History of Salt Lake Temple Construction: 40-Year Building Timeline

LDS Perspective

The history of the Salt Lake Temple begins immediately upon the Saints' arrival in the Salt Lake Valley in July 1847. During the first Sabbath-day sermon delivered in the valley, Apostle George A. Smith declared that a temple built there would fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy that “the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established” in the last days. Shortly thereafter, President Brigham Young saw in vision the precise location where the temple should stand, selecting the site that would become the center of the city patterned after Joseph Smith’s plat for the City of Zion. On February 14, 1853, the Saints held a groundbreaking ceremony where musicians performed “Auld Lang Syne,” and on April 6, 1853, the cornerstones were laid and dedicated. Brigham Young worked closely with architect Truman

Historical Perspective

Construction of the Salt Lake Temple began in 1853 on Temple Square, with the foundation completed by 1855. However, construction was abruptly interrupted in 1858 when the foundation was buried under dirt to prevent its destruction by Johnston’s Army, the federal troops dispatched to Utah during the Utah War. When Brigham Young ordered the foundation uncovered in 1860 to resume work, masons discovered large cracks running from the walls into the foundation structure. The foreman informed Young that the work on one side was defective and dangerous, prompting Young to consult specialists and ultimately order the entire foundation excavated and relaid to ensure structural integrity. By August 1862, progress had resumed sufficiently for President Young to tour the site with Wilford Woodruff a