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Salt Lake City-The renovation of the Salt Lake Temple is now in its 22nd month. This incredibly large project is moving forward in various ways to connect the past with the present and the future.

Approximately 16 feet of the foundation of the temple is now exposed.

"It was a beautiful work from the 1850s," said Andy Kirby, the historic temple renovation director of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In late September, he stood in front of the area and talked about the ongoing work on the temple site.

When Kirby looked at the bare foundation, he felt a connection with the past. He knew that the pioneers worked hard to grow crops and build their own lives while facing multiple challenges.

During the Utah War of 1857-58, builders covered the foundation to make the area look like a plowed field. When they dug it back again, they saw what could be improved and added granite to the top.

"What we saw there was that it was still sandstone. We knew they improved the masonry structure. You can see that the quality of the masonry is significantly different," Kirby said. "We have now exposed that exquisite work. This foundation has been standing for 168 years and has performed well."

Most of the work completed in the current two years is excavation work to dig into the foundation. Now they can work hard to strengthen it to make it last longer.

Kirby said: "I like to think that we work with pioneer builders, accept what they do, and use the technology we have to improve what they do." "This is a beautiful symbol of the past, present, and future."

Part of my conversation with Andy Kirby, the historic temple renovation director, about the foundations of the Salt Lake Temple. Video: @walk_colb @kslnewsradio #GeneralConference pic.twitter.com/s2xV2kDvJe

The temple is undergoing major earthquake resistance improvements.

The reinforcement process is called "jacking and drilling". A 40-foot steel pipe with a diameter of 4 feet is slowly advancing under the building below the foundation. The staff pushed the mine cart by hand to push the soil, rock and gravel in the pipeline further away from the pipeline.

Workers filled the pipes with high-strength concrete, steel bars, and post-tensioned wires. They use grout to fill the gap between the outside of the pipe and the surrounding soil.

Ninety-two of the pipes will support the foundation of the temple.

Scaffolding surrounds the building, so they can enter the entire perimeter at once.

Kirby said that the workers will repair the stone and plaster. They will also repair windows and install new windows for heat and sound insulation.

Then all the work is done on the top of the building.

“We will remove a lot of stones next year, we will reinstall these stones, but we will reinstall them with steel pins and a steel frame system to better hold the top of the temple together,” he said.

Kirby described how they tied the top of the temple all the way to the bottom; they would drill through the stone and insert a large cable to post-tension it.

It is a non-reinforced stone structure. They are strengthening the roof with steel trusses. The workers were careful, opening one compartment at a time and covering anything exposed underneath with a swimming pool cover mechanism.

“The temple itself will be stiffer in an earthquake, and then we isolate the bottom, so we separate it from the earth. Therefore, when an earthquake occurs, the movement of the temple will decrease and the ground will move,” Kirby said.

The workers have dug three levels deep on the north side of the temple. This will be a new addition, replacing what was built in the 1960s.

It takes a while to demolish the building and then eliminate all the hazardous materials there.

Kirby points to the surrounding supports, the soldier’s piles and beams, and the lagging process of keeping the soil around the pit.

In October and November, they plan to lay foundations and foundations, and then start construction.

Kirby said that having three floors will greatly expand the use of the temple.

"You need almost all the space to accommodate the size of the group and meeting you want to accommodate," he said.

These include two baptisteries, 23 verification rooms, and five donation or guidance rooms.

Crews dug a tunnel under the North Temple to connect to the parking lot of the convention center. It will become a corridor, an extension of the temple.

"Future customers will be able to park on this floor and go through the tunnel, which will be the lower second floor. Then they will be able to choose between the East Baptistery or the West Baptistery," Kirby said. Donors will rise to their recommendation table.

They also plan to build two separate pavilions far away from the entrance to celebrate the wedding when the newlyweds leave the temple.

The donation conference for this extremely popular temple will be in the form of videos in 80 languages.

"Until this time, temple customers must speak English to participate. Now the temple will be open to people who speak many different languages. This is a major improvement in the accessibility of church members," Kirby said.

The convention center has now become the main visitor center of the Salt Lake Temple.

Many items removed from the temple and the north-south visitor center are on display across the street from the convention center.

There is an altar, a table, a door handle with a honeycomb symbol, a walking stick, and other historical features with written explanations and backgrounds. People can also watch movies about temple renovation and its purpose.

The large section model of the temple and the statue of Christ are also in the conference center, and there are many artworks on the balcony.

“We know that the profile model is a favorite of guests. It used to be in the southern visitor center and was then taken here,” said Ben Metcalf, manager of the church temple visitor center. "What I like about this location is that you can see the temple, you can really see its beauty, and then turn around and see what's going on inside."

Metcalf said his favorite place in the convention center might be the roof, where he can watch the work across the street.

"It's really very interesting to see them digging. When they dig deeper, the sound becomes louder, but it doesn't affect the guest experience," he said.

This position also allows him to observe changes in steel structures, plates and pipes as they are inserted.

Metcalfe urges people to experience Temple Square more, including the Church History Museum and its children’s experience, as well as other historical buildings. People who live outside the area can take a virtual tour.

He said that the current plan includes turning the southern region into a new major visitor center. They will turn the old northern visitor center area into a garden and contemplation space, with an emphasis on Christ and the temple. The landscaping around the square and the site will also take this vision into consideration.

Metcalf said that after the completion of the renovation of the Salt Lake Temple, many negotiations on the open day are underway.

"This will attract so many people from all over the world. This will be a great opportunity for us to welcome and help people learn more about our beliefs and why we believe what we believe," he said.

Kirby said this will be a historic moment. People will be able to bring their friends and neighbors to see inside. The last time church leaders opened the Salt Lake Temple to the public occurred in the 1890s, when it had not yet been dedicated.

Kirby said: "I am very happy that people have had this experience and saw the beauty of the Salt Lake Temple. It represents the sacrifices of our pioneers, ancestors and mothers, and their efforts to build the house of God." "But still Let’s see how important it is to us today and to our children and grandchildren.”

@Ch_JesusChrist's historical temple renovation supervisor Andy Kirby (Andy Kirby) talked about the Salt Lake Temple project in my special show on @kslnewsradio now, linking the past, present and future. pic.twitter.com/OOXkRrMfX9

— Mary Richards (@kslmrichards) October 3, 2021

Kirby said that some of the workers in the project have pioneering heritage and ancestry. Others are not members of the church. But they all felt the importance of work and the special things that were happening at the scene. 

Kirby said that his team prayed for inspiration while working on the project; they believed that God would guide their every move.

Metcalfe regards the extensive work and attention to detail in the renovation of the Salt Lake Temple as a symbol or metaphor of his personal connection with God and Jesus Christ.

"The way we renovate our houses and lives is to strengthen our foundation of faith through small and simple prayers, stability and service. I hope that guests will be inspired when they leave. Whether you believe in our faith or not, you can leave and watch this content and Talk to us and say, I want to be better. I want to have stronger beliefs and a stronger foundation in my life," he said.

Bonneville International Corporation, the company that owns KSL NewsRadio, is a subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation, which is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

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