Exterior rendering of the Smithfield Utah Temple (Courtesy: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
LOGAN — Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have announced when construction will begin in Smithfield for the second temple of the Church in Cache Valley. The groundbreaking ceremony for the Smithfield Utah Temple will be held on Saturday, June 18.
In a press release Friday, the faith announced Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Church’s Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will preside at the event. He will be accompanied by fellow Apostle, Elder Gary E. Stevenson. Attendance at the groundbreaking ceremony will be by invitation only.
The Smithfield Utah Temple will be built on a 13.3-acre site at the intersection of 800 West and 100 North. It will be located on a plot of land owned by the Church, south of Birch Creek Elementary School and northwest of the Blue Sox baseball fields.
Plans call for a three-story structure of about 83,000 square feet. Utah has 28 temples announced, under construction, under renovation or in operation. In addition to the temple in Smithfield, temples have been announced or are under construction in Ephraim, Heber Valley, Layton, Lindon, Orem, St. George (Red Cliffs), Saratoga Springs, Syracuse, Taylorsville and Tooele (Deseret Peak).
In November 2021, the Church released a rendered drawing of what the Smithfield Temple will look like. The illustration showed the light-colored temple will have a similar look as the Logan Temple, including round arches over the entryways and top floor windows. One other noticeable similarity is a single bulkier spire without the gold covered statue of an angel that the Church identifies as Moroni. The statue occupies a prominent place on many temples throughout the world—symbolizing the restoration of the Church.
Church officials also announced groundbreaking dates for two other temples.
Leaders will break ground for the Burley Idaho Temple on Saturday, June 4. Elder Brent H. Nielson of the Quorum of the Seventy will preside. The temple will be located on a 10.1-acre site located at 40 South and 150 East. The two-story structure will be about 38,600 square feet. The Burley Idaho Temple will be the seventh temple in the state.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the Yorba Linda California Temple will be held on Saturday, June 18. Elder Mark A. Bragg of the Quorum of the Seventy will preside. The temple will be built on a 5.4-acre site located at the intersection of Bastanchury Road and Osmond Street in Yorba Linda. Plans call for a single-story structure of about 30,000 square feet. This will be California’s ninth temple.
The three temples were announced by President Russell M. Nelson in April 2021.
will@cvradio.com