruit orchards and agricultural fields, despite being just a mile away from the I-15 freeway. Since then, home developments have begun to grow up around the temple.

ed in January of 1995. The temple’s exterior is fabricated of Sierra white granite, and the windows feature stunning art glass.

PROVO CITY CENTER TEMPLE

50 S. University Ave., Provo

Total floor area: 85,084 square feet

Site: 5.6 acres

Ordinance rooms: Three instruction rooms (twostage progressive), five sealing rooms, one baptistry

Dedicated: March 20, 2016

16th dedicated temple in Utah

150th dedicated temple worldwide

Just nine months separated the dedication of Utah County’s third temple and its fourth temple, the Provo City Center Temple. Constructed utilizing the brick exterior walls of the former Provo Tabernacle, which was almost completely destroyed in a devastating fire in December 2010, this temple was created through painstaking efforts to honor and restore the beauty and style created by the pioneers in the former tabernacle.

Crews dug out 40 feet of ground below the former tabernacle to accommodate two new underground stories, expanding what was a 35,000-square-foot tabernacle to an 85,000-square foot temple. The brick walls of the tabernacle were balanced on a system of steel and concrete piles while this work went on underneath them.

The style is Victorian and reflects the era of the 1890s when the original tabernacle was finished. Interior features

OREM UTAH TEMPLE

1471 S. Geneva Road, Orem

Total floor area: 70,000 square feet

Site: 15.39 acres

Ordinance rooms: Four instruction rooms, four sealing rooms, one baptistry

Estimated completion: Late 2023

Anticipated to be Utah’s 20th dedicated temple

The Orem temple was one of eight new temples announced during the Church’s October 2019 General Conference. The Taylorsville, Utah, temple was announced at the same time. Ground was broken for the Orem temple on the same day as the groundbreaking ceremony for the San Pedro Sula Honduras Temple. A 20,000-square-foot meetinghouse will be built on the site as part of the Orem temple project.

The Orem temple will be the first temple in Utah County to not be topped with an Angel Moroni statue. It will also be Utah County’s most easily accessible temple with its location just south of the I-15 and University Parkway interchange in Orem.

such as wood moldings, newel posts and balustrades that survived the fire were used to reproduce the beautiful woodwork found in the pioneer tabernacle.

Photo courtesy Intellectual Reserve

LINDON UTAH TEMPLE

850 E. Center Street, Lindon

Total floor area: 81,000 square feet

Site: 12.7 acres

Ordinance rooms: Four instruction rooms, four sealing rooms, two baptistries

Estimated completion: Early to mid-2025

Anticipated to be Utah’s 25th dedicated temple

Church President Russell M. Nelson announced that Lindon, Utah, would be welcoming a temple on Oct. 4, 2020, during General Conference. The exact location of the Lindon temple was announced about two and a half months later. The temple is anticipated to feature elements honoring the agricultural heritage of the area, including the linden tree flower.

When the Lindon temple is completed, Utah County will have more temples than any other county in Utah.

CHURCH PRESIDENT QUOTES ABOUT THE TEMPLE

“My brothers and sisters, temples are more than stone and mortar. They are filled with faith and fasting. They are built of trials and testimonies. They are sanctified by sacrifice and service.”

~President Thomas S. Monson

“Building and maintaining temples may not change your life, but spending your time in the temple surely will. To those who have long been absent from the temple, I encourage you to prepare and return as soon as possible. Then I invite you to worship in the temple and pray to feel deeply the Savior’s infinite love for you, that each of you may gain your own testimony that He directs this sacred and ageless work.”

~President Russell M. Nelson

“I promise you that, with increased attendance in the temples of our God, you shall receive increased personal revelation to bless your lives as you bless those who have died.”

~President Ezra Taft Benson

“Let us be a temple-attending people. Attend the temple as frequently as personal circumstances allow. Keep a picture of a temple in your home that your children may see it. Teach them about the purposes of the house of the Lord. Have them plan from their earliest years to go there and to remain worthy of that blessing.”

~President Howard W. Hunter

“If temple ordinances are an essential part of the restored gospel, and I testify that they are, then we must provide the means by which they can be accomplished. All of our vast family history endeavor is directed to temple work. There is no other purpose for it. The temple ordinances become the crowning blessings the Church has to offer.”

~President Gordon B. Hinckley

“I promise you that the Lord will bring the miracles He knows you need as you make sacrifices to serve and worship in His temples.”

~President Russell M. Nelson

Photo courtesy Intellectual Reserve

WHAT’S NEXT FOR

Utah Temples?

10 MORE TEMPLES

With the completion of the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple, a total of 10 more temples are currently under construction in the state of Utah. Their groundbreaking dates and estimated completion dates are as follows:

LAYTON UTAH TEMPLE

Groundbreaking: May 23, 2020

Landscaping and interior work progressing; temple president and matron called; construction estimated to be completed in late 2023.

OREM UTAH TEMPLE

Groundbreaking: Sept. 5, 2020

Stone cladding completed; landscaping and interior work progressing; temple president and matron called; construction estimated to be completed in late 2023.

TAYLORSVILLE UTAH TEMPLE

Groundbreaking: Oct. 31, 2020

Landscaping and interior work progressing; temple president and matron called; construction estimated to be completed in late 2023.

RED CLIFFS UTAH TEMPLE (ST. GEORGE)

Groundbreaking: Nov. 7, 2020

Landscaping and interior work progressing; temple president and matron called; construction estimated to be completed in mid- to late 2023.

DESERET PEAK UTAH TEMPLE (TOOELE)

Groundbreaking: May 15, 2021

Steeple dome and finial installed; hardscape and interior work progressing; construction estimated to be completed in early to mid-2024.

SYRACUSE UTAH TEMPLE

Groundbreaking: June 12, 2021

Sheathing and cladding underway; hardscaping of the grounds underway; construction estimated to be completed in mid- to late 2024.

LINDON UTAH TEMPLE

Groundbreaking: April 23, 2022

Structural steel framing underway; concrete shear walls completed; construction estimated to be completed in mid-2025.

SMITHFIELD UTAH TEMPLE

Groundbreaking: June 18, 2022

Construction of reinforced concrete walls for the foundation underway; construction estimated to be completed in late 2025.

EPHRAIM UTAH TEMPLE

Groundbreaking: Aug. 27, 2022

Building foundation underway; construction estimated to be completed in late 2025 to early 2026.

HEBER VALLEY UTAH TEMPLE

Groundbreaking: Oct. 8, 2022

Full-scale construction pending; church seeking changes to county dark-sky regulations.

A LOCAL ICON ABOUT TO CHANGE

By Genelle Pugmire

At the October 2021 general conference, President Russell M. Nelson announced that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will reconstruct the Provo Utah Temple when the Orem Utah Temple is complete. The temple location will stay the same, but the architectural look will be drastically upgraded and redesigned much like the Ogden Temple.

A little over 50 years ago, Joseph Fielding Smith, then president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, dedicated the Provo Utah Temple — the 15th in the church.

The church announced the new temple on Aug. 14, 1967, and held a special groundbreaking on Sept. 15, 1969. It was completed in early 1972. At the time, the temple serviced more than 100,000 members in central and eastern Utah.

After the Missionary Training Center was built just west of the temple, the Provo Utah Temple became the busiest temple in the church, as it also serviced students at nearby Brigham Young University, according to Richard O. Cowan, retired professor of religious studies, church history and doctrine at Brigham Young University and author of “Provo’s Two Temples,” which was published in 2014 in cooperation with the Religious Studies Center and Deseret Book.

It wasn’t until the 2016 dedication of the Provo City Center

Temple that some of the workload in the Provo Utah Temple was lightened. The Mt. Timpanogos Temple in American Fork, dedicated some years earlier, also helped as the church membership continued to grow in Utah County.

While members of the church revere the temples as the House of the Lord, the modern architecture of the Provo Utah Temple often prompted nicknames such as the wedding cake, flying saucer and much, much more.

It wasn’t until 31 years after the temple was built that a statue of the Angel Moroni was placed atop its spire. While the spire was originally gold, the addition of Moroni led to changing the spire to white.

The grounds total 17 acres of land that once held fruit trees. People would hunt pheasant and wild turkey in the area.

Cowan remembers the time before the temple and, over the decades, watched the temple be built and go through a number of changes.

“For three-quarters of a century, there had been only the four pioneer temples in Utah. When my wife Dawn and I moved to Provo in 1961 where I joined the BYU faculty, we had to go to Salt Lake for temple service, and this was before any freeways were built,” Cowan said. “We were called to serve in one of the BYU student stakes, we learned that these

Photo by Dave Caron

Saratoga Springs Temple

stakes were assigned to the Manti Temple.”

Cowan said he and his wife often rode with one of the student wards on a chartered bus to Manti — the round trip and temple session taking about seven hours.

“We figured that if there were a temple in Provo, we could accomplish at least three ordinances rather than just one in that time. You can imagine, therefore, our excitement when in 1967 we learned of plans to build temples here and in Ogden,” Cowan added.

Architect Emil B. Fetzer designed the features of both the Provo Utah Temple and the original Ogden Temple.

“Those close to the project state that the symbolism likening them to the “cloud by day and pillar of fire by night” was not intentional,” Cowan said, referring to the white building by day and the lit gold spire and windows at night.

Cowan followed the construction with great interest — as well as the groundbreaking, cornerstone laying, the open house and, finally, the dedication.

“I will never forget our overwhelming feelings during the dedication. Near the end of the service, the choir sang the ‘Hosanna Anthem,’ and the congregation was then invited to join in singing ‘The Spirit of God,’” Cowan said. “We were so choked with emotion that we couldn’t sing and didn’t even feel like talking until we were outside afterwards.”

Cowan said students who attended an overflow gathering in the recently constructed Marriott Center described the unusual experience of being in the crowd exiting that arena in complete silence.

Provo historian Brent Ashworth and his wife, then of just two years, were a couple of those students who listened in the overflow.

Ashworth’s family home was in the Oak Hills neighborhood of Provo just above the temple site. As a young man, he was able to watch every step of the temple’s progress, then attend it.

“From the earliest days of growing up in Provo, I remember my parents and grandparents talking about temple hill. We knew it was in upper campus somewhere,” Ashworth said. “We used to play war on the property. We used to bike through the areas.”

“When the temple was announced, we were excited. In 1972, we were all involved with it at the time. I remember going to watch it just below the hill where we lived. I remember pictures of President Joseph Fielding Smith and other brethren,” Ashworth added.

Ashworth said he remembers the dedicatory talks. “I remember the Hosanna Shout. I thought that was something really special. We saved our white hankies from that,” Ashworth said.

The Hosanna Shout is a sacred moment in the dedication ceremony. It is a way for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to give honor and praise to God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ, according to a church statement on the practice.

The shout is a symbol of how the crowds reacted to Jesus

during his entry into Jerusalem during the last week of his life. The Hosanna Shout became a collective membership experience at the 1836 dedication of the church’s Kirtland Temple. Near the conclusion of the dedicatory services, the congregation joined in shouting three times: “Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna to God and the Lamb, Amen, Amen and Amen!”

Historically, other events throughout the history of the church have been graced with the Hosanna Shout. According to the church, since the 1892 capstone ceremony of the Salt Lake Temple, the Hosanna Shout has been done while waving a white handkerchief.

“We thought that was really neat,” Ashworth said of participating in the Hosanna Shout. “From my Primary days when I was a kid, there were only seven temples. It was very unique to have a temple in our own town.”

Temples are considered the House of the Lord, and special or sacred experiences may be had by those worthy members who attend. Ashworth said he had one such experience he will never forget.

“After our son died, I had a special experience in the Provo Temple. We brought missionaries to the temple,” Ashworth said. “I had a strong feeling to turn around, and one of the missionaries had the face of my son. It was a testimony to me

The Provo Utah Temple is shown prior to the placement of the angel Moroni statue on top of its spire. Used by permission, Utah State Historical Society

that he was doing missionary work on the other side.”

There are countless members who had unforgettable experiences and felt warm affection for the Provo Utah Temple over its half century of existence.

In Cowan’s book, a number of students and acquaintances shared their feelings. Cowan shares them here.

Briana Crook described how when driving down University Parkway from Orem, she could “see the Provo Temple lit up, in all its glory welcoming me home.”

Brooke Lefevor thought of the temple back home as “my temple,” but acknowledged that after coming to BYU, the Provo Utah Temple had assumed that role. She was grateful that the temple workers became acquainted with her by

name; one time when she came alone without her friend, one worker said, “Oh, don’t you worry. We will always be here for you; you are never alone.”

When Kate Kimball was called to leadership in her campus ward Relief Society, she was overwhelmed. However, she acknowledged, “When I attended the Provo Temple as a willing servant of God, I received promptings which directed me how to best fulfill my calling. I was able to see the sisters in my ward as if through the eyes of God. My love for them grew with each thoughtful visit to the temple.”

The Provo Utah Temple has been a beacon of hope for many people, whether they were getting married or doing proxy work such as baptisms for deceased ancestors.

Rendering of what the Provo Utah Temple will look like following an upcoming renovation.

Photo courtesy Intellectual Reserve

TIRE BUSTERS TI I IRREEB B BU U US S ST T TE E ER R RS S

Tire Buster’s Supreme Auto Care proudly serves our friends and neighbors throughout Utah County. Locally owned and operated by Gabe Dunn and Jesse Parent, Tire Buster’s has been serving our communities tirelessly since 2011. Not only do our teams provide the best tire and auto prices around, each teammate is dedicated to treating each customer like family. Come see us in person and get to know what we’re all about!

EST. 2002

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