Temple Square Renovation Project Updates: June and July 2020

In April 2019, President Russell M. Nelson announced plans for the renovation of the Salt Lake Temple. In December 2019, the Salt Lake Temple was or closed for renovation. The following are regular updates about the progress of the Salt Lake Temple renovation, which is expected to take four years.

July 29, 2020

Have you seen the work on Temple Square through the end of July?

• The original tower foundations on the west side of the Salt Lake Temple will soon be visible. The soil, debris, and structures on that west side elevation will be dismantled and removed so crews can begin the work of strengthening the tower foundations.

• On the north side of the temple, the sealing wing (used for marriages) and the north annex were previously removed. The debris from this dismantlement work will continue to be removed over the next few weeks. Now that the sealing wing is removed, the foundation on the north side of the temple is exposed for further seismic upgrade work.    

• Inside the temple, the foundations are being uncovered as well. This is in preparation to further strengthen the foundation as part of the ongoing overall seismic upgrade.
• Have you thought about how many workers are helping this project move forward? On July 22 all project workers with Jacobsen Construction enjoyed a celebration to honor Pioneer Day and the legacy of the early pioneers and temple workers.

July 17, 2020

The past two weeks show considerable work on dismantling buildings on the north side of the Salt Lake Temple.

• The north annex chapel was previously dismantled. The office and other ancillary facilities such as the cafeteria are being dismantled. Workers continue to separate (or sort) and remove debris from the construction site for recycling purposes.
• The north side sealing wing (used for marriages) was recently separated from the historic temple walls. It was then dismantled, which now exposes the historic north side of the Salt Lake Temple. Debris from the sealing wing continues to be removed. The sealing wing will be rebuilt once the temple foundation is strengthened.

• Soldier piles (steel columns), which will be part of the retaining wall shoring, are now being installed on the west side of the temple construction site.

Watch a time-lapse of the Salt Lake Temple construction from May through June, which includes the work on shoring as well as dismantlement of the north annex.

July 2, 2020

The past few weeks show significant changes on the Salt Lake Temple project site:

• Soldier piles (steel columns), which will be part of the retaining wall shoring, were recently installed on the north side of the construction site. The work of putting in soldier piles will now continue along the west boundary of the site and at other locations in the future. 
• The north annex of the temple is being dismantled. This includes the temple chapel as well as the office and main entrance areas. This work is scheduled to be completed by the end of July.
• The sealing wing (used for marriages) that was attached to the north side of the temple is now separated from the historic temple walls in preparation for dismantlement. Crews are working to protect the existing walls of the historic temple. The sealing wing will be rebuilt once the temple foundation is strengthened.

• In March, several finial stones on the towers were affected by a seismic event. The work of removing these stones is now complete. The large mobile crane used to remove them as well as the statue of the angel Moroni is no longer on-site. It will eventually be replaced by two tower cranes located on the south and north sides of the temple.

Significant work is moving forward on the north side of the temple. These are the latest construction activities:

• On the north side of the temple, the process of removing the sealing wing annex has begun. The sealing wing roofing structure is currently being removed, and the interior of the sealing wing is being disconnected from the historic side of the temple. The sealing wing will be rebuilt.

• The underground facilities north of the temple, such as the locker rooms and cafeteria, are being dismantled to prepare for excavation work. 

• To prepare for the deep excavation on the north side of the temple, shoring work continues along North Temple Street.     

  

                                                                                                                              
• The strengthening of the south temple foundation continues to move forward.       

June 5, 2020

The Salt Lake Temple has now been closed for five months in preparation for its structural and seismic upgrade.

The following are the latest activities in the renovation project:

• The removal of the upper finials (the highest point of the towers) continues. Each removed finial is carefully inventoried before being crated and stored. All finials will be reinstalled in their original positions. The towers now have additional scaffolding to complete this work.
• On the west side of the temple, the sidewalks and planter walls are being removed. This work is to prepare for future excavation of the area.
• On the north side of the temple, preparation is underway for shoring. This will prepare the site for excavation that will expose the north historic foundation. It will also prepare for a deep excavation for the new main temple entrance and other facilities belowground.
• The original temple windows continue to be removed on all floors.
• HVAC units have been added throughout the temple specifically for this project to control the air temperature and humidity as well as to protect existing woodwork and finishes.