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OGDEN — Having announced plans 11 months ago to close its Ogden Temple for extensive renovations, the LDS Church has set a date for the temple's closure.
The April 2 closing was announced Friday afternoon by the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
- Dedicated in 1972
- Was the 5th operating temple in Utah and the 14th temple for the Church
- Serves approximately 76 stakes and approximately 261,928 Church members
In February 2010, church officials unveiled plans to renovate the Ogden Temple, built four decades ago and dedicated in January 1972.
The upgraded structure will feature the latest technology and material, meet seismic requirements, boast more energy-efficient and modern mechanical systems and mirror the redevelopment occurring in downtown Ogden.
"This will be a major renovation of an existing temple that had become somewhat dated," said Elder William R. Walker of the Quorums of the Seventy and executive director of the LDS Church's Temple Department at the time the renovation plan was unveiled.
"It will be redone in a way that will be like a brand-new temple," he added. "This temple will be magnificent and beautiful in every way when it's redone."
The Ogden temple will be stripped of its pre-cast "skin," and replaced with an exterior of new stone and more glass. The center tower in the new design is consistent with the center spire of the temple's current design.
The core building design will remain the same, although the floor layout may be changed for what has been one of the busiest, highly utilized temples in the LDS Church.
Other changes include moving the temple's front entrance from the west side to the east, facing Washington Boulevard and having a street-side drop-off; removing the two-story parking structure and adding underground parking; installing a large water fountain on the east side and gardens on the west; and eliminating the drive-through entrance.
The adjacent Ogden Tabernacle will receive some renovation attention — the most major change being the removal of its spire so it doesn't compete with the temple's spire.
The renovation project is expected to take 18 to 24 months, with the temple to be rededicated after completion.
Since the Ogden announcement, LDS Church leaders have said there are no similar remodel plans for the Provo Utah Temple, considered Ogden's identical sister structure given its similar design and construction timeline.
E-mail: taylor@desnews.com
