The Fort Collins Colorado Temple is a

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

Fort Collins A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

. Completed in 2016, the intent to construct the temple was announced by church president

Thomas S. Monson Thomas Spencer Monson (August 21, 1927 – January 2, 2018) was an American religious leader, author, and the 16th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). As president, he was considered by adherents of the rel ...

on April 2, 2011, during general conference. The temple is the second in Colorado. The temple has a single attached central tower with a statue of the

angel Moroni The angel Moroni () is an angel whom Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, reported as having visited him on numerous occasions, beginning on September 21, 1823. According to Smith, the angel Moroni was the guardian of the gold ...

. A groundbreaking ceremony, to signify the beginning of construction, was held on August 24, 2013, conducted by Ronald A. Rasband.

History

The temple was announced by Thomas S. Monson on April 2, 2011. The temple is on the southeast corner of the intersection at Trilby Road and Timberline Road, across the street from one of the church's chapels in Fort Collins. The structure served the needs of more than 20,000 church members in

Northern Colorado Northern Colorado is the name for a region in the state of Colorado and a proposed state in the northeastern portion of Colorado. Region Northern Colorado is a region in the northern portion of Colorado. It borders northwestern Colorado, nort ...

, Western Nebraska and Southern Wyoming at the time of its completion. The developers applied to rezone the land. The property was originally zoned to support only homes and neighborhood centers that, act "as a focal point for neighborhood activity," and may include, "a grocery store or supermarket and other neighborhood oriented retail services." Due to an intergovernmental agreement between the

Larimer County Larimer County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 359,066. The county seat and most populous city is Fort Collins, Colorado, Fort Colli ...

and the City of Fort Collins, the developer first pursued the rezoning through Larimer County, followed by an annexation and rezoning process through the City of Fort Collins. Fort Collins LDS Temple 2

In November 2011, the city planning board in Fort Collins recommended annexation and rezoning of the proposed temple site. Work on the temple commenced with a groundbreaking ceremony conducted by Ronald A. Rasband on August 24, 2013. As construction progressed, the temple was vandalized on August 23, 2015, along with other places of worship in the local area. On August 26, 2015, a statue of the angel Moroni was put in place. After construction was completed, a public open house was held from August 19 through September 10, 2016, excluding Sundays. The temple was dedicated by Dieter F. Uchtdorf, of the church's

First Presidency Among many churches in the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency (also known as the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church) is the highest presiding or governing body. Present-day denominations of the movement led by a First Presidency ...

on October 16, 2016.

Design and architecture

The building has a traditional Latter-day Saint temple design. Designed by Architectural Nexus and Aaron Arbuckle, its architecture reflects both the cultural heritage of the Fort Collins region and its spiritual significance to the church. The temple sits on a 12.3-acre plot, and the landscaping around the temple features local trees and a stone fountain. These elements are designed to provide a tranquil setting that enhances the sacred atmosphere of the site. The structure is 112 feet tall, constructed with precast concrete. The exterior has art glass windows featuring a mountain flora motif inspired by the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...

, with a color palette of blues, golds, and greens. The interior features flooring with Spanish-influenced patterns, decorative painting in the same color palette as the exterior windows, with Spanish and mountain flora motifs, and art glass similar to that of the exterior. The temple also has an original oil painting wall mural which depicts the local landscape. The temple includes two instruction rooms, three

sealing room In temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), an ordinance room is a room where the ceremony known as the '' Endowment'' is administered, as well as other ordinances such as Sealings. Some temples perform a progr ...

s, and one

baptistry In Christian architecture the baptistery or baptistry (Old French ''baptisterie''; -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... ''baptisterie''; Latin ''baptist ...

, each arranged for ceremonial use. Symbolic elements are integrated into the design, providing deeper meaning to the temple's function and aesthetics. The design uses elements representing the natural landscapes and heritage of Colorado, providing spiritual meaning to the temple's appearance and function. Symbolism is important to church members and includes the mountain flora motif used in the art glass windows, representative of the nearby Rocky Mountains, as well as the Spanish-inspired patterns in the flooring and decorative painting, which are a nod to the region’s history.

Temple presidents

The church's temples are directed by a

temple president Temple president is a priesthood leadership position in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A temple president's primary responsibility is to supervise the affairs of a church temple in both an administrative and spiritual capacity. ...

and matron, each serving for a term of three years. The president and matron oversee the administration of temple operations and provide guidance and training for both temple patrons and staff. The first president of the Fort Collins Colorado Temple was John S. Garrett, with the matron being Sandra G. Garrett. They served from 2016 to 2016. As of 2024, Wallace L. Stock is the president, with Jan E. Stock serving as matron.

Admittance

Following completion of the temple, a public open house was held from August 19-September 10, 2016 (excluding Sundays). During the open house, over 105,000 people visited the temple. The temple was dedicated by Dieter F. Uchtdorf on October 16, 2016, in three sessions. Like all the church's temples, it is not used for

Sunday worship In Christianity, the Lord's Day refers to Sunday, the traditional day of communal worship. It is the first day of the week in the Hebrew calendar and traditional Christian calendars. It is observed by most Christians as the weekly memorial of the ...

services. To members of the church, temples are regarded as sacred houses of the Lord. Once dedicated, only church members with a current

temple recommend In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord. Temples are considered by church members to be the most sacred structures on earth. Upon completion, temples are usuall ...

can enter for worship.

References

External links