September 8th, 2025, 12:18pm MDT
Grand Junction Temple in Colorado has begun its open house phase, with the public being invited to visit this Lord’s house from September 11th to 27th except Sunday. Media Day, prior to September 8th, will be held today, with invited guests touring the building from September 9th to 10th.
Two general authority 70s lead the Monday Media Day tour. Elder Ricardo P. Guimenez, the first counselor to the Central President of the United States, and Elder James R. Rusband, assistant executive director of the Temple Division.
President Jeffrey R. Holland, the 12 Apostle Quarter President, will dedicate Grand Junction Temple during one session on Sunday, October 19th next month.
In conjunction with Monday’s Media Day, the church released photos of the interior and exterior of Grand Junction Temple at churchofjesuschrist.org.
This is the third Lord’s house of the nation for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is also planned to become the first and 210th operating temple in western Colorado.
Design and Features
The 29,630-square-foot Grand Junction Colorado Temple incorporates elements celebrating Western Colorado’s natural environment, particularly the state’s official cactus, Claret Cup Cactus. Made of steel and concrete, this structure is covered with Portuguese Pedras Sargadas granite. The exterior design highlights the sturdy terrain at Grand Junction and the combination of the Colorado and Gunnison rivers that form the region.
Other design motifs tied to the desert landscape include Indian paintbrushes, cliffflowos flowers and peach flowers. Art glasses and additional elements throughout the building are drawn from the crimson colour of the claret cup cactus flowers, with shades of amber, green and pale pink. Carpets and nylon area rugs throughout the temple use warm colors and organic patterns inspired by the local landscape.
The main floor stone, Mineo marble, is accented with marbles of New Saffron, Red Jasper, Verde Laguna and Quetzal green, reminiscent of the canyon landscape in the southwestern region. Made from heavy-duty wood, the doors include antique brass finish hardware in most areas, ceilings and refined satin brass finish in the celestial room.
The door hardware and the subtle nod to the local orchards of African Sapele hardwood mills can also be seen in door hardware and African Sapele hardwood mills. Crystal chandeliers and fixtures that illuminate the bride’s room, celestial room and ceiling room are in antique brass finish.
This temple and the church of Colorado
On April 4, 2021, President Russell M. Nelson announced his home in Grand Junction, Colorado. This was one of the 20 temple locations identified at the general meeting in April 2021.
The day before Easter Sunday, the groundbreaking ceremony at Grand Junction Colorado Temple was held on April 16th, 2022. Elder Chi Hong (Sam) Wong – 70 people, and then the first counselor for the President of the Central Region of North America, presided over the ceremony and offered devotional prayers on the site.
“We are grateful for your son, Jesus Christ, for the tone sin and the blessing of his promised resurrection,” Elder Wong said in his prayer. “When we offer this holy place, we pray that we can maintain this positive spiritual momentum in our lives.”
Colorado has two operating temples: Denver Colorado Temple, dedicated to 1986 and Fort Collins Colorado Temple, dedicated to 2016.
The first shares in Colorado, San Luis Shares, was founded in 1883. The Colorado Mission, the state’s first mission, was founded in 1896 more than a decade later.
In 1911, the Tabernacle Choir toured Colorado. In the early 1980s, the first released seminary program east of Rocky Mountain was established in Colorado Springs.
Colorado currently has nearly 150,000 Latter-day Saints in 310 congregations.
Grand Junction Colorado Temple
Address: 678 Horizon Drive, Grand Junction, Colorado 81506
Announcement: April 4, 2021, President Russell M. Nelson
Groundbreaking: April 16, 2022, Elder Chi Hong Won is the main sever
Public Open House: excluding September 11th-27th, 2025, Sunday
Become Devoted: October 19, 2025, President Jeffrey R. Holland, Quorum Representation of the 12 Apostles
Property Size: 7.93 Acres
Building Size: 29,630 square feet
Building height: 118 feet, 8 inches
