SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Dec. 13, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — The renovation on Temple Square is now scheduled to be finished by 2025, a year after officials first said it would be completed.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ First Presidency said in a statement Monday: “The seismic strengthening of the Salt Lake Temple and the extensive remodel of the temple and surrounding area are sacred and significant undertakings. As the project has progressed, we have learned a great deal about the condition of the temple and its surroundings.
“Inspired modifications and additions to the project and scope have been made so the temple and Temple Square can serve many generations yet to come. It is anticipated that the temple and its surroundings will be completed in 2025. We look forward to welcoming the world at that time to visit, tour and learn about this sacred temple and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
The renovation of Temple Square began in December 2019.
Construction on the north addition of the Salt Lake Temple continues, the statement said.
“Crews have laid concrete over more than half of the area,” the statement went on. “This provides a clean and level working surface for the foundation of the new floors. This week, the largest concrete pour to date will form the first quarter of the bottom 42 inch-thick floor of the temple addition. Some 1,800 cubic yards will be poured over a period of about 8–10 hours. Three concrete pump machines will be used simultaneously for this continuous pour.”
Workers recently began vertical drilling inside the temple’s tower and wall columns. The first drilling commenced in the north wall near the northwest tower. Once the drilling reaches through the entire structure, post tension cables will be inserted, tensioned into the cavity and anchored into the foundation.
The demolition of the North Visitors’ Center, which was first announced in June 2021, is on track for completion by January 2022. The replica of the Christus statue was removed from the facility this summer for preservation. The statue will be reinstalled on Temple Square at the end of the renovation.
The area where the North Visitors’ Center previously stood will become a garden space with clear views of the temple. It will also include additional restrooms to support events in the Tabernacle and Assembly Hall. At the start of the Temple Square renovation project in January 2020, the main arrival center and primary venue for guests shifted to the Conference Center.
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