The St. George Utah Temple (formerly the St. George Temple) is the first temple completed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after the forced exodus from Nauvoo, Illinois, within two years of the death of Joseph Smith, Jr. Even though it was the fourth LDS temple started in the Rocky Mountains, it was the first one completed. Located in the city of St. George, Utah, it was designed by Truman O. Angell and is more similar in its design to the Nauvoo Temple than to later LDS temples.
The St. George temple is the oldest temple still actively used by the members of the Church. The temple currently has three ordinance rooms and 18 sealing rooms, and a total floor area of 110,000 feet. It was originally designed with two large assembly halls like the earlier Kirtland and Nauvoo Temples. The lower Assembly Hall was partitioned with curtains to provide the ordinance rooms for the Endowment Ceremony. In 1938 the lower Assembly Hall was rebuilt with permanent walls dividing it into four ordinance rooms. The four ordinance rooms were later changed into the present three rooms, at the time the endowment ceremony was changed from a live endowment to one presented on film.
In the 1970s the temple was closed and underwent extensive remodeling. Spencer W. Kimball rededicated it in 1975. The St. George Temple stands in the center of St. George and serves as a beautiful reminder of the hard work and dedication of the Mormon pioneers.