1 / 6

A view of Main Street Plaza at Temple Square in Salt Lake City on Nov. 28, 2023. The plaza area will reopen to the public on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024.

Courtesy Intellectual Reserve

2 / 6

Worker lays down sod between the Church Administration Building and the Joseph Smith Memorial Building at Temple Square in Salt Lake City on Nov. 28, 2023. The plaza area will reopen to the public on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024.

Courtesy Intellectual Reserve

3 / 6

A view of the Salt Lake Temple from the northwest corner of Temple Square in Salt Lake City on Nov. 28, 2023. The plaza area will reopen to the public on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024.

Courtesy Intellectual Reserve

4 / 6

Workers fit and lay pavers on Main Street Plaza by the Relief Society Building at Temple Square in Salt Lake City on Nov. 28, 2023. The plaza area will reopen to the public on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024.

Courtesy Intellectual Reserve

5 / 6

A view of the Salt Lake Temple from the plaza at Temple Square in Salt Lake City on Nov. 28, 2023. The area will reopen to the public on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024.

Courtesy Intellectual Reserve

6 / 6

A new plaza looking south between the Church Administration Building, left, and the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, right, at Temple Square in Salt Lake City. The area will reopen to the public on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024.

Courtesy Intellectual Reserve

❮ ❯

In December 2019, President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced the closing of the Salt Lake Temple for updates and renovations. The temple has been under construction to address safety and seismic concerns, create better accessibility for those with limited mobility, focus Temple Square more on Jesus Christ and his ministry, and complete other needed updates and renovations, according to the church.

Nearly four years later, the temple is still under construction, but several plazas on Temple Square are beginning to welcome visitors once again. The church announced Wednesday that beginning this Saturday, the plaza by the Church Office Building, the north part of the Main Street Plaza and the northwest plaza area of Temple Square will start reopening. Then, by mid-February, the south side of Main Street Plaza will reopen.

As the northwest area of Temple Square reopens, other areas will close including the Assembly Hall and surrounding gardens and facilities. The closure will allow the restroom facilities and portions of the walls will be removed. During the closure, the landscaping also will be updated and the Assembly Hall will undergo limited renovation to repair its roof and foundation in addition to mechanical and interior plaster updates and repairs.

Renovation of the Assembly Hall, which was created as a place of worship for Latter-day Saint congregations in 1882, is expected to be completed in 2026, according to the church. The building is now used for hosting tours, organ recitals and other events.

Located on the corner of Temple Square, The Lion House and The Beehive House also have begun renovations.

“Workers will soon begin clearing all plants and trees and excavating around the foundation and footings,” the church wrote in an article posted to its Newsroom. “The footings and foundation will be inspected, stabilized and repaired. The foundation system will be protected to keep water from degrading the structures in the future. The new landscaping will feature drought-resistant plants and water-wise irrigation to improve water management and ensure foundation stability.”

“On the east side of Temple Square, the plaza areas will fully reopen for public access,” the article said. “On the plaza near the Church Office Building, there are 92 flag poles. The flags, which will be raised at a later date, will be one of several art installations symbolizing the global nature of the Church and its commitment to be a friend to all.”

According to the church, the U.S. flag will begin the oval, and flags representing all officially recognized United Nations countries will rotate every three months on the remaining 91 poles. “The flags will be placed in alphabetical order, according to the English name of the country, and will always be illuminated,” the church article stated.

The grouping of flags will remain at full staff at all times; however, to recognize national and international days of mourning, flags of the U.S. and the state of Utah will be displayed at half-staff when appropriate at the Church Administration Building, the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and in front of the Conference Center.

Newsletter