Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple Wiki

On Sunday, 5 April 2020, at the afternoon session of the 190th Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Russell M. Nelson announced that a temple will be built in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.^[1]“Prophet Announces Six New Temples at October 2020 General Conference.” newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org, 4 Oct. 2020, newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/october-2020-general-conference-temples.

On January 19, 2021, an official exterior rendering of the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple was released.^[3]The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints News Release, “Location and Rendering Released for Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple,” 19 Jan. 2021

A groundbreaking ceremony for the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was held on Saturday, 21 August 2021. Elder Randall K. Bennett of the Quorum of the Seventy presided at the event.

During his remarks, Elder Bennett said, “Brothers and sisters, I know you will make this temple, and more importantly Jesus Christ, the center of your lives. Thank you for your examples of faith and diligence, hope [and] love.” He continued, “I pray that this will be the first temple district full of members, or among the first, where attendance will be virtually standing room only. So this temple is filled with faithful Latter-day Saints serving their ancestors, serving one another.”

Several local Latter-day Saints shared testimonies during the groundbreaking ceremony, including Elder T. Michael Price, an Area Seventy. He said, “In temples, and elsewhere, we receive ordinances and make covenants with God that change our very nature and bless our lives.” Sister Brenda Miller of the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania North Stake said, “Having this temple here in Pittsburgh reminds me of His love for all of us. I know this temple will be a great blessing to many people, and I am excited for the opportunity that it will give others to hopefully gain the same peace and reassurance that I’ve been able to have.”

In a dedicatory prayer, Elder Bennett prayed, “Please let today’s groundbreaking also be a day of emotional and spiritual building in our own lives and families. Please bless us and our families with a refreshed commitment and enthusiasm for fully living thy gospel.”

Attendance at the groundbreaking ceremony was by invitation only, while those who reside in the temple district were able to watch a broadcast.^[5]”Groundbreaking Held for Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints News Release, 21 Aug. 2021.

A public open house for the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple was held from Friday, 16 August through Saturday, 31 August 2024, excluding Sundays. Before the public tours, a media day occurred on Monday, August 12, 2024, followed by three days of tours for invited guests. ^[7]Toone, Trent. “Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf Dedicates Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple.” Church News, 19 Sept. 2024, www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2024/09/15/elder-uchtdorf-dedicates-pittsburgh-pennsylvania-temple-bridge-earth-heaven.

On 15 September 2024, nearly 200 years since the first Latter-day Saints were in Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple was dedicated to stand as a testament of faith and resilience.

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, inspired by Pittsburgh’s moniker “City of Bridges,” said before the dedication: “This is a place where earth is connected to heaven and the other way around. It is a flow of information and of wonderful inspiration and revelation. The house of the Lord is here to make covenants which connect us to heaven. These bridges, from one side to the other, from earth to heaven, are real.”

Elder Uchtdorf, who dedicated the Pittsburgh temple, was accompanied by his wife, Sister Harriet Uchtdorf; Elder Mathias Held, a General Authority Seventy and first counselor in the North America Northeast Area presidency, and his wife, Sister Irene Held; and Elder Craig C. Christensen, a General Authority Seventy and assistant executive director of the Church’s Temple Department, and his wife, Sister Debbie Christensen.

Elder Uchtdorf shared that in the early days of the Restoration of the Church, there was much tribulation in its growth. But the members have shown just how faithful the members in Pittsburgh are. Thanks to the faith and service of many dedicated members, the Church in the area had grown to three stakes — Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh North and Pittsburgh West — by the time the Pittsburgh temple was dedicated.

The temple would stand north of Pittsburgh not far from the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-76). The temple sits on a 5.8-acre plot, and the landscaping around the temple features flower gardens and grass fields.

The landscaping was designed by Langan Engineering and installed by Eisler Landscapes, both located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Because Pittsburgh is known as the “City of Bridges,” a granite bridge was incorporated into the landscaping design of the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple grounds. The bridge connects the house of the Lord to a nearby meetinghouse, and spans a storm-water retention basin.

Site

NO visitors’ center open to the public
NO arrival center available
NO patron housing available
NO distribution center on site or nearby

The temple is a steel-frame structure with granite cladding. The steel structure was fabricated by Littell Steel and installed by Century Steel, both located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Cladding

The exterior stone cladding is granite from Portugal and was installed by Cleveland Marble of Cleveland, Ohio.

Windows

The exterior fo the temple is filled with tall rectangle windows Set in large metal panels. The windows are mostly arranged in a triptych pattern with a larger center window.

The art glass features a dogwood tree and flower motif done in golds, purple, pinks, greens, blue-yellow gradient and jewels (frosted). It was designed by HKS, Lisman Studio and Holdman Studios and was fabricated and installed by Holdman Studios of Lehi, Utah.

Transom panel

Most of the windows on the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple is topped with a large ornamental rectangle panel featuring bas relief designs of flowers and leaves.

Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple is located on the middlemost south east corner of the temple, facing east, within the watercourse of stone.

A Single spire is located centrally above thet emple. The tower portion conssists of three sections of decreasing size, the top and bottoms ections featureing windows. The twoer is square in cgeneral shap, with square corner pillars on each level.

Atop the twoer is a gold colored metal cupola, pyramid shaped, topped with a finial. it was placed 9 June 2023.

The finial of the temple is square in cross section. at about the bottom quarter point are four arrowhead sshaped fins set at each of the corner points, leaving the center hollow.

The Final was placed atop the spire 9 June 2023.