The Hartford Connecticut Temple is a

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

(LDS Church) in

Farmington, Connecticut Farmington is a town in Hartford County in the Farmington Valley area of central Connecticut in the United States. The population was 26,712 at the 2020 census. It sits 10 miles west of Hartford at the hub of major I-84 interchanges, 20 miles s ...

. It is the first LDS temple in Connecticut and the second in New England, following the

Boston Massachusetts Temple The Boston Massachusetts Temple is the 100th operating temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). History The Boston Massachusetts Temple is located in the suburb of Belmont, Massachusetts and was dedicated for use ...

. The temple is located at the intersection of Melrose Drive and Farmington Avenue.

History

On October 3, 1992, during the afternoon session of the church's 162nd Semiannual general conference,

Gordon B. Hinckley Gordon Bitner Hinckley (June 23, 1910 – January 27, 2008) was an American religious leader and author who served as the 15th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from March 1995 until his death in January 200 ...

, First Counselor in the

First Presidency Among many churches in the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency (also known as the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church) is the highest presiding or governing body. Present-day denominations of the movement led by a First Presidency ...

, announced plans for a temple in Hartford. However, three years later, plans for this temple were replaced with plans for the Boston and White Plains New York temples (later to be renamed the ''Harrison New York Temple''). In the October 1995 general conference, Hinckley explained, Hinckley apologized to the members of Hartford, who had joyed in the announcement of this temple, by saying, After construction on the temple in Boston was complete, it was dedicated on October 1, 2000. However, construction of a temple in White Plains, on a 24-acre site for the temple at the intersection of Interstate 287 and Hutchinson River Parkway, was never started and eventually suspended. Reportedly, efforts had been underway until 2004, but construction was delayed by lawsuits and objections by local officials,According to a Deseret News Article about the Manhattan Temple. and this temple was removed from the list on the church's official temple website soon after the

Manhattan New York Temple The Manhattan New York Temple is the 119th operating temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It is the second "high rise" LDS temple to be constructed, after the Hong Kong China Temple, and the third LDS temple c ...

dedication.

Second announced

On October 2, 2010, during the church's general conference, church president

Thomas S. Monson Thomas Spencer Monson (August 21, 1927 – January 2, 2018) was an American religious leader, author, and the 16th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). As president, he was considered by adherents of the re ...

announced plans for the construction of a temple in Hartford, 18 years after the original announcement by Hinckley. In May 2012, the church released a rendering of the temple and announced it would be built in

Farmington Farmington may refer to: Places Canada *Farmington, British Columbia * Farmington, Nova Scotia (disambiguation) United States *Farmington, Arkansas *Farmington, California *Farmington, Connecticut *Farmington, Delaware * Farmington, Georgia * ...

. The temple was planned to be approximately 25,000 square feet and the site plan was approved by the town planning and zoning commission in June 2012.

Groundbreaking

Ground was broken for the new temple by Monson on August 17, 2013.

Open house and dedication

A public open house was held from September 30 through October 22, 2016, excluding October 1 and Sundays. The temple was dedicated by Henry B. Eyring on November 20, 2016.

Award

In 2018, ''

Architectural Digest ''Architectural Digest'' is an American monthly magazine founded in 1920. Its principal subjects are interior design and landscaping, rather than pure external architecture. The magazine is published by Condé Nast, which also publishes internati ...

'' chose the temple as the most beautiful place of worship in Connecticut.

References

External links

Hartford Connecticut Temple Official siteHartford Connecticut Temple
at ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org {{LDS-US-East __NOTOC__ 21st-century Latter Day Saint temples in the United States Farmington, Connecticut Temples (LDS Church) in Connecticut Temples (LDS Church) completed in 2016 2016 establishments in Connecticut