Tallahassee Florida Temple Wiki

In his closing remarks at the conclusion of the 5 April 2020 General Conference, President Russell M. Nelson announced plans to construct a temple in Florida’s capital city of Tallahassee. It is the largest city in the Florida Panhandle and centrally located between the east and west sides of North Florida. The Tallahassee Florida Temple will be third to be constructed in Florida. There are over 150,000 members of the Church in the state organized into 33 stakes. Latter-day Saints in Tallahassee currently travel 260 miles to participate in temple worship at the Orlando Florida Temple.^[1]The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints News Release, “Prophet Announces Eight New Temples at General Conference,” 5 Apr. 2020.

Florida Temples at Time of Announcement

Announced

• –

Under Construction

• –

Dedicated

• Orlando Florida [1994]
• Fort Lauderdale Florida [2014]

On January 13, 2021, an official exterior rendering of the Tallahassee Florida Temple was released.^[3]The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints News Release, “Tallahassee Florida Temple Location Revealed,” 13 Jan. 2021.

The groundbreaking of the Tallahassee Florida Temple was presided over by Elder James B. Martino, North America Southeast Area president, on 5 June 2021. Several community leaders were in attendance, like Ron Cave with the Leon County Sheriff’s office and Courtney Thomas with the Tallahassee Mayor’s office.

In his dedicatory prayer on the site, Elder Martino said, “This temple will bless the entire land around it and the entire community. It will be a beacon of holiness and a place of peace for all to both see and feel. Here we will seek to draw closer to God, to hear His voice, and seek to follow His teachings.”^[4]”Tallahassee Temple Groundbreaking Kicks Off Construction Project,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints News Release, 5 Jun. 2021.

A media day was held 28 October, and invited guests toured the building 29-30 October 2024. A public open house for the temple was held from 4 November to 23 November 2024, drawing in 40,976 visitors.

Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated the temple — marking the 16th and last temple dedicated in 2024. This was also the first house of the Lord that Elder Kearon dedicated, having been called and set apart as a member of the Twelve just the December prior.

“Our Savior can be found everywhere in the temple,” said Elder Kearon. “In every ordinance, in every covenant, in every promised blessing and particularly in the power and grace we receive as we shed the practices and priorities of the world in favor of pursuing our relationship with Jesus Christ.”

Those who come to the Lord’s house, he said, receive solace, peace and refuge at any time, but especially when they feel lost. “We can be found here in the temple because here in the temple we find Jesus Christ.”

Elder Kearon was accompanied by his wife, Sister Jennifer Kearon; Elder Kevin R. Duncan, a General Authority Seventy and executive director of the Temple Department, and his wife, Sister Nancy Duncan; Elder Massimo De Feo, a General Authority Seventy and second counselor in the North America Southeast Area presidency, and his wife, Sister Loredana De Feo; Elder Steven R. Bangerter, a General Authority Seventy, and his wife, Sister Susan Bangerter; and Bishop W. Christopher Waddell, first counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, and his wife, Sister Carol Waddell.

The temple will stand on a major highway on the north side of Tallahassee, providing good access to members living throughout the region. A 4.97-acre site at 2440 Papillon Way has been chosen as the location for the temple.

Site

The grounds feature native or otherwise historically significant plants. Key tree species include the iconic live oak; two varieties of magnolias, whose foliage is depicted in the temple architecture; and historic crape myrtles. Bald cypress was used in the stormwater facility for its adaptability to drought and flood conditions, joined by several varieties of pines and understory trees typical of the surrounding native landscapes.

Azalea, an iconic plant for the area, is the signature shrub found throughout the temple grounds in eight varieties. The azalea was paired with native grasses such as muhly and fakahatchee and non-natives such as fountain grass for variety and a soft texture. The landscape was designed by Halff Associates Inc. and installed by Conrad Design and Landscape Inc., both located in Tallahassee.

The temple is a steel-frame structure. The steel was fabricated by Allstate Steel of Jacksonville, Florida, and installed in collaboration with Cutting Edge Welding and Fabricating of St. Augustine, Florida.

Cladding

The exterior, clad in precast concrete was manufactured by GATE Precast of Monroeville, Alabama, and installed by Precision Stone Setting of Hiram, Georgia.

Windows

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Spandrel panel

Plans call for a single-story temple of approximately 29,000 square feet

The carpet is a combination of broadloom, carved Axminster carpet, and carpet tile. Gold and cream are the prominent carpet colors. Bentley Mills of California manufactured the general broadloom and carpet tile. The flooring was installed by Re:Source Utah Commercial Flooring Systems of Salt Lake City.

Hand-tufted rugs are used in the entry, bride’s room and non-patron waiting rooms and feature palm frond and magnolia rosette designs. Rugs International of Cartersville, Georgia, collaborated in designing the rugs.

Latte marble from Turkey is the dominant stone, used as the field tile and ordinance room base. Gray Cloud stone and Silver Screen vein-cut marble from China are used as base and accent tile and for borders. Stone tile patterns are based on historic geometric tile patterns from the mid-1800s. The Silver Screen and Latte marble were manufactured by Daltile of Salt Lake City, Utah, and the Gray Cloud stone was distributed by Arizona Tile. All were installed by Peritia Stone of Waterloo, Iowa.

Carving and decorative paint patterns include the guilloche, magnolia rosette, bell flower, bead and reel, egg and dart, and dentil as seen in mid-1800s local architecture. Paint colors are consistent with other decorative elements throughout the temple. The painting was done by John Petersen Painting Inc. of Orem, Utah. The decorative paint and gilding were finished by Finessed Finishes of Mapleton, Utah. The decorative plaster was installed by Signature Designs of Alpine, Utah.

Art glass was designed in collaboration with Holdman Studios of Lehi, Utah. The arched glass transom above the main celestial room doors features a radial pattern with a central magnolia flower. The design includes carved gold palmette scroll vine borders.

The lighting was designed in collaboration with Ciana Lighting of Heber, Utah, based on historic mid-1800s designs, including lanterns, bowls, sconces and crystal light fixtures. Light fixtures in the baptistry feature a carved magnolia rosette and acanthus leaves. Lantern fixtures in the ordinance rooms include floral swags, carved acanthus leaves, urns and magnolia rosettes. Bride’s room light fixtures include a cut crystal bowl and candlestick arms with carved acanthus leaves. Chandeliers and sconces in the celestial and sealing rooms include Egyptian cut crystals, carved acanthus leaves and candlestick arms. Most fixtures are made of bronze but finished to look like brass. All were installed by Nelson Electric of Rigby, Idaho.

The baptistry font railings are based on historic fence design from the 1860s. The top handrail is mahogany wood with a glass infill. The metal is made of bronze but finished to appear like antique brass, with a diamond panel emphasizing a carved magnolia rosette in the center. The railings were manufactured and installed by Smith Design and Manufacturing of Gunter, Texas.

Door hardware is based on historic hardware produced by Rocky Mountain Hardware of Hailey, Idaho. The design includes an arched backplate and a scroll lever with a bead border. The pull, also based on traditional hardware, includes fluting and carved flourishes. This hardware was made from bronze material but finished to appear like antique brass. The exterior doors were manufactured by Ellison Bronze of Falconer, New York, and installed by Miller Glass of Tallahassee, Florida. The interior doors were manufactured by Masonite of Tampa, Florida, and installed by A.E.R. Woodworking of Cedar City, Utah.

The celestial room ceiling is constructed of glass-fiber-reinforced gypsum (GFRG) manufactured by Casting Designs Inc. of Fort Worth, Texas. The focal point is a large central oval dome bordered by a curved perimeter ceiling with panelized beams. Most of these ceilings are constructed of gypsum board and metal studs with GFRG decorative elements. Daw Construction Group of Draper, Utah, installed the gypsum and acoustic ceilings.

The millwork design includes the classical detailing of Palladian-style columns and moldings. The design also features decorative carvings based on the designs of local architecture from the 1860s, such as magnolia rosettes, as well as the classical detailing of the egg and dart, bead and reel, dentil, carved acanthus leaf and palmette moldings. The millwork was manufactured by Fetzer Architectural Woodworking of West Valley City, Utah, and installed by A.E.R. Woodworking of Cedar City, Utah.

temple’s original artwork includes “That They May Be Called Trees of Righteousness, the Planting of the Lord, That He May Be Glorified (Isaiah 61:3)” by Josh Clare and “She Offered All, Even All Her Living” by Heather Edwards.

Entry

The baptistry ceiling includes stepped gypsum ceilings with centered plaster ceiling medallions, featuring fan, palmette and acanthus leaf designs. The ceilings’ embellishments include carved palmette, bell flower, guilloche and magnolia rosettes.

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The two endowment rooms are behind the central Celestial Room.

The Instruction Room ceiling includes stepped gypsum ceilings with centered plaster ceiling medallions, featuring fan, palmette and acanthus leaf designs. The ceilings’ embellishments include carved palmette, bell flower, guilloche and magnolia rosettes.

The Axminster carpets used in the ordinance rooms, were designed in collaboration with Royal Thai and produced in Thailand. The design and carving details are based on historic carpet patterns. The Axminster carpet design includes leaf lattice, palm fronds, magnolia flowers and interlocking key patterns.

Like the Instruction rooms, carpets used in the celestial Room were designed in collaboration with Royal Thai and produced in Thailand.