The First Presidency has announced a groundbreaking date of Sept. 5 for the Orem Utah Temple, with an exterior rendering of the temple released as part of the Wednesday, June 24, announcement.

Elder Craig C. Christensen, a General Authority Seventy and president of the Church’s Utah Area, will preside at the groundbreaking ceremony, with on-site attendance by invitation only.

The Orem Utah Temple was announced by President Russell M. Nelson on Oct. 5, 2019, and is the first of the eight temples announced at the October 2019 general conference to have a groundbreaking date set.

Located at 1471 S. Geneva Rd. in Orem, the site was announced on Dec. 11, 2019, with plans for a 70,000-square-foot, three-story building with a central spire. Also, a 20,000-square-foot meetinghouse will also be built on the 16-acre lot, which is located west of Interstate-15 near Utah Valley University.

Of the state’s 24 temples, 17 are operating, including the under-renovation Salt Lake and St. George Utah temples. Two more — in Saratoga Springs and Layton — are under construction, the Orem temple is awaiting groundbreaking, with sites announced for the Tooele Valley, Washington County and Taylorsville temples. The 24th temple — for Syracuse — was announced at the latest April 2020 general conference.

The Orem Utah Temple will be the sixth temple in Utah County, joining the Provo Utah (1972), Mount Timpanogos Utah (1996), Payson Utah (2015), Provo City Center (2016) and Saratoga Springs Utah (under construction) temples.

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