Spires placed on the Salt Lake Temple in latest step in renovation

SALT LAKE CITY — An iconic Utah monument was moved one step closer to its former glory on Tuesday afternoon. The final steel support for the spires of the Salt Lake Temple was lifted into place almost four years after the structures were originally removed as part of the renovations, according to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Over 800 construction team members witnessed and celebrated the moment the spires were replaced.

“It’s a joyful feeling to know that anyone can now look at the temple and say to themselves, ‘I can start to see and recognize something that is familiar to me,” said Josh Fenn, Jacobsen Construction project executive and project director.

Fenn oversees all renovation work at Temple Square.

“I hope people will take satisfaction in seeing more and more things that are familiar come back to them,” he said.

The Salt Lake Temple was closed in 2020 for massive seismic upgrades. The spires that topped the place of worship for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had been removed. Since that time, each of the spires has been reinforced with steel and each tower has been updated with steel cabling on the interior — from the base isolation system in the foundation to the highest point.

“The Salt Lake Temple, which took 40 years to build in the late 1800s, is an iconic symbol of faith for Latter-day Saints around the world,” a Church representative said in a press release.

“The mere presence of houses of the Lord in communities around the globe reminds Latter-day Saints of the importance of faith in the common Father of all humanity, the need for constant improvement of the soul, the possibility of family relationships that reach beyond the grave, and the salvation that comes only through the grace of Jesus Christ.”

The renovations of the Salt Lake Temple and surrounding Temple Square are expected to be completed in 2026.