Twin Falls Idaho Temple |
Under construction; scheduled to be dedicated Sunday, August 24, 2008 |
Site: 9.1 acres.
Total Floor Area: 29,679 square feet.
Groundbreaking and Site Dedication: 15 April 2006 by Neil L. Andersen
Public Open House: 11 July–16 August 2008
Dedication: 24 August 2008
This summer the general public is invited to attend the open house of the Twin Falls Idaho Temple. All are welcome to attend including children. Tours are FREE, but a reservation is required. This is a rare opportunity to see inside an LDS temple.
Hours: Sunday, Closed; Monday, 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.; Tuesday–Saturday, 9:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.
Cost: The open house is FREE, but a reservation is required.
Parking: A parking attendant will direct you to an available parking space when you arrive.
Dress: Church dress is encouraged.
Details: Tours begin in the meetinghouse adjacent to the temple where you will view a 10-minute video presentation on the purpose of temples followed by a guided tour of the temple's interior. Refreshments will be served in the meetinghouse at the conclusion of the tour.
Reservations: Reserve online (10-ticket limit) or call toll-free 1-866-537-8457 beginning Monday, June 9, 2008, at 10:00 AM. (In the Salt Lake area, call 801-570-0080.)
Youth from throughout the temple district will participate in performing a Cultural Celebration the evening preceeding the temple dedication. The event will originate from the College of Southern Idaho (CSI) gymnasium. As seating is very limited in the gymnasium, the celebration will broadcast to the 14 stake centers in the temple district to accommodate all who wish to attend.
The temple will be dedicated Sunday, August 24, 2008, in four sessions. Proceedings will be broadcast to area stake centers. Obtain temple dedication tickets through your local priesthood leader.
The temple will open for ordinance work beginning Monday, August 25, 2008—the day after dedication. Please note that clothing rental is not available and appointments are required.
As of April 2008, the temple and its adjacent meetinghouse are in the final stages of construction as the open house draws near.
Ground was broken for the temple on Saturday, April 15, 2006—the day before Easter Sunday. Presiding at the ceremony was Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Presidency of the Seventy. Stake presidents and their families comprised most of the audience at the invitation-only event. When completed, the temple will serve approximately 50,000 area Church members.1
The Twin Falls Planning and Zoning Commission approved the necessary permits for the building of the temple on November 8, 2005. The commission approved a special-use permit for a temple and meetinghouse and also approved a variance for the temple to exceed the city's 35-foot maximum height limit. The commission's approval allowed the Church to move to the next stages of planning and to address parking concerns expressed by Commission members, who worried that the 300-space parking lot may be insufficient.2
Plans for the temple, inspired by nearby Shoshone Falls, were unveiled on Thursday, October 6, 2005, at a press conference held in the former Candleridge Golf Course clubhouse. The stunning model on display showcased the white two-story temple, which will be capped with a gold-leafed angel Moroni atop a spire rising 159 feet in the air—making it the highest point in the area. Also sharing the 9.1-acre complex will be a new one-story stake center, over 300 parking spaces, and charming tree-lined boulevards and gardens. The Church, which went to great lengths to minimize the worries of neighbors, contracted with developer Ken Edmunds to subdivide the balance of the 36-acre plot to complement the existing neighborhood.3
President Gordon B. Hinckley announced the construction of a temple for the Magic Valley in his opening remarks of General Conference held October 2, 2004, to serve the thousands of members who live in southern Idaho between the Boise and Idaho Falls temples.4
Rumors of the temple started several weeks before Conference when the Church's negotiations to purchase the Candleridge Golf Course came to light. The financially unprofitable course had already announced its intention to close on December 31, 2004, yet over 300 residents near the golf course produced a petition protesting the loss of the golf course to the temple, upset that their investments into homes next to a golf course would become investments into homes bordering a busy church. In response, the Church distributed printed materials, stating its intentions to work with neighbors in regard to traffic and parking when the time came to present plans to the city. Many other residents, both members and nonmembers alike, heartily welcomed the news, excited at the prospect of a fourth temple for Idaho.5
1. Matt Christensen, "LDS breaks ground on Twin Falls temple," The Times-News 16 Apr. 2006, 16 Apr. 2006 <http://www.magicvalley.com/articles/2006/04/16/news_topstory/news_topstory.1.txt>.
2. Joshua Palmer, "P&Z approves permits for LDS temple," The Times-News 9 Nov. 2005, 9. Nov. 2005 <http://www.magicvalley.com/articles/2005/11/09/news_localstate/news_local_state.5.txt>
3. Terry Smith, "LDS officials reveal design for new temple," The Times-News 7. Oct. 2005, 7 Oct. 2005 <http://www.magicvalley.com/articles/2005/10/07/news_localstate/news_local_state.1.txt>
4. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints News Release, "Two New Temples Announced at General Conference," 2 Oct. 2004.
5. Julie Pence, "Temple search involved one other site," The Times-News 5 Oct. 2004, 7 Oct. 2004 <http://www.magicvalley.com/news/localstate/index.asp?StoryID=12275>.
