The historic doors of the Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints once again adorn the sacred structure.
The installation of the doors not only marks a significant step toward completing the yearslong renovation of the temple; it also symbolizes the literal opening of the doors to welcome the world to the Salt Lake Temple Celebration in 2027.
“Today’s installation of the Salt Lake Temple doors marks movement toward the Salt Lake Temple Celebration, held April through October 2027, when all the world is welcome to come inside the house of the Lord,” said Richard Sutton, senior director in the Temple Department over the Salt Lake Temple Celebration. “This really serves as that key milestone that this temple is going to be completed; we’re going to have it open and then rededicated. And the Salt Lake Temple will be back in operation for worship of Jesus Christ.”
“Once in a lifetime’s kind of an understatement for a project like this,” said Tom Lindhardt, senior project manager with the Special Projects Department of the Church. “We’ve been working on this project for so long… and today, putting the doors back on is just one milestone that’s exciting because it represents finishing the temple.”
Media gathered on Temple Square to witness crews begin installation of the east doors on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. The west doors were installed a few weeks ago.
“It’s always a little nerve-wracking when you close those doors for the first time, and just to make sure that everything’s swinging nicely and that they’re hanging nicely,” said Austin Gifford, project manager with the Fetzer Architectural Woodwork. “But we did it with confidence knowing that we have some good carpenters, some good installers here that can adjust those if needed. And luckily for us, those two doors close really well and won’t need too much more adjustment.”
These iconic oak doors have been the backdrop of thousands of cherished family photos taken during weddings, reunions, missionary milestones, vacations and more.
“These doors represent so much,” said Lindhardt. “They’re historic doors and it’s exciting to be able to keep that historic craftsmanship and be able to use that in the project and be able to reuse it and let the world see it and be open for the first time since the temple was originally dedicated.”
The doors feature distinctive circular designs with interlocking letters believed to represent “House of the Lord,” a phrase found on all temples of the Church of Jesus Christ worldwide. Draftsman Karl Conrad Schaub designed the east doors, while family tradition attributes their craftsmanship to Danish carpenter Herman August Thorup, though this is unconfirmed in his journals.
“The design and the attention to detail and the meticulous nature of crafting these doors, I think, is really symbolic of the temple project as a whole in terms of its representation of the immense faith and the immense value that Latter-day Saints place on the house of the Lord,” said Jacob W. Olmstead, manager in the historic sites division in the Church History Department. “And the promises that they make therein with Heavenly Father that connects them to their creator, but also the Savior Jesus Christ.”
“Being able to restore this part of history back into its original location is very exciting so that people who continue to come here can enjoy the view and the experience here of the Salt Lake Temple Square,” said Jehoshua Fajardo, superintendent with Jacobsen Construction.
Salt Lake Temple Celebration
As renovation work nears its end, guests from around the world are invited to join in the Salt Lake Temple Celebration, taking place April 5 through October 1, 2027.
The historic celebration will give the public a unique opportunity to experience the renovated Salt Lake Temple and Temple Square.
“People who’ve had questions — maybe they’ve come to Temple Square while the temple was dedicated and they couldn’t go inside — this will be an opportunity to say, ‘What happens in there? What does it look like?’ And it will be open to everybody and we hope everyone will come,” said Sutton.
Tickets will be available starting Tuesday, September 1, 2026.
