Six More Renderings Released for Temples in Mexico and the US

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has released artistic renderings for the exteriors of six additional temples in North America. These temples include the Cuernavaca Mexico, Toluca Mexico, Cincinnati Ohio, Des Moines Iowa, Missoula Montana and Tacoma Washington Temples.

Cuernavaca Mexico Temple

A rendering of the exterior of the Cuernavaca Mexico Temple has been released.

This temple will be built on a 5.36-acre site located southeast of the corner of Calle Hernán Cortes and Calle Santa Prisca in Colonia Vista Hermosa, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico. Plans call for a single-story temple of approximately 19,000 square feet.

Church President Russell M. Nelson announced the temple during the Church’s October 2022 general conference. He said, “We are also planning to build multiple temples in selected large metropolitan areas where travel time to an existing temple is a major challenge. Therefore, I’m pleased to announce four additional temples near Mexico City, where new temples will be built in Cuernavaca, Pachuca, Toluca and Tula.”

The Cuernavaca Mexico Temple will join 25 other houses of the Lord in the country. Dedicated temples in Mexico are found in Ciudad Juárez, Colonia Juárez, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, Mérida, Mexico City, Monterrey, Oaxaca, Puebla, Tampico, Tijuana, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Veracruz and Villahermosa. There are also temples under construction or announced in Cancún, Chihuahua, Culiacán, Mexico City Benemérito, Juchitán de Zaragoza, Pachuca, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, Toluca, Torreón and Tula.

Mexico is home to more than 1.5 million Latter-day Saints in nearly 1,900 congregations. Missionary work began in Mexico in 1875. 

Toluca Mexico Temple

A rendering of the exterior of the Toluca Mexico Temple has also been released.

This house of the Lord will be built on a 4.87-acre site located at Calle Guadalupe Victoria corner Uruapan, Col. Las Jaras, Metepec, State of Mexico, 52166. Plans call for the construction of a single-story temple of approximately 19,000 square feet.

Announced by President Nelson in October 2022, the temple in Toluca will join the Cuernavaca Mexico Temple as one of four new temples near Mexico City.

After portions of the Book of Mormon were translated into Spanish, missionaries baptized the first converts in 1877 in Hermosillo and organized a congregation in Mexico City in 1879. In the 1880s, several colonies were also established in northern Mexico by Latter-day Saints emigrating from the United States.

A stake (a group of congregations) was organized in Mexico City in 1961.

Cincinnati Ohio Temple

A rendering of the exterior of the Cincinnati Ohio Temple has been released.

This temple will be built on a 35-acre site located at the intersection of Mason-Montgomery Road and Cedar Village Drive, Mason, OH 45040. Plans call for a single-story temple of approximately 29,630 square feet. This will be the city’s first temple.

President Nelson announced the Cincinnati Ohio Temple during the April 2024 general conference.

“The temple is the gateway to the greatest blessings God has for each of us,” he said.

The Cincinnati Ohio Temple will be the third house of the Lord in the state after the Columbus and Cleveland Ohio Temples. Cincinnati is the third-largest city in this Midwest U.S. state, and the greater Cincinnati metro area has a population of more than 2.2 million people.

Kirtland, Ohio (located near Cleveland), served as an important center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the 1830s. A temple was built there but left behind as the Church relocated. Community of Christ transferred ownership of the Kirtland Temple on March 5, 2024.

Today, Ohio is home to nearly 65,000 Latter-day Saints in about 130 congregations.

Des Moines Iowa Temple

A rendering of the exterior of the Des Moines Iowa Temple has been released.

This temple will be built on a 19.576-acre site located at 9050 NW 62nd Avenue, Johnston, IA 50131. Plans call for a single-story temple of approximately 18,850 square feet. This will be the state’s first temple.

President Nelson announced the Des Moines Iowa Temple during the April 2024 general conference.

Des Moines is Iowa’s capital and most populous city, with more than 200,000 residents. This Midwest U.S. state is home to more than 29,000 Latter-day Saints in about 70 congregations.

In the 1840s, nearly 200 Latter-day Saint pioneers established a small community named Garden Grove, where they planted crops and built cabins for the pioneer companies that migrated westward toward Utah in the ensuing years. Other communities were built at Mount Pisgah and Council Bluffs.

Missoula Montana Temple

A rendering of the exterior of the Missoula Montana Temple has been released.

The Missoula Montana Temple will be built on a 5.08-acre site located at the corner of Old Bitterroot Road and Lower Miller Creek Road, Missoula, Montana. Plans call for a single-story temple of approximately 19,000 square feet and an accompanying ancillary building. This will be the city’s first temple.

President Nelson announced the Missoula Montana Temple during the April 2022 general conference.

“Positive spiritual momentum increases as we worship in the temple and grow in our understanding of the magnificent breadth and depth of the blessings we receive there,” the prophet said at that general conference. “These … temples will bless countless lives on both sides of the veil.”

The Missoula Montana Temple will be the third temple in Montana, a large state located in the northern Rocky Mountains. The other houses of the Lord in Montana in operation, under construction, or announced include locations in Billings and Helena.

Montana is home to more than 52,000 Latter-day Saints in over 130 congregations.

Tacoma Washington Temple

A rendering of the exterior of the Tacoma Washington Temple has been released.

This temple will be built on an 11.6-acre site located at approximately 1405 South 364th Way, Federal Way, Washington. Plans call for a multistory temple of approximately 45,000 square feet, with an accompanying utility building. This will be the city’s first temple.

President Nelson announced the Tacoma Washington Temple during the October 2022 general conference.

In 1854, four missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints serving in California were sent to serve in the Washington and Oregon territories. Enough converts joined to form a congregation along the Lewis River.

Today, Washington is home to more than 280,000 Latter-day Saints in over 480 congregations.

There are six temples announced, under construction or in operation in Washington, including the Tacoma Washington Temple. The other five are located in Columbia River, Moses Lake, Seattle, Spokane and Vancouver.

Latter-day Saints worship in temples for several reasons: to feel God’s love and peace, to learn more about God’s plan for His children and the gospel of Jesus Christ, to make promises with God and with one’s husband or wife, and to unite families in this life and the next through sacred ordinances.