Groundbreaking Announced For New Temples In Syracuse, Tooele
Mar 16, 2021, 4:31 PM | Updated: 4:34 pm
Renderings of the Syracuse Utah Temple and Deseret Peak Utah Temples. (Courtesy The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)
(Courtesy The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Groundbreaking dates have been announced for two new Utah temples by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Deseret Peak Utah Temple
Officials will break ground on the Deseret Peak Utah Temple in May. It will be the first temple in Tooele County. Elder Kevin R. Duncan of the Quorum of the Seventy will preside at the event.
The temple will stand just west of the intersection of 2400 North and 400 West in Tooele, just over two miles from where it was originally announced. The previous location was announced in September 2019 near State Route 36 and Erda Way, but more than 1,500 residents signed a petition calling for a referendum to decide if they would allow high-density construction near the Erda site.
The original plans called for a residential development of 446 homes surrounding the temple. The petition said residents approved of the temple but not the home lots.
The First Presidency announces plans to begin construction on the Syracuse and Deseret Peak Utah Temples this year. https://t.co/szThN4i5IV
— The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (@Ch_JesusChrist) March 16, 2021
Church leaders withdrew the original rezoning request in Aug. 2020.
A news release issued at the time said the new temple would be three stories and cover about 70,000 square feet. There will also be a new 20,000 square foot meetinghouse on site.
“The First Presidency expresses gratitude for the faith and prayers of Church members in this area, and continues to encourage all people to treat one another with kindness and Christlike love,” officials said in a January release.
The temple was announced in April 2019 by Church President Russell M. Nelson.
Syracuse Utah Temple
Groundbreaking for the Syracuse Utah Temple will happen in June, presided over by Elder Kevin R. Duncan of the Quorum of the Seventy.
Plans call for a three-story temple that will be approximately 89,000 square feet, located on at the intersection of 2500 West and 1025 South – less than a mile from Syracuse High School.
The land was owned by fifth-generation farmers Neal and Caroline Briggs. The Briggs told KSL-TV they had planned to pass the land on to the next generation, but changed those plans to make way for the temple.
“Yeah, I think we were the only ones in Syracuse who knew when that announcement was coming,” they said. “It’s been an emotional thing for us … but it’s been a tender thing.”
Neal Briggs said the farm was one of the first in Syracuse.
“I’ve always told my family, if the Lord ever needed land for a temple, I would not say no,” he said.
Neal Briggs was determined to keep his farmland in the family. He's turned down several offers. Hear how something he told his family years ago, convinced him to change his mind, for the new Syracuse temple for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. @KSL5TV at 6. pic.twitter.com/hNwP3KEYNT
— Mike Anderson (@mikeandersonKSL) August 28, 2020
President Nelson announced plans for the Syracuse Utah Temple during the April 2020 General Conference.
Specific dates for the groundbreaking ceremonies were not released due to ongoing pandemic concerns. For the same reason, attendance will be by invitation only.
In addition to Tooele and Syracuse, new Utah temples have also been announced or are under construction in Layton, Lindon, Orem, Saratoga Springs, St. George and Taylorsville.
Once completed there will be 25 temples in the state.
