Dedication of the Draper Utah Temple
After announcing a third house of the Lord for the Salt Lake Valley in October 2004 general conference, Church President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “It may appear that we are unduly favoring this area. But temple attendance is such that we must accommodate those who wish to come. And if the present growth trends continue, we shall probably need yet another.”
This 12th temple for Utah, announced November 2004 to be the Draper Utah Temple, was dedicated by President Thomas S. Monson from March 20 to March 22, 2009, during 12 sessions. This was the first Utah temple dedicated after the death of President Hinckley 14 months prior.
President Monson, 16th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was joined by his counselors — President Henry B. Eyring and President Dieter F. Uchtdorf — as well as members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Seventies, Presiding Bishopric members, general officers and the temple presidency.
Around 16,000 Latter-day Saints attended a dedicatory session in person. The 11:30 a.m. session on Sunday was also broadcast via satellite to the temple district’s 25 stake centers, with thousands viewing the event remotely.
Throughout the three dedication days, President Monson took time to greet Latter-day Saints. He especially talked to children over the age of 8 and occasionally sang to them. “I like for the children to know that they are welcome in God's house,” said President Monson in an interview after Saturday's concluding session, referring to youth from the age of 12. “The Savior said, ‘Suffer the little children to come unto me’ (Mark 10:14). He is mindful of them.”
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “May this house provide a spirit of peace to all who observe its majesty, and especially to those who enter for their own sacred ordinances and to perform the work for those beyond the veil. Let them feel of Thy divine love and mercy. May they be privileged to say, as did the Psalmist of old, ‘We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company’ (Psalm 55:14).”
Read the dedicatory prayer of the Draper Utah Temple here.
Timeline of the Draper Utah Temple
The Draper Utah Temple was announced on Oct. 2, 2004, by Church President Gordon B. Hinckley. The groundbreaking happened just under 23 months later, on Aug. 5, 2006, with President Hinckley presiding.
After an open house from Jan. 15 to March 14, 2009, the Draper Utah Temple was dedicated in 12 sessions from March 20 to March 22, 2009, by Church President Thomas S. Monson.
Architecture and Design of the Draper Utah Temple
With an exterior of white granite from China, the Draper Utah Temple measures around 58,300 square feet in area. The outside walls have a brick-patterned design and several tall, rectangular windows. Above the edifice sits a multilevel tower on a square base, with tall, art-glass windows on each side.
Inside the house of the Lord is a recurring theme of the sego lily — the Utah state flower — such as in art-glass windows and decorative paintings. The interior uses limestone floor tile and limestone base imported from Lyon, France. It also uses makore wood from the west coast of central Africa for doors, trim, cabinets and wood paneling. Murals in the instruction rooms depict mountainous scenes with a view from the top.
Standing on a site of approximately 12 acres, the temple shares its grounds with an adjacent meetinghouse. The grounds sit atop the mountains, providing an elevated view of the valley below.
Interior Photos of the Draper Utah Temple
