Snowflake Arizona Temple

Dedication of the Snowflake Arizona Temple

The Snowflake Arizona Temple was announced on April 2, 2000, by Church President Gordon B. Hinckley in general conference. The announcement came as a surprise to some, given the small size of Snowflake, Arizona. To those in Snowflake, it came as no surprise, as multiple Church leaders throughout the years had spoken of the possibility of a temple in the central-Arizona community.

“This temple is the answer to prophecies that were made,” said Dean Porter, Snowflake Arizona Temple committee coordinator. “It is a tribute not so much to us, but to our pioneer forebears, who were asked to leave their homes in Utah and eke out a living here.”

The site the house of the Lord stands on was selected by President Hinckley. Elder Rex D. Pinegar, a General Authority Seventy, presided over the groundbreaking of the temple. Almost a year and a half later, the construction was completed.

The open house of the Snowflake Arizona Temple was two weeks long, drawing in many visitors from surrounding areas. Snowflake and the nearby town Taylor at the time of the dedication had a combined population of under 9,000 people, much smaller than a normal temple city size. In the temple district at that time, there were approximately 35,000 members. The two small towns welcomed over double the number of Latter-day Saints residing in the district, with more than 94,000 people touring the temple.

The temple features artwork of many local Native American artists, incorporating Native American designs as well as influence from the area’s early settlers. The Native American artwork drew many from the nearby Navajo, Hopi, Apache and Zuni reservations to the temple open house and the dedication.

President Hinckley dedicated the house of the Lord on March 3, 2002, and spoke in all four dedicatory sessions. He was accompanied by Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Elder Dale E. Miller, a General Authority Seventy, both of whom also spoke.

Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “We are thankful for those who laid the foundations of this and other nearby communities. They struggled so desperately for so long against adversities of many kinds. Now their posterity enjoy the sweet fruits of their efforts, and crowning all is this magnificent and beautiful temple.”

Read the dedicatory prayer of the Snowflake Arizona Temple here.

The Snowflake Arizona Temple was announced during the April 2000 general conference by President Gordon B. Hinckley. Elder Rex D. Pinegar of the Seventy presided over the groundbreaking on Sept. 23, 2000.

The open house ran from Feb. 2 to Feb. 16, 2002, with over 94,000 attendees. President Hinckley dedicated the temple on March 3, 2002.

Architecture and Design of the Snowflake Arizona Temple

The Snowflake Arizona Temple stands on a hill in the town of Snowflake on a 7.5-acre property. Exterior walls of the house of the Lord are composed of two tones of imported polished granite. The temple is two stories tall and is 16,567 square feet.

Designs for the temple were taken from pioneer quilt blocks as well as Native American tribal designs to reflect the history of the region. The designs are shown in many ways throughout the temple, including the sculpting in the carpet and the stenciling on the ceilings.

In one of the ordinance rooms, Native American artist Linda Turley-Christensen painted a three-wall mural of the landscapes around the temple district. Landscapes in the mural included sights from pine-covered mountains to the iconic red sandstone cliffs.

Stained-glass windows purchased for the Snowflake Arizona Temple depict the Savior Jesus Christ sitting underneath a tree, speaking and interacting with children and their families. The piece was originally in another faith’s house of worship on the East Coast of the United States but was discovered in a Boston-based auction house. The piece is used as a lighted panel in the temple.

Inside the house of the Lord is the celestial room, two sealing rooms, two ordinance rooms and the baptistry. Also inside the temple are a chapel, offices and a waiting area.