Twin Falls Idaho Temple

Twin Falls Idaho Temple
Twin Falls Idaho Temple
	Twin Falls Temple during public Open House event, August 15, 2007.
Number	128
Dedication	August 24, 2008, by Thomas S. Monson
Site	9.1 acres (3.7 ha)
Floor area	31,245 sq ft (2,902.8 m2)
Height	159 ft (48 m)
	Official website • News & images
Church chronology
Additional information
Announced	October 2, 2004, by Gordon B. Hinckley
Groundbreaking	April 15, 2006, by Neil L. Andersen
Open house	July 11 – August 15, 2008
Current president	Luis Javier García Castillo
Designed by	MHTN Architects, Inc
Location	Twin Falls, Idaho, U.S.
Geographic coordinates	42°35′12.05520″N 114°26′29.66640″W / 42.5866820000°N 114.4415740000°W
Exterior finish	Precast concrete panels with quartz rock finish
Baptistries	1
Ordinance rooms	2 (two-stage progressive)
Sealing rooms	3
Notes	Fourth temple dedicated in Idaho and, during 2008, the second temple dedicated in Idaho that year.
	(edit)

The Twin Falls Idaho Temple is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located in Twin Falls, Idaho, just south of the Snake River Canyon. It became the fourth Latter-day Saint temple in the state when it was dedicated in August 2008 and the second temple dedicated in Idaho that year. Standing at approximately 159 feet (48 m) tall,^[1] as of 2009 the temple is the tallest building in Twin Falls.^[2]

Announcement

Church president Gordon B. Hinckley announced the construction of a temple for the Magic Valley region of Idaho 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.

Rumors of the temple started several weeks before general 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 with regard to traffic and parking when the time came to present plans to the city.

Plans

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 (11 m) 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.

Plans for the temple, inspired by nearby Shoshone Falls, were unveiled on October 6, 2005, at a press conference held in the former Candleridge Golf Course clubhouse. The model displayed the upcoming white two-story temple, which was capped with a gold-leafed angel Moroni atop a spire rising 159 feet (48 m) in the air on May 30, 2007—making it the highest point in the area. Also sharing the 9.1-acre (37,000 m²) complex is a new 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 (150,000 m²) plot to complement the existing neighborhood.

Groundbreaking

Ground was broken for the temple on April 15, 2006—the day before Easter Sunday. Presiding at the ceremony was Neil L. Andersen of the Presidency of the Seventy. Stake presidents and their families comprised most of the audience at the invitation-only event. The temple serves approximately 50,000 area church members.^[3]

Open house and dedication

The Twin Falls Temple held an open house and conducted tours from July 11, 2008 until August 15, 2008, excluding Sundays.^[4] The church reported that visitors during the open house totaled nearly 160,000, approximately 60 percent of whom were church members.^[5] The temple was dedicated on August 24, 2008 in 4 sessions.^[4] A cultural celebration took place at the Twin Falls County Fairgrounds the evening preceding the dedication. Ordinance work began the Monday following the dedication. Retired Burley dairy farmer and former member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy, D. Rex Gerratt, served as the first president.

A cornerstone session and four dedicatory sessions took place on August 24, 2008. LDS Church president Thomas S. Monson presided at the dedication and was assisted by other church general authorities, including Henry B. Eyring, Quentin L. Cook and Claudio R. M. Costa. Due to overwhelming interest and limited seating in the temple, the final session was broadcast to various church buildings throughout Idaho.