Difference between revisions of "Ogden Utah Temple"

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Ogden Utah Temple

The Ogden Utah Temple is the 14th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Before its renovation, the Ogden Utah Temple was much like its twin, the Provo Utah Temple. In the mid-sixties, it became apparent that more temples were needed to reduce the crowding in the Salt Lake, Logan, and Manti temples. Fifty-two percent of all endowments in the Church were being done in these three temples. The First Presidency decided to build two new temples, one at each end of the Wasatch Front, in Ogden and Provo. At its dedication, the Ogden Temple served more than 135,000 members.

On September 7, 1970, a cornerstone laying ceremony was held at the Ogden Temple.

The site for the Ogden Temple was a ten-acre lot called Tabernacle Square that the Church had owned since the area had been settled. In 1921, President Heber J. Grant had inspected the site as a possible place for a temple but had decided that the time was not right for a temple in the area. When the time was right, the Ogden Temple was built then dedicated on January 18, 1972, by President Joseph Fielding Smith.

The Ogden Temple was different from the previous temples built by the Church in many ways. The design was extremely contemporary. The lot chosen for the Ogden Temple is in downtown Ogden, surrounded by businesses and offices. For many, this temple helps remind them that while they may walk every day in the world of man, their goals, dreams, and actions should be higher, and focused on the temple. The Ogden temple is also significant because it was the first temple built in Utah since the Salt Lake Temple was dedicated in 1893. The Ogden temple was 115,000 square feet; it has four floors, one below ground, and 283 rooms. The design was made to be extremely efficient and six ordinance rooms surround the celestial room in a circle. This design allowed endowment sessions to start every fifteen to twenty minutes. There were also eleven sealing rooms. The stone on the Ogden Temple was fluted, and between the stone decorative metal grill work was added. Gold windows with directional glass also added to the beauty of the temple. About thirty years after its construction, a statue of the angel Moroni was added to the spire.

Temple Renovation

Original structure of Ogden Utah Temple

In February 2010, the Church announced an extensive renovation for the Ogden Temple.

Built nearly 40 years ago, the Ogden Temple is in need of upgrading—to feature the latest technology and material, to meet seismic requirements, to have more energy-efficient and modern mechanical systems and to reflect the redevelopment occurring in downtown Ogden.

Elder William R. Walker of the Quorum of the Seventy and Executive Director of the Church's Temple Department commented, "This will be a major renovation of an existing temple that had become somewhat dated. It will be redone in a way that will be like a brand-new temple. This temple will be magnificent and beautiful in every way when it's redone."

David B. Hall, director of temple and special projects, called the renovation "a project of opportunity," with the new exterior design more "temple classical," similar to the recent Draper Utah Temple.

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.

"It's not as invasive as it appears," Hall said of the redesign. "It's still the same bone-like structure."

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 Church of Jesus Christ.

Open House

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced the open house and rededication dates for the Ogden Utah Temple. The general public was invited to attend the open house from Friday, 1 August 2014, through Saturday, 6 September 2014. Tours of the remodeled edifice were not given on Sundays. Tickets were required to attend the open house.

The Ogden Utah Temple Is Rededicated

On Sunday, 21 September 2014, thousands of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gathered in the newly renovated Ogden Utah Temple and in meetinghouses across Utah and Wyoming as President Thomas S. Monson, President of the Church, rededicated the Church’s 14th temple in three sessions (9:00 a.m., 12:00 noon, and 3:00 p.m.). During the services, President Monson remarked, "How grateful I am for the rededication of the beautifully renewed and refurbished Ogden Utah Temple. As its doors open once again for the accomplishment of the purposes for which it was originally constructed and dedicated, lives will be blessed. It stands as a beacon of righteousness to all who will follow its light — the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ."

The original cornerstone stone of the temple remains in place with its contents unopened, thus church leaders did not hold a traditional cornerstone ceremony prior to the rededication. Three dedicatory sessions were broadcast to Latter-day Saint meetinghouses throughout Utah and in areas of Wyoming and Idaho within the temple’s district. President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, presided over and offered the dedicatory prayer at the two afternoon sessions. Music for the sessions was provided by choirs comprised of Latter-day Saints from throughout the temple district.

The Ogden Utah Temple was originally dedicated by Joseph Fielding Smith, the 10th President of The Church of Jesus Christ, on 18 January 1972. According to Church Public Affairs, it was the first temple to be built in Utah since Utah became a state in 1896. The renovated 112,232-square-foot sacred edifice located in the heart of downtown Ogden, Utah, seated on 9.96 acres, served approximately 250,000 Latter-day Saints in northern Utah as well as parts of Wyoming and Idaho. Elder Craig G. Fisher, a member of the Fifth Quorum of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, remarked that the temple "has brought the community together — all the saints and all the members of other faiths." He further stated, "The temple has also brought church members together. Everyone in the community is so thrilled with the temple now. It is going to be a very, very busy place."

Appointments for living ordinances were taken beginning Wednesday, 20 August 2014, at 8:00 a.m. The temple officially opened for all patrons to perform sacred ordinances on Tuesday, 23 September 2014. Only those members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with a valid temple recommend are allowed to enter.

External Links

• Official Ogden Utah Temple page
• Ogden Utah Temple page
• Ogden Utah Temple dedicatory prayer, 2014
• Ogden Utah Temple dedicatory prayer, 1972
• Church News, “Inside Church Headquarters: The location, design and construction of Latter-day Saint temples
• FamilySearch RootsTech, Invitation by Russell M. Nelson

Temples in Utah

• Bountiful Utah Temple
• Brigham City Utah Temple
• Cedar City Utah Temple
• Deseret Peak Utah Temple
• Draper Utah Temple
• Ephraim Utah Temple
• Heber Valley Utah Temple
• Jordan River Utah Temple
• Layton Utah Temple
• Lehi Utah Temple
• Lindon Utah Temple
• Logan Utah Temple
• Manti Utah Temple
• Monticello Utah Temple
• Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple
• Ogden Utah Temple
• Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple
• Orem Utah Temple
• Payson Utah Temple
• Price Utah Temple
• Provo City Center Temple
• Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple
• Red Cliffs Utah Temple
• Salt Lake Temple
• Saratoga Springs Utah Temple
• Smithfield Utah Temple
• St. George Utah Temple
• Syracuse Utah Temple
• Taylorsville Utah Temple
• Vernal Utah Temple
• West Jordan Utah Temple