Salt Lake City - Downtown is about to get an unusually close look at the Salt Lake Temple, courtesy of a brand-new visitors center that puts the landmark front and center in a whole new way.
The new Temple Square Visitors Center opens to the public on May 18, 2026, offering a permanent “Inside a Temple” experience, an updated interactive scale model of the Salt Lake Temple and a new marble Jesus sculpture in the heart of the city. The 39,800-square-foot building is timed to coincide with the Salt Lake Temple Celebration next year and is designed to reshape how visitors learn about the temple’s purpose and history.
Opening, Hours And First Look
In a media preview, the Church newsroom confirmed that the center will open May 18 and operate daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., with free admission.
The newsroom notes that the 30-minute “Inside a Temple” tour requires reservations. Initial time slots filled quickly, so tickets will now be released in batches every other Monday starting June 1, with reservations available up to 60 days in advance.
Inside A Temple: A Perpetual Open House
The lower level of the building is built around a guided 30-minute walkthrough that recreates full-scale temple rooms, including a baptistry, instruction room, sealing room and celestial room. The idea is to give nonmembers a rare, structured look at spaces that are normally reserved for temple worshippers.
TempleSquare.org calls the “Inside a Temple” tour a “unique opportunity” to explore the purpose of temples. Meanwhile, KSL reports that the exhibit’s footprint was modeled after the Oklahoma City Temple in order to create a smooth flow between ordinance rooms.
The New Sculpture And The Artist
At the center of the lower level sits “Come Unto Me,” a seated figure of Jesus Christ carved from Carrara marble by Swiss sculptor Christian Bolt.
He told KSL that he was first approached about the project in 2019, began sketches in 2021 and worked with his studio from a 10-ton block of marble to create the finished two-ton piece between 2023 and 2025, with installation completed last fall. Describing the intent behind the work, Bolt said, “It’s like a gift, something you share,” and explained that the sculpture is meant to draw individual viewers toward the Savior.
Tickets, The 2027 Open House And Planning A Visit
Beyond the walkthrough, the center includes a detailed, modular model of the remodeled Salt Lake Temple and new audio-visual storytelling developed with THG Creative, which helped shape the exhibit media.
TempleSquare.org notes that the Church will hold a Salt Lake Temple Celebration and public open house from April 5 to October 1, 2027. Reservations to tour the temple will be available beginning September 1, 2026, with the Temple Square app identified as the main tool for managing bookings.
Visitors can reserve the “Inside a Temple” tour through the Temple Square app or by checking the site’s Monday ticket releases. Church officials encourage anyone who misses an initial batch to keep checking for new openings.
For photos, media resources and additional scheduling details, see the Church newsroom and the Temple Square website.
