In with the new: Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple begins to take shape
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- The Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple is pictured Friday, Oct. 24, 2025.
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- The Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple is pictured Friday, Oct. 24, 2025.
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- The Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple is pictured Friday, Oct. 24, 2025.
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- The Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple is pictured Friday, Oct. 24, 2025.
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- The Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple is pictured Friday, Oct. 24, 2025.
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- The Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple is pictured Friday, Oct. 24, 2025.
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- The Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple is pictured Friday, Oct. 24, 2025.
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- The Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple is pictured Friday, Oct. 24, 2025.
Over a year and a half since the Provo Utah Temple shuttered its doors, the Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple being built in its place is beginning to take form.
The building’s foundation and framing — equipped with a spire on top — are in place, marking the return of a landmark view that was notably missing at this time last year.
An Oct. 22 update from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said workers are installing windows on the south and east sides of the building, while sheathing boards are being attached to the exterior framing. Concrete is also being poured for parking lot curbing and sidewalks.
Reconstruction is estimated to be completed by mid to late 2027, with an open house expected to follow several months later.
Though disappointment lingers among many Provo residents who adored the old temple’s quirky design that resembled a birthday cupcake or a spaceship, many are looking forward to seeing what the new temple will become.
“We couldn’t be more excited about it as a family,” said Provo resident Teuila Mounga, who lives across the street from the temple grounds. “We love looking at it every day. It inspires us every day. I know there’s been sadness around the community that’s been here longer than us, but for us, it’s just been amazing watching it come up.”
Feeling nostalgic
Pleasant View Neighborhood Executive Board member Lynn Sorenson said that for several years, many people, including herself, thought the old temple was “uniquely ugly.”
“The 1-year-old birthday cake and all that,” she said. “But as it got close to the time they were going to take it down, then I got very nostalgic about it.”
Many others felt the same way.
When the church announced the Provo Temple reconstruction in 2021, a petition garnered more than 1,300 signatures calling for the church to preserve the exterior structure of the building and make seismic upgrades to it, similar to what is being done to the Salt Lake Temple.
Provo resident and Timpview High School student Asher Pope said he remembers when many of his neighbors signed the petition and said he was a fan of the old temple himself.
“It was pretty cool to look at,” he said.
Pope thinks the new temple will look good but does not think it will be as unique, based on what he’s seen in the renderings.
Mounga, who moved into her home in 2017, said she understands why people feel nostalgic about the old temple. She said she has great memories of going to the old temple with her first husband, who recently passed away
But she said change is “part of the process of life” and that the new temple will grow on some.
“I understand that people had a long time with that temple, lots of experiences and memories. We did too, but not as long as others,” she said. “So I know what it’s like to be attached to something. But obviously things get old, and sometimes they need replacing. And so in this case, it did. And I think this temple will come to mean that much to others in the future.”
Sorenson said she thinks most Pleasant View neighborhood residents are excited about the new temple as well.
“Most people in the neighborhood think it’s lovely,” she said. “(They say) ‘It’s beautiful.’ ‘Isn’t it going to be great?’ And ‘aren’t we so lucky to have it so close to us?'”
Construction
For those living near the temple, construction has become part of the routine.
Mounga’s only complaint was the construction is not the prettiest to look at.
Pope said there is a construction light on at night, which is “kind of annoying,” and said there have been a few road closures.
“It hasn’t been too much of a hassle, but sometimes it’s closed on one side. You have to go around, but it was never more than, like, a five-minute detour,” he said. “It’s not a huge life impactor.”
Questions have been raised regarding how the construction will impact the roadway.
At a Provo Neighborhood 2 meeting in August, a resident wondered if North Temple Road was going to shrink in size due to construction of the new temple parking lot.
A Provo Neighborhood District 2 social media post clarified that Provo City did not sell any additional right of way to the church on North Temple Drive or Temple View Drive — only Temple Hill Drive.
However, the city did remove parallel parking on the streets by the temple and replace it with angle parking. The city also said the bulb-outs, or curb extensions, at the intersection of North Temple Drive, Temple View Drive and Iroquois Drive were not built correctly and that it is working with the contractor to address the issue.
The city said it’s still working with the church and the contractor on the roadway’s final design.
