Meridian Idaho Temple |
Government approval phase; official rendering released; public hearing scheduled for July 11; groundbreaking not announced |
The Meridian Idaho Temple is currently in the government approval phase. Church representatives have submitted plans to Ada County to develop the 12-acre temple complex. No groundbreaking date has been announced.
On May 14, 2013, the official rendering of the Meridian Idaho Temple and site plan were released to the public in conjunction with a neighborhood meeting held as part of the government approval process.1 The design is a departure from the traditional towers and steeples of other Latter-day Saint temples, reminiscent of the Cardston Alberta Temple—the faith's first temple to be designed without a tower, though the Laie Hawaii Temple (based on the Cardston design) was dedicated earlier. The multi-level temple will be topped with a beautiful gold dome-like structure supporting a gold-leafed statue of the angel Moroni.
The Meridian Idaho Temple will stand on the Boise River at 7345 North Linder Road in Meridian, approximately a 12-mile (or 20-minute) drive from the Boise Idaho Temple. The two temples will serve together to meet the needs of the Saints of the Treasure Valley and its surrounding region.2
Idaho's fifth temple was announced during the Saturday morning session of the 181st Annual General Conference for the city of Meridan, the third largest city in Idaho, located about 11 miles west of the capital city of Boise. The Church has been established since 1855 in Idaho where over 410,000 members of the Church reside.3
Meridian is the fastest-growing city in Idaho with a 115 percent increase in population from 2000 to 2010. During this time of rapid expansion, three additional stakes were organized in Meridian and four more in the surrounding communities of Nampa (the second largest city in the state), Kuna, and Middleton. The Meridian Idaho Temple will reduce demands on the nearby Boise Idaho Temple, where endowment rooms often fill near capacity during busy operating hours.
The Meridian Idaho Temple will be the fifth temple built in Idaho, following the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple (1945), the Boise Idaho Temple (1984), the Rexburg Idaho Temple (2008), and the Twin Falls Idaho Temple (2008).
1. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints News Release, "Rendering of Meridian Idaho Temple released to the public," 14 May 2013, 15 May 2013 <http://mormontemples.org/eng/meridian/rendering-of-meridian-idaho-temple-released>.
2. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints News Release, "Site Announced for Meridian Idaho Temple," 19 Dec. 2011.
3. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints News Release, "Church Announces New Temples in Canada, Colorado and Idaho," 2 Apr. 2011.


