Essential Tee — Salt Lake City Temple Sketch Tee

Temple Name and Location:

• Salt Lake Temple - Salt Lake City, Utah
  
  
• Located on 10-acre Temple Square in downtown Salt Lake City
  
  

Temple Number:

• 4th dedicated temple still in operation
  
  

Date Announced:

• July 28, 1847 by Brigham Young
  
  
• Young marked the spot just 4 days after entering Salt Lake Valley
  
  

Date Groundbreaking:

• February 14, 1853 by Brigham Young
  
  
• Cornerstone laid April 6, 1853
  
  

Date Dedicated:

• April 6-24, 1893 by Wilford Woodruff
  
  
• 31 dedication sessions held over 18 days

First Temple President:

• Lorenzo Snow (1893-1898)
  
  
• Served until becoming Church President in 1898

Construction Challenges:

• 40-year construction period with multiple delays
  
  
• Utah War forced temporary halt - foundation buried and disguised
  
  
• Granite transportation: 20-mile haul from quarry by ox teams taking 3-5 days per trip
  
  
• Defective sandstone foundation required reconstruction
  
  

Symbolism:

• Stone carvings: Earth, Moon, Sun, and Star stones representing kingdoms of glory
  
  
• All-Seeing Eye and Hand Clasp symbols
  
  
• Six towers signifying priesthood restoration
  
  
• Inscriptions: "Holiness to the Lord" and "The House of the Lord"
  
  

Changes Over Time:

• Major renovations: 1930s, 1960s, 1980s, and current 2019-2027
  
  
• Current renovation adds 9 more sealing rooms (22 total) and second baptistry
  
  
• Interior modernized from live instruction to film presentations in 90+ languages
  
  

Piece of Trivia:

• Angel Moroni's trumpet fell off during March 2020 earthquake
  
  
• Longest construction time of any temple: 45 years, 8 months, 9 days

• Main temple doors are sealed until Jesus' Second Coming - entry only through underground tunnel