BYU NewsNet - Temple Ground Renovation Completed After More than Three Years

With additional flowerbeds, two new fountains and four waterfalls, the grounds at the LDS Temple in Provo are a large improvement from the pile of dirt students saw as they traveled home last April.

The recently completed landscaping project began three-and-a-half years ago, when workers at the Provo temple began implementing a plan to redo lighting in the parking lot. The plan snowballed into a proposed major facelift for the temple grounds. In the end, the request climbed LDS church ranks and reached the First Presidency, which not only approved the project but also added to it, temple recorder Kurt Jensen said.

Before the renovation, the driveway ran within 30 feet of the temple doors, said temple President Carl Bacon. Drop-off points are now about 100 feet away, with a new entrance added to the south to accommodate more thru traffic. Flowerbeds and a large fountain replace the old road.

Another notable change is the relocation of the flag pole, which now stands to the south of the temple rather than directly to the west of the temple in front of the doors.

"Brides hated the flagpole," Jensen said. "There was no way to take a picture without the flagpole being in it, and if you got the whole flagpole [in the picture] the temple was tiny."

Now that the flagpole is to the side of the temple, both photographers and prospective brides should be more pleased, he said.

Four cascading waterfalls, flowerbeds, benches and a second large fountain are also new addition. Between the splashes of yellow and purple flowers, a surprising fact is that parsley is used to provide green accents.

Standing next to the large fountain that was added to the walkway, BYU alumnus Jana Willardson said, "When I first came out ... I noticed the new grounds."

"It's an amazing experience to walk out and see the beautiful flowers," she said. "It adds more of a reflective atmosphere."

President Bacon has termed the lawn on the east side of the temple "the secret garden." Small walkways and a new flower bed supplement the planter that already existed.

"It's a beautiful addition to the temple," President Bacon said. "It is a place of peace where people can sit and ponder. There is a special spirit that we feel here ... I hope the young people that come here to the temple will appreciate the miracle happening before their very eyes. We want people to feel welcome to come here."

Temple grounds are also open to pedestrian traffic from dawn to dusk on Sundays.