The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints unveiled the interior of its new 39,800-square-foot Temple Square Visitors Center for the first time on Monday, April 13.
The Visitor’s Center will open to the public on May 18th. Monday’s media day at Temple Square was the first opportunity for individuals to see some of the new experiences they can participate in starting next month.
The church has released the first official photos of the new visitor center at ChurchofJesusChrist.org. The new facility is focused on the Savior and features elements designed to help individuals understand the purpose of the Lord’s house and their role in the plan of salvation.
“The new visitor center is a window into our sacred covenant with Christ,” said President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “It helps people of all backgrounds understand the role temples play and why they are important to members and communities. Here, guests can discover how temple teachings connect with everyday life and uncover the larger context of Latter-day Saint faith, family, and commitment to Christ.”
A replica of Bertel Thorvaldsen’s Christus statue, surrounded by large windows, is located in the west wing of the new visitor center. You can see the temple from the window behind the statue.
A sculpture by Swiss artist Christian Bolt entitled “Come Until Me” depicts the risen Savior reaching out to visitors on the main level of the new visitor center.
While a General Authority Seventy, Elder Brent H. Nielson (now General Authority Seventy Emeritus) served as executive director of the Temple Department. He currently serves as the Salt Lake Temple Celebration Coordinator.
“Our church leaders wanted the focus to be on Jesus Christ and the fact that this is His home,” he said. “The visitor center provides an opportunity for those who are not of our faith to see inside the temple and better understand what is happening there.”
The temple itself holds open house tours, but the six-month-long event surrounding the open house is referred to by church leaders as the Salt Lake Temple Celebration.
The Salt Lake Temple renovation project began after the temple and much of Temple Square opened to the public on December 29, 2019. In February 2025, the late President Russell M. Nelson announced that the temple would hold open houses from April to October 2027.
The opening of the new visitor center comes nearly a year before open houses begin.
New exhibits in the visitor center include an “inside the temple” experience, a new scale model of the Salt Lake Temple, and a gallery of 11 replicas of the Lord’s Houses from around the world.
The church has also relaunched its Temple Square app, which helps individuals plan their time in Temple Square. The app allows users to reserve times for the “Inside the Temple” experience and other events held at Temple Square during the Salt Lake Temple Celebration.
“Inside the temple” experience
Most temples in this dispensation have open periods during which those without a temple recommend can enter the temple, tour the rooms, and learn what is going on there. However, the temple does not allow such visits after the dedication has taken place.
A 30-minute guided tour inside the new visitor center takes you through life-size replicas of many of the temple’s rooms. These include a replica welcome desk, baptismal room, instruction room, sealing room, and celestial room. Each is generic in nature and is not a replica of a room within the Salt Lake Temple.
Rich Sutton, senior director of the church’s temple division, said the function will essentially be a nonstop open house for visitors.
“This is open to the public at any time and you can see what the temple looks like,” he said. “The room itself is not a dedicated temple space, but it certainly feels like one. It’s built to the same standards as a temple. And there’s a different feeling to it. It’s peaceful. It’s quiet. It’s meditative. It’s even worshipful. And it’s beautiful.”
Reservations are required for the “Inside the Temple” experience and can be made at TempleSquare.org.
