The Vernal Utah Temple is the fifty-first

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 ...

, and is located in Vernal, Utah. The intent to build the temple was announced on February 13, 1994, by 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 ...

. It is the tenth temple in Utah. When it was dedicated on November 2, 1997, the Vernal Utah Temple was unique as the church's only one built from a previously existing structure. Since 1997, the Copenhagen Denmark, Manhattan New York, and Provo City Center temples have been similarly adapted from existing structures. The temple has two domed towers, with the east tower having a gold-leafed 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 ...

. This temple was designed by FFKR Architects, using an adaptation of the Uintah Stake Tabernacle's original design. A groundbreaking ceremony, signifying the beginning of construction, was held on May 13, 1995, conducted by church president Gordon B. Hinckley.

History

Originally, the building served as the Uintah

Stake A stake is a large wooden or metal implement designed to be driven into the ground and may refer to: Tools * Archer's stake, a defensive stake carried by medieval longbowmen * Survey stakes, markers used by surveyors * Sudis (stake) (Latin for ...

Tabernacle According to the Hebrew Bible, the tabernacle (), also known as the Tent of the Congregation (, also Tent of Meeting), was the portable earthly dwelling of God used by the Israelites from the Exodus until the conquest of Canaan. Moses was instru ...

for

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 ...

in eastern Utah. The tabernacle's foundation was constructed of nearby

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

with walls built of four layers of fired

brick A brick is a type of construction material used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a unit primarily composed of clay. But is now also used informally to denote building un ...

from local

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolinite, ). Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impuriti ...

. The building was built with considerable donated labor from the fall of 1899 until it was dedicated on August 24, 1907, by church president

Joseph F. Smith Joseph Fielding Smith Sr. (November 13, 1838 – November 19, 1918) was an American religious leader who served as the sixth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He was a nephew of Joseph Smith, founder of ...

, who reportedly said he would not be surprised if a temple was built there in the future. Relative to other church tabernacles, the Uintah Stake Tabernacle was relatively modest, lacking the decorative details found on tabernacles in central and northern Utah. By 1948, the tabernacle was superseded by an adjacent, more modern stake center. Only used irregularly thereafter, the church announced the tabernacle's closure the same year for public safety reasons. Citing a lack of indoor bathrooms and accessibility for individuals with disabilities. A local "Save the Tabernacle" committee was formed, and in 1989 a preservation study was conducted. The church ultimately decided to turn the building into a temple, announcing the decision in 1994. The renovation project preserved the buildings original exterior, while bringing it up to modern building codes and reconfiguring the interior floor plan. The temple's eastern spire was heightened to be taller than the spire of the adjacent stake center, and a golden statue of the angel Moroni was placed on top of the spire facing east. Following completion of the temple, a public open house was held from October 11 to October 25, 1997. The temple was officially dedicated on November 2, 1997, by church president Gordon B. Hinckley, with the dedication lasting until November 4th, totaling 11 sessions. Serving from 1997 to 2000, the temple's first

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

was F. Burton Howard, with Harriet H. Howard serving as matron. As of 2023, Keith B. Caldwell is the president, with Rahnene Caldwell serving as matron.

Design and architecture

The temple is on a 1.6-acre plot at 420 West 200 South in Vernal, Utah. Its grounds are landscaped with trees and flowerbeds. The temple is a two-story structure, constructed with face brick that maintains the original tabernacle's appearance. The temple is distinguished by two domed towers, with the east tower having a gold-leafed statue of the angel Moroni. A stained-glass window depicting Jesus holding a lamb is on the east side of the temple. The temple's interior includes hand-painted walls featuring sego lilies and wheat stalks, reflecting local vegetation. The furniture was designed to replicate early 20th-century designs, honoring the building’s pioneer heritage. The celestial room contains horsehair-upholstered furniture, similar to chairs used by the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the

Salt Lake Temple The Salt Lake Temple is a Temple (LDS Church), temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. At , it is the Comparison of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Sa ...

Admittance

On March 29, 1997, the First Presidency announced the public open house that was held from October 11 to October 25, 1997, excluding Sundays. The temple was dedicated by Gordon B. Hinckley from November 2 to November 4, 1997, in 11 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

Additional reading

* * * *
Additional information
from Mormon Literature & Creative Arts. * * * *

External links