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Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple
The Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple /ˈoʊkər/ is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located in South Jordan, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City. South Jordan was the world's first city with two church temples (with the Jordan River Temple). The temple was the fourth in the Salt Lake Valley and the 13th in Utah. When completed in 2009, the Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple served approximately 83,000 Latter-day Saints living in the western Salt Lake Valley.[1] The building is faced with light beige granite quarried and milled in China.   HistoryThe Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple was built on a bluff on the edge of the Daybreak Community.[2][3] The property was donated to the church by Kennecott Land, a portion of a company that mines copper and precious minerals from the Oquirrh Mountains, a few miles west of the temple. The building features a single stone spire 193 feet (59 m) high, topped by a 9-foot (2.7 m) statue of the angel Moroni. Ground was broken for construction by church president Gordon B. Hinckley on December 16, 2006.[4][5] After originally being known as the "South Jordan Utah Temple," an update to become the "Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple" was announced at the groundbreaking.[6] The temple was named after the nearby mountain range. The church website says that the term "oquirrh" comes from the Goshute tribe, and when translated means "shining mountains" or "wooded mountain."[7][6] The temple was designed by Naylor Wentworth Lund Architects.[8][9] After construction was completed, but prior to beginning a public open house, media were invited to tour the temple in May 2009. Quentin L. Cook, of the church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, expressed hope that people of all backgrounds would visit the open house to learn there is nothing "secret" about the temple as people understand the work (ordinances) performed there.[10] The public open house was held from June 1 to August 1, 2009.  On June 13, 2009, the spire was struck by lightning during a thunderstorm. The angel Moroni statue was tarnished, and was replaced on August 11, 2009.[11][12] The temple was initially dedicated by church president Thomas S. Monson on August 21, 2009, with nine total sessions[10] held through August 23. A cornerstone ceremony was held before the first session, which included a local choir singing.[13][14] In 2020, like all others in the church, the Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple was closed for a time in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[15] DesignThe temple is built on an 11-acre property, is 60,000 square feet, with a spire height of 193 feet, which includes the 9 foot angel Moroni statue.[9] The inside of the temple has six sealing rooms, four instruction rooms, a celestial room, a brides room,[10] and a baptistry.[7] The temple is located in South Jordan, on a site that has flower beds, grass fields, and a large fountain.[7] The exterior is granite, quarried from the Quanzhou/Xiamen area in China. Art glass features elements such as circles, flutes, and stars.[9] The interior has limestone from Egypt and Morocco, with white oak wood from Indiana and Kentucky. White Oak doors cut for the temple came from the German Alps. The celestial room features a 15-foot-tall chandelier with 19,447 individual crystals. Murals made for the temple as originals were created by church service missionaries, who were ordained to create artwork for the temple under the directions of a senior artist.[7][14] See also
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