More than five years — and a whole lot of controversy — after it was first announced, Tooele County’s Latter-day Saint temple is preparing to open its door to the public before its dedication this fall.
The open house for the single-spired, three-story, 70,000-square-foot Deseret Peak Temple will kick off Sept. 26 and last through Oct. 19, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced Monday. The building then will close ahead of a Nov. 10 dedication, after which only faithful members will be permitted to enter its vaulted walls.
The edifice, which was originally proposed for the nearby town of Erda, represents a first for Tooele County.
By comparison, Utah County, home to the church’s premier school, Brigham Young University, has eight existing or planned temples, the most of any county in the Beehive State, followed by Salt Lake County, with six.
The church’s historic temple-building spree has provoked some pushback across the country among neighbors wary of living in the shadow of the massive structures and their cloud-piercing spires.
In most cases, the church has dug in its heels, adamant that such complainers are classic NIMBYs (“not in my backyard”) who fail to recognize the benefits that come with having such a quiet and meticulously groomed neighbor.
Not in the case of the Deseret Peak Temple. The church originally sought to construct the building, then called the Tooele Valley Temple, in rural Erda along with a high-density housing project, but moved the site a few miles down the road to Tooele City after a year of intense debate that left residents with a lot to get over.
Equally rare was the faith’s governing First Presidency’s decision to weigh in publicly, expressing a “sincere desire on the part of the church to avoid discord in the community” and encouraged all people to treat one another with kindness and Christlike love.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Deseret Peak Utah Temple in Tooele is shown in May 2024. It will welcome public tours this fall.
Utah is currently home to 20 functioning Latter-day Saint temples: Bountiful, Brigham City, Cedar City, Draper, Jordan River (South Jordan), Layton (dedicated Sunday), Logan, Manti (rededicated in April), Monticello, Mount Timpanogos (American Fork), Ogden, Oquirrh Mountain (South Jordan), Orem, Payson, Provo City Center (converted from the former Provo Tabernacle), Red Cliffs (St. George — dedicated in March); Saratoga Springs, St. George, Taylorsville and Vernal.
The faith’s most-celebrated temple, the iconic six-spired Salt Lake Temple, in the heart of Utah’s capital, is undergoing a seismic upgrade and extensive renovation. It is expected to reopen in 2026.
The Space Age Provo Temple, meanwhile, is being overhauled. It will be renamed the Provo Rock Canyon Temple.
Besides Deseret Peak, seven more temples — Ephraim, Heber Valley, Lehi, Lindon, Smithfield, Syracuse and West Jordan — are either under construction or in planning stages. When all are completed, Utah will be home to 30 temples of the state’s predominant faith.
There are nearly 200 functioning Latter-day Saint temples worldwide.
For members, these sacred buildings represent nothing short of Houses of the Lord and, unlike their more common meetinghouses, places where devout members participate in their highest religious rites such as eternal marriage.
