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Outside photo of St. George Utah Temple, which recently underwent renovation.

Courtesy Intellectual Reserve

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Elder Matthew Holland speaks to media during a tour of newly renovated St. George temple.

Courtesy Intellectual Reserve

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Elder Kevin Pearson, General Authority Seventy, addresses questions during a media tour of the St. George temple.

Courtesy Intellectual Reserve

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This photo shows the original construction of the St. George temple in 1875 using area sandstone.

Courtesy Intellectual Reserve

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Baptistry in the newly renovated St. George legacy temple.

Courtesy Intellectual Reserve

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Another view of outside additions to the St. George temple.

Courtesy Intellectual Reserve

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A staircase in the St. George Utah Temple.

Courtesy Intellectual Reserve

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The Celestial Room in the newly renovated St. George temple.

Courtesy Intellectual Reserve

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An instruction room with murals depicting the red rock area of St. George, part of renovations to the temple.

Courtesy Intellectual Reserve

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Gilded steps in the St. George temple.

Courtesy Intellectual Reserve

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The sealing room where eternal marriages are performed in the St. George temple.

Courtesy Intellectual Reserve

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The St. George Utah Temple chapel.

Courtesy Intellectual Reserve

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A detailed look at one of the chandeliers in the St. George temple.

Courtesy Intellectual Reserve

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It has been nearly four years since the pioneer-era legacy temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in St. George closed for major renovation and upgrades. Next week, the doors will reopen for the public to see what has been done.

This was the second major renovation of this historic structure, which was originally announced by Brigham Young, the second president and prophet of the church.

The St. George Utah Temple was the first temple to be completed in Utah. There were only two other temples that had been built, one in Kirkland, Ohio, and another in Nauvoo, Illinois. The St. George Utah Temple was dedicated in 1877 ahead of the Salt Lake Temple in Salt Lake City, which was also under construction in the Beehive State.

Invited guests will get a chance to go inside this week and walk through the many rooms, including the baptistry, instruction rooms and celestial room, where patrons can pray.

A public open house will start on Sept. 15, and continue until Nov. 11, excluding Sundays and Sept. 30, due to the faith’s general conference.

Reservations for the free tours can be scheduled online. The tours run from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. The temple will be rededicated on Dec. 10 in two sessions.

Andy Kirby, director of the church’s historic temple renovations, is excited for people to see the beauty of the renovated temple, which has been updated with a new mechanical system.

“It has (an) all-new heating, air conditioning and cooling system … LED lighting and state-of-the-art high-efficiency systems throughout the temple, so it will operate in an efficient way for many years,” Kirby said.

“I think the pioneers who built this would be pleased with our work,” he added. “They would be satisfied that we preserved their efforts and the beauty and the intent of their work.”

Kirby said the north and west additions to the temple have been rebuilt to match the original architecture of the building. The sacred structure is more accessible, with added elevators, better stairs, walkways and hallways. There is also a new baptistry entrance on the south side of the temple and a bride’s exit on the northeast corner.

“The interior design matches the historic temple and furnishings that would have been appropriate in the 1870s and 1880s,” Kirby said.

Features include furniture and patterns to match the original time period is rich hues of blue and cream, tufted upholstery, dark woods and gilded stairways. The care to historic detail shows down to the tassels holding back the curtains.

The landscaping on the temple grounds now includes water-wise plants, and the irrigation system is enhanced with secondary water.

“This just happens to be my favorite temple because this is a temple (that) I’ve known all my life,” said Steven Snow, former church historian and a St. George native.

“I feel a connection to my ancestors, not only because they built this building but because we have a shared faith,” explained Dana Moody in a church statement. She is the great-granddaughter of George Brooks, who carved stone for the St. George temple and the nearby historic St. George Tabernacle.

Moody said her ancestors “made sacred promises and covenants with God that can’t be done in other places.”

She continued, “We believe that as we make those promises and those covenants with God, it binds us together for eternity.”

This is the second time the St. George Utah Temple has received extensive renovation. “This temple now has stood for almost 150 years, and it was remodeled somewhat extensively in the mid-’70s,” Snow said.

The St. George temple was rededicated in 1975 by President Spencer W. Kimball.

Church President Russell M. Nelson announced the renovation of pioneer-era temples during general conference in October 2018. Detailed renovation plans for the St. George temple were released in May 2019.

“I anticipate that this temple will last for 50, 60, maybe even 75 years without a major renovation, if it’s maintained well,” Kirby said.