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Downtown Update - Redevelopment, Seismic Upgrades, Renovation and Restoration of Historic Temple Square

https://www.mormonnewsroom.org/artic...ple-renovation

Current Temple Square setup. Note in upcoming plans how the structures fronting the Temple at the north and south will be demolished and replaced in different positions in their relationship to the Temple itself. The more modern structures
that now front the Temple on both sides will be removed and new structures with a more historic vibe will be constructed to the sides of the Temple. This will open up the iconic structures approach. Landscaping and water features will also
be redeveloped, again affording the historic Temple improved site lines. Also, a significant part of the redevelopment will be subterranean structures and seismic upgrades.

https://2486634c787a971a3554-d983ce5...a107d70264.jpg

Rendering of sightline improvement views from the street perspective to the north. Compare to blocked street views in photo above


Rendering of sightline improvement views from the street perspective to the south. Street views formerly blocked by a solid wall and modern-day structural additions.

What will visitor experience be like during renovation? We now know

Tad Walch - December 4th - Deseret News - https://www.deseret.com/2019/12/4/20...-temple-square

SALT LAKE CITY — When the Salt Lake Temple closes for a major, four-year renovation on Dec. 29, Temple Square won’t.

In fact, Temple Square will remain open 365 days a year and is expected to attract more visitors than ever before as the curious flock to watch the construction and see a new film and exhibits at the Conference Center across the street, officials
for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said Wednesday.

The L.D.S. church also released four new renderings on Wednesday of what the temple renovation will look like when it’s done in 2024, but officials focused on the Temple Square visitor experience during a round of interviews with a large
media contingent in the square’s South Visitors’ Center.

An artistic rendering of the renovated Lower Grand Hall in the Salt Lake Temple. Intellectual Reserve, Inc.


An artistic rendering of the renovated World Room in the Salt Lake Temple. Intellectual Reserve, Inc.


An artistic rendering of the renovated Garden Room in the Salt Lake Temple. Intellectual Reserve, Inc.

[B]...The visitor experience during construction will be "unique and engaging and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Tanner Kay, the Temple Square guest experience manager. “The most exciting thing to experience will be to view the temple renovation itself from the vantage point of the balcony and the roof of the Conference Center. You’ll be able to see over all the construction fences right down into the full excavation of the temple.”

Some 5 million people visit Temple Square each year, making it one of the Nation's biggest tourist attractions. The tourist buses that bring many of those visitors to the area now will arrive on the West Temple Street side of the
Conference Center block...

The remodel has two main purposes.

“First of all, seismic stability in the temple concerns the First Presidency long term. We want to make sure that is protected and it will last,” Roberts said. “Secondly, mechanical, electrical and plumbing is 56 to 65 years old. It needs to be replaced. It needs to be updated.”

The reason the foundation and footings will be exposed is because the major part of the renovation is placing the massive, granite temple — the largest Latter-day Saint temple in the world — on a base isolation system.

“What we’re doing is separating the temple, the foundation, from the earth itself with a mobile, moving base isolation system,” Roberts said. “So we’ve got to go all the way down there. We’re going to save the old footings because they are historic. ... We will brace the temple upon the base isolators and separate it from the ground, in essence ... to allow the temple to float and move during a seismic event at a slower rate to preserve it from damage.”

Roberts said church leaders have been considering the base isolator seismic upgrade for nearly 20 years.

“We now think we have the most up-to-date, proven technology,” he said.

The renderings released Wednesday unveiled another driver in the renovation project — history.

Emily Utt, a church historian, has been working since 2011 on the Salt Lake Temple’s history. She is part of a committee that is working to use the renovation as an opportunity to return the temple closer to its original state.

She has studied hundreds of architectural drawings, layers of paint, the insides of walls, the murals and more.

“We want this building to be safe and functional for the next 100 years, but we also want this building to be beautiful for the next 100 years,” she said. “And because this building is so iconic and so important to the L.D.S. church, we want to honor
those who did the original construction. Preserving the building is the very best way we can make this building safe and honor those who came before.

“We hope at the end of this project that if original craftsmen walked through, they would recognize it as their building and say, ‘Oh, I painted that’ or ‘Oh, I put that millwork in.’”

Demolition Breakdown - Crews demolish Temple Square visitors center and wall to prepare for Salt Lake Temple & Temple Square renovation

By Tad Walch for the Deseret News - https://www.deseret.com/faith/2020/1...-temple-square


SALT LAKE CITY — The heavy-duty dig bucket on a CAT excavation tractor began knocking down the South Visitors’ Center on Temple Square on Friday as crews prepared the area for the gargantuan renovation project on the landmark
Salt Lake Temple.

Construction crews also demolished parts of the south wall surrounding Temple Square to give them better access during the project.

They also have removed trees and statues, ...which are being placed in storage along with temple furnishings.

Some trees and vegetation are being recycled. Others are being preserved and will be restored when the project is completed in 2024.

“We are working to carefully preserve some of the trees, transplant them and then replant them at the end of the project,” said Andy Kirby, director of historic temple renovations, in a news release issued Friday. “We will also plant additional
trees when we finish the renovation, so there will be more trees on Temple Square than there were when this project began.”


A tall, 70-year-old Cedar of Lebanon tree is being preserved.

“It’s a special tree,” Kirby said. “It’s beautiful, beloved by many, so we’ll go through great efforts to preserve this tree as we excavate around it.”...

While the temple is closed, Temple Square remains open. Visitors are encouraged to come and watch the work, which soon will include the start of the excavation project to install a base isolation system under the temple for seismic stability.

On Jan. 1, the Conference Center across the street began to serve as a visitors center, a role it will have throughout the renovation. Visitors are encouraged to stop in for new exhibits, a new film about the temple and the renovation, and to
look down into the construction site from the Conference Center roof.

Using the above photo as a reference for current demolition activity. Looking at the photo above you will note that demolition is now occurring to the left of the Temple structure

Following Photos provided Friday, Jan. 17, 2020, show crews working on the reconstruction of Temple Square. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Downtown, Temple Square Renovation Recap & Photo Updates

At a news conference held on April 19, 2019, President Russell M. Nelson announced that the Salt Lake Temple would close on December 29, 2019, for approximately four years of renovation and restoration including improvements to
the surrounding grounds and facilities. The temple is expected to reopen in 2024 when guests will be invited to tour the interior of the iconic building during a public open house. Highlights of the project include the following:


- Structural reinforcements to the walls and roof of the temple will work in conjunction with a base isolation system installed under the massive foundation to mitigate the impact of seismic activity.

- Modern mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems will replace the aging and outdated equipment located throughout the temple.

- The historic interior of the temple will be restored and refreshed, returning to a Victorian-inspired palette of dark woods, rich colors, and patterned fabrics.

- Portions of the solid wall that currently surround Temple Square will be replaced with decorative fences, providing much better views and access to the temple from the north and south.

- The South Visitors’ Center will be demolished and replaced with two smaller visitor pavilions that will not obstruct views of the temple from the south.

- The existing annex and sealing room addition on the north side of the temple, built in the 1960s, will also be demolished and replaced by two smaller patron pavilions located away from the sight-line of the iconic original structure.

- Entryways will be located underground, featuring expansive skylights with generous views of the temple above. This area will be accessible from the patron pavilions through a grand hall or by way of a patron tunnel from the
Conference Center parking facility.

- The plaza and landscaping south of the Church Office Building will be repaired and renovated with greater emphasis on the visitor experience.

Photo Timeline Updates -

https://churchofjesuschristtemples.o...Construction-1

5 May 2020 - Courtesy of Pam Burt - Portions of Temple Square wall on north side removed


18 May 2020 - Courtesy of Jacob Dunn - Crews ready golden statuary of Angel Moroni for liftoff, removal and restoration


18 May 2020 - Courtesy of C. Nielsen


18 May 2020 - Courtesy of C. Nielsen - Note absence of trumpet, which was dislodged during recent seimic activity


5 June 2020 Courtesy of Jacob Oscarson - Northwest corner of annex’s lower level demolished


19 June 2020 Courtesy of Jacob Oscarson - Progress on annex demolition




Temple Square Renovation Update Contd. - Demolition Timeline - https://churchofjesuschristtemples.o...onstruction-17

10 August 2020 - Courtesy of Jacob Oscarson - Annex demolition nearing completion


28 August 2020 Courtesy of Jacob Oscarson - Majority of debris from annex removed; depth of excavation evident by looking at soldier pile wall


1 November 2020 - Courtesy of Jacob Oscarson - Tower crane installed in the area south of the temple


4 November 2020 Courtesy of Intellectual Reserve, Inc. - Tension rod coring strengthens foundation

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