This is the actual design of the Gilbert Arizona Temple (courtesy Town of Gilbert)
The Gilbert Arizona Temple has been announced. LDS church president Thomas S. Monson said that a third and fourth LDS temple are slated for construction in Arizona – in the east-valley suburb of Gilbert and in the Gila Valley in eastern Arizona. There are no details on an exact location for the new temple in Gilbert or any initial pictures, but Arizona’s LDS spokesman, Don Evans, has said that it will be constructed near Pecos and Greenfield roads in south Gilbert. The image above is of the Panama City Temple, which is similar to other modern temple designs, but every temple is a bit different in design, and officials have said that construction is a couple years away, so we may not know what the Gilbert Temple looks like for a while.
Interestingly, Architekton, the firm that is designing the Gilbert Arizona Temple, also designed the Tempe Center for the Arts and the ASU Institute. Paul Gilbert, a legal representative for the church said of the new design, “It won’t follow the typical pattern and paragon that has been used in many of the other temples.”
An LDS chapel will also be built on the site, sharing the parking lot.
From the release: The First Presidency has announced the construction of a temple in Gilbert, Arizona. Located in the southeastern section of the Phoenix metropolitan area—just south of Mesa—Gilbert and its surrounding communities enjoy a high concentration of Church members, who currently attend the Mesa Arizona Temple. A temple in Gilbert will help relieve demands currently placed on the Mesa temple, which serves over 70 stakes throughout southern Arizona.
LDS Temples serve as the sacred centers of worship for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS or ‘Mormons’), and are where LDS marriages take place. These new temples will serve the southeast valley communities of Gilbert and Queen Creek, and the eastern Arizona cities near Thatcher and Safford. They will join the currently operating Arizona temples: the Mesa Arizona Temple, opened in 1927, and the Snowflake Arizona Temple, opened in 2002. These new temples in Arizona are the first to be announced by Thomas S. Monson, president of the LDS church.
We are anxious to see the location for the new temple in Gilbert, it’s design and how the grounds will look. We look forward to photographing more LDS weddings and family portraits at these new temples and at the original Mesa Arizona Temple. If you are planning a wedding in the next couple years within those districts, we hope to see you there! To check out some images that we’ve photographed at the existing Mesa Arizona Temple and other valley wedding venues, check out our wedding photography gallery.
