The Manti Utah Temple (formerly the Manti Temple) is the fifth constructed temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Located in the city of Manti, Utah, it was the third LDS temple built west of the Mississippi River, after the Mormons’ trek westward. (The St. George and Logan Utah temples preceded it.)

Located at 200 East 510 North in Manti, Utah and added to the National Historic Register (#71000854) on August 12, 1971.

Related:

• Moroni in Manti.

The Mormon Pioneers arrived in the Valley ©f the Great Salt Lake in July 1847. What is now the State of Utah was then Mexican territory occupied only by Indians. Two years later a group of fifty colonists left Salt Lake City and drove their wagons and stock 125 miles to the area now occupied by the city of Manti. On April 25, 1877, four months before his death Brigham Young visited Manti, Retiring to the hill on the outskirts of the village, he dedicated the site for the building of a house of God. Following this, a call was sent out for workmen, and five days after the dedication a hundred men gathered at the quarry and knelt in prayer before commencing a task that was to continue for eleven years. Two years of blasting and scraping were required to prepare the footings and foundation. On April 14, 1879 the cornerstones were laid, and work was begun on the walls, which were built of stone, taken from the hill. At the time of construction workers were relatively few in number. Theirs was a constant struggle against drought, grasshoppers, sickness, poverty, and Indians. Yet the building went steadily forward. Contributions of eggs, cheese, meat, flour or whatever the people had were donated to the cause. When completed, the cost of the structure was estimated at a million dollars.

Architect was William H. Folsom. The building, with its unique setting is undoubtedly one of the finest examples of Mormon Temple architecture to be found anywhere.

The temple, with its base eighty feet above the highway, holds a commanding position over Manti and the surrounding valley. The sloping lawns, brilliant flowers, and wide variety of trees and shrubs were made possible by hauling enough soil to cover the stone base.

The temple is 171 feet long and 95 feet wide. It is built of local oolitic limestone of a warm cream color. The towers on each end are topped by bell-shaped roofs which are influenced by Victorian architectural fashions The front of the Temple is on the east as with all Mormon Temples and the rear fronts the highway. The interior is striking in its simple elegance. Hardware, woodwork with its graceful arches, heavy doors and finely cut mouldings, and decorating all indicate skilled workmanship. In the basement is a baptismal font resting on the backs of twelve cast life-size oxen. The main floors are occupied for the most part by ceremonial rooms. An assembly room fills the entire upper floor. It was here in 1888 that fifteen hundred members of the Church met to dedicate the building. In the two west corner towers are spiral staircases, extending from the basement to the roof. Engineers and architects have acclaimed them as remarkable pieces of workmanship. In each case the center Is open, without any supporting column and the walnut railings and balusters, winding up through five stories, form a symmetrical coil, perfectly plumb from top to bottom. The building is used continuously and is in an excellent state of repair.

Alterations have been minimal. The annex was built along with the original structure. It was remodeled and added to (on the west and north) in 1956-58.