For the second time in a week, two new temples announced by Church President Russell M. Nelson at the conclusion of the April 2024 general conference have had their site locations released by the First Presidency.
Last week, on Monday, April 22, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released the locations of the Lehi Utah and West Jordan Utah temples, two of the 15 cities for future houses of the Lord that President Nelson identified on Sunday afternoon, April 7.
On Monday, April 29, the First Presidency released two more sites for new temples in the United States — the Des Moines Iowa Temple and the Cincinnati Ohio Temple. The two others were also among the 15 new temples identified just three weeks before, on April 7.
Said President Nelson when he announced the 15 locations for new houses of the Lord: “The temple is the gateway to the greatest blessings God has in store for each of us. … This is why we are doing all within our power, under the direction of the Lord, to make temple blessings more accessible to members of the Church.”
The sites and accompanying location maps were first published Monday, April 29, on ChurchofJesusChrist.org. More information for the temples — such as exterior renderings and groundbreaking dates — will be released later, as detailed design plans for both are still being developed.
Project leaders expect to start working soon with city officials on preliminary plans and begin filing public documents in coming months.
Des Moines Iowa Temple
A single-story building of approximately 18,850 square feet is planned for a 19.576-acre site located at 9050 NW 62nd Ave., Johnston, Iowa, 50131, in northwest metro Des Moines, the capital of the Midwest state.
Iowa is home to more than 29,000 Latter-day Saints in nearly 70 congregations. The Des Moines temple will be the first house of the Lord in the state, which played key role for the early Church in the mid-1800s.
Montrose was a key city for Latter-day Saints across the Mississippi River from Nauvoo, Illinois. And other Iowa cities — from Keokuk in the state’s southeast corner to Council Bluffs on the western border — played important roles in the migration of Latter-day Saint pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley. Two other prominent pioneer resting spots — Garden Grove and Mount Pisgah — are located less than 60 miles south of Des Moines.
Cincinnati Ohio Temple
Planned for a 35-acre parcel located southwest of the intersection of Mason-Montgomery Road and Cedar Village Drive, Mason, OH 45040, the single-story temple of approximately 29,630 square feet will be in northeast region of metropolitan Cincinnati, which is Ohio’s third-largest city.
The Cincinnati Ohio Temple will become the state’s third house of the Lord and operating temple in the state. The first was the Columbus Ohio Temple, dedicated in September 1999 and rededicated in 2023; it is located about 80 miles northeast of the Cincinnati temple site. The second will be the Cleveland Ohio Temple, which had its June 1, 2024, groundbreaking date announced earlier two weeks ago.
When Kirtland — a city located near Cleveland — served as an important early center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the 1830, a temple was built — but ultimately left behind as the Church relocated elsewhere in the Midwest. The Community of Christ transferred ownership of the Kirtland Temple on March 5, 2024, with the Church of Jesus Christ saying that the Kirtland Temple will remain a historic site and will not be transitioned into an operating temple offering temple ordinances and instruction.
Nearly 65,000 Latter-day Saints comprising more than 125 congregations reside in Ohio.
