Plans Announced: 26 April 2008
Groundbreaking: 14 February 2009
Public open house: Friday, 23 April 2010, through Saturday, 15 May 2010, excluding Sundays
Cultural Celebration: Saturday, 22 May 2010, Eastern Arizona College, Thatcher, Arizona
Dedication: Sunday, 23 May 2010; three dedicatory sessions
Location: 5291 W Highway 70, Central, Arizona 85531
Property size: Approximately 17 acres, including adjacent Church meetinghouse
Building size: 18,561 square feet
Building height: 27 feet; 104 feet to the top of the spire
Exterior Features: Architectural pre-cast concrete. Art-glass designs accentuate its windows
Interior Features: Maple and cherry wood from the United States. Marble and limestone Murals depict local river, desert and mountain landscapes
Architect: Architectural Nexus (Salt Lake City, Utah)
Contractor: Jacobsen Construction (Salt Lake City, Utah)
When dedicated, this will be the Church’s 132nd operating temple worldwide and the third in Arizona. The other temples are located in Mesa and Snowflake. Two other temples in Phoenix and Gilbert have been announced for Arizona.
The Gila Valley Arizona Temple will serve more than 21,000 Latter-Day Saints living in southeast Arizona and southwest New Mexico – members of 7 stakes (a stake is similar to a diocese).