The Twin Falls Idaho 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 ...

located in Twin Falls,

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

, 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 tall, as of 2009 the temple is the tallest building in Twin Falls.

Announcement

Church

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

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 ...

announced the construction of a temple for the

Magic Valley The Magic Valley is a region in south-central Idaho constituting Blaine, Camas, Cassia, Gooding, Jerome, Lincoln, Minidoka, and Twin Falls counties. It is particularly associated with the agricultural region in the Snake River Plain located ...

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 Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown area's ...

and

Idaho Falls Idaho Falls (Shoshoni language, Shoshoni: Dembimbosaage) is a city in and the county seat of Bonneville County, Idaho, Bonneville County, Idaho, United States. It is the state's largest city outside the Boise metropolitan area. As of the 2020 Un ...

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 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 Shoshone Falls () is a waterfall in the western United States, on the Snake River in south-central Idaho, approximately northeast of the city of Twin Falls. Sometimes called the "Niagara of the West," Shoshone Falls is in height, higher than ...

, 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 The Angel Moroni () is an angel whom Joseph Smith reported as having visited him on numerous occasions, beginning on September 21, 1823. According to Smith, the angel was the guardian of the golden plates, buried in the hill Cumorah near Smith's ...

atop a spire rising in the air on May 30, 2007—making it the highest point in the area. Also sharing the 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 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 Neil Linden Andersen (born August 9, 1951) is an American religious leader and former business executive who serves as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He was sustaine ...

of the

Presidency of the Seventy A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified by a ...

Stake president A stake is an administrative unit composed of multiple congregations in certain denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. The name "stake" derives from the Book of Isaiah: "enlarge the place of thy tent; stretch forth the curtains of thine h ...

s and their families comprised most of the audience at the invitation-only event. The temple serves approximately 50,000 area church members.

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. The church reported that visitors during the open house totaled nearly 160,000, approximately 60 percent of whom were church members. The temple was dedicated on August 24, 2008 in 4 sessions. 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 Seventy is a priesthood office in the Melchizedek priesthood of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Traditionally, a church member holding this priesthood office is a "traveling minister" and an "especial witness" of Jes ...

, D. Rex Gerratt, served as the first

. A cornerstone session and four dedicatory sessions took place on August 24, 2008. LDS 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 rel ...

presided at the dedication and was assisted by other church general authorities, including

Henry B. Eyring Henry Bennion Eyring (born May 31, 1933) is an American educational administrator, author, and religious leader. Eyring has been the Second Counselor to Russell M. Nelson in the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ...

, 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.

References

External links