Gilbert Arizona Temple
The Gilbert Arizona Temple was announced on 28 April 2008 by President Thomas S. Monson. It is one of the first two announced by President Monson since he was ordained President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Site and building plans for the Gilbert Arizona Temple went before the Town of Gilbert Design Review Board on Thursday, June 10, 2010, for preliminary evaluation. Please follow this link to view an informative staff report.
The site for the Gilbert Arizona Temple is on 15 acres at the southeast corner of Greenfield and Pecos Roads. (map). An LDS meeting house will be located on the property near the temple. The temple and the meeting house will share parking and a facilities/maintenance building.
- "The site gardens, fountains, shaded plazas provide numerous areas for contemplation, meditation photos and rest. The grounds are lushly landscaped with a creative colorful plant palette. There are 10 kinds of trees, 5 palm varieties, and 24 species of shrubs, groundcovers and vines. The Temple finished floor elevation is approximately 4’ above the gardens and 5’ above the entry circle. The topography is varied thru the use of planters, retaining walls, ramps, and stairways. Additionally there are trellises, arbors and pergolas placed throughout the site. The gardens are surrounded by a 8’ wrought iron view fence that will be painted to match the building." [1]
In June 2010 the LDS Church revealed the design of the temple and preconstruction work began immediately after approval. "...the 83,000-square-foot temple will use ivory-colored stone and concrete and feature leaded-glass windows. A 195-foot spire will rise from the center of the three-story structure, capped by a gold-plated statue of a trumpeting angel, a trademark symbol of Mormon temples." [2]
Updates
The groundbreaking for the Gilbert Arizona Mormon Temple was held on Saturday, November 13, 2010. The temple will take about two years to complete. The Gilbert Arizona Temple is about 13 miles from the Mesa Arizona Temple, but with the large population of Latter-day Saintsin the area, and the large number of patrons using the Mesa Temple, another temple was needed nearby. There are about 380,000 Latter-day Saints in Arizona. [3]
In mid-February 2012 the construction of the Gilbert Arizona Temple reached an exciting milestone with the installation of the spire framework, taking the temple to its full height minus the height of the angel Moroni statue, which will cap the spire.
The public is invited to visit the temple during an open house from Saturday, 18 January 2014, through Saturday, 15 February 2014, excluding Sundays. Free reservations for the open house can be made through the www.gilbertmormontemple.org website in the coming weeks.
The temple will be formally dedicated on Sunday, 2 March 2014, in three sessions. In conjunction with the dedication of the temple, there will also be a cultural celebration featuring music and dance on Saturday, 1 March 2014. Once dedicated, the Gilbert Temple will be the 142nd operating temple of the Church worldwide. The Gilbert Arizona Temple is the largest temple built by The Church of Jesus Christ in 17 years.
