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Jul 19, 2023

Crews place 1st of 98 isolators under Salt Lake Temple

SALT LAKE CITY — Construction crews working on the renovation project of The

SALT LAKE CITY — Construction crews working on the renovation project of The Salt Lake Temple reached a major milestone on May 3, 2023. The first base isolator was placed on the new footing on the west side of the temple. The new footings surround the towers on the east and west ends of the temple, extending down 35 feet and away from the original structure. This is the first of 98 isolators.

According to a press release, the base isolators are mechanical devices that isolate the movement of the earth from the building above during a seismic event. A single base isolator weighs 18,000 pounds (8,165 kilograms) but can carry a weight of 8 million pounds (3.6 million kilograms). Installing isolators will allow the temple to move horizontally up to five feet in any direction during an earthquake.

Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints say the renovation of the Salt Lake Temple is taking longer than expected, delaying the reopening for about a year. The project is now expected to be finished in 2026 rather than 2025.

In addition to work on the temple, a newly completed portion of the plaza south of the Church Office Building will be opened during regular Temple Square hours, beginning June 1. It will be accessible from the west side of State Street as well as from a walkway between the Church Administration Building and the Lion House.

When the plaza fully reopens, it will display 91 international flags to represent the global growth of the Church. It will also include a monument stone inscribed with a scripture from the Bible (Isaiah 2:2): "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it."

Construction continues on the plaza areas between the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and the Church Administration Building and on the Main Street Plaza and west half of the plaza near the Church Office Building. This area is expected to be completed at the end of 2023.

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