You’ve seen the photos. That iconic, six-spired granite castle standing tall against the Wasatch Mountains. For decades, the phrase Mormon Salt Lake City conjured a very specific, almost static image: clean-cut missionaries, the Tabernacle Choir, and a city grid so perfect it felt like a math equation.
But honestly? If you haven't been to 400 South lately, you might not recognize the place.
Salt Lake is changing. Fast. The "Mormon Vatican" is currently a maze of construction cranes and orange barrels. The city is grappling with a shrinking religious majority, a massive environmental crisis at the Great Salt Lake, and a culture that’s becoming way more "Pacific Northwest" than "1950s Heartland."
The Temple is Under Wraps (And for Good Reason)
Right now, you can’t even see the Salt Lake Temple. Not really. It’s covered in scaffolding and surrounded by deep trenches.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often called the LDS or Mormon Church) shut down Temple Square in late 2019 for a massive seismic renovation. They aren't just painting the walls. They’re literally lifting the 170-million-pound building to install a base isolation system. It’s basically a set of giant shock absorbers.
Why? Because the Wasatch Fault is a ticking time bomb.
If a major earthquake hits—and scientists like those at the Utah Geological Survey say it’s a matter of when, not if—the pioneers' masterpiece would have crumbled. By 2026, the structural work is nearing completion. We’re looking at a grand reopening in 2027 that will include a six-month public open house.
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That is huge. For the first time in over 130 years, anyone—regardless of their faith—will be able to walk inside those doors.
What’s changing on the Square?
- The Missionaries: Just this month, in January 2026, the Church announced they are dissolving the dedicated "Temple Square Mission." It used to be its own thing. Now, the sister missionaries will be part of local Salt Lake missions.
- The Vibe: The old "South Visitors' Center" is gone. In its place are two new glass pavilions that won't block the view of the temple from the street.
- The Statues: They’ve added a new bronze sculpture called "Come, Follow Me" near the Tabernacle, showing Christ calling the fishermen. It’s part of a push to make the grounds feel more "Christ-centered" and less "pioneer-history-heavy."
The Demographic "Flip" Nobody Expected
Here is the kicker: Salt Lake City isn't actually a majority-Mormon city anymore.
It hasn't been for a while, but the numbers are getting stark. Recent data from the Journal of Religion and Demography suggests that members of the Church now make up only about 42% of Utah’s population. In the city proper? That number is even lower.
You’ve got a massive influx of tech workers moving from California and Washington. You’ve got a thriving LGBTQ+ community—SLC consistently ranks as one of the "gayest" cities in America per capita.
The result is a weird, beautiful, and sometimes tense cultural friction.
One block you’re at the FamilySearch Library looking up your great-great-grandmother’s baptism records. The next block, you’re at a craft brewery (yes, they exist here, and they’re great) drinking a "Polygamy Porter" (yes, that's a real beer name).
It’s not the monochromatic society people expect. It's more like a patchwork quilt that’s slightly fraying at the edges.
The Great Salt Lake Crisis
You can’t talk about the Mormon Salt Lake City legacy without talking about the lake. It’s the city’s namesake, and it’s disappearing.
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If the lake dries up, the dust—which contains naturally occurring arsenic—could blow into the valley. That would make the city literally uninhabitable.
The Church has stepped up in a way we haven't seen before. In late 2025, Apostle Gérald Caussé gave a landmark speech at BYU reaffirming the Church’s commitment to saving the lake. They didn't just talk, though. They’ve donated over 20,000 acre-feet of water shares to the lake in perpetuity.
For a Church that historically kept its finances and land holdings close to the chest, this kind of public environmental activism is a massive shift. It shows that the "Zion" they built in the 1840s is under a threat that prayer alone won't fix.
Realities of the Mormon Influence Today
Does the Church still run the show? Sorta.
The Utah State Legislature is still overwhelmingly LDS. Alcohol laws are still... quirky. You can get a drink, but you’ll notice the "Zion Curtains" (barriers that hide the mixing of drinks) are mostly gone now, replaced by other specific regulations.
But the Church's influence is pivoting. It’s less about "controlling the territory" like Brigham Young tried to do and more about being a global corporate and humanitarian entity.
The Economic Engine
The Church owns City Creek Center, a massive, high-end outdoor mall right across from Temple Square. It has a retractable roof and a man-made creek running through it. It’s a symbol of how the Church has invested billions into keeping downtown SLC from decaying like other American city centers.
Whether you agree with a church owning a mall or not, you can't deny it kept the city's heart beating when everyone else was moving to the suburbs.
What to actually do if you visit in 2026
If you’re coming here to see the "Mormon" side of things, don't just stand at the construction fence.
- Go to the Conference Center: This is the temporary hub. They have a massive cutaway model of the temple so you can see what it looks like inside without a "temple recommend."
- Hit the FamilySearch Library: It’s free. Even if you aren't religious, the technology they use to track lineage is insane. You’ll probably find a photo of a relative you didn't know existed.
- Hike Ensign Peak: This is where the pioneers scouted the valley. It’s a short, steep hike. You can see the whole grid system from the top. It makes you realize how much of a "planned community" this really was.
- Visit "This Is The Place" Heritage Park: It’s a bit touristy, but they have real historic buildings moved from all over the state. It gives you a sense of the sheer grit it took to build a city in a desert.
Actionable Insights for the Curious
If you’re trying to understand the intersection of faith and modern life in Salt Lake, look at the edges. Look at the way the city handles its homelessness crisis, or the way the Church interacts with the burgeoning "Silicon Slopes" tech sector.
What you should do next:
- Track the Opening: If you want to see the Salt Lake Temple interior, set a reminder for January 2027 to book your open house tickets. They will be free, but they will vanish in minutes.
- Check the Choir: The Tabernacle Choir (no longer officially called the Mormon Tabernacle Choir) still does rehearsals on Thursday nights. It’s free, and the acoustics in the Tabernacle are world-class.
- Support the Lake: If you live here or are moving here, look into the Great Salt Lake 2034 Charter. It’s the public-private roadmap to saving the ecosystem before the next Olympics.
The "Mormon" version of Salt Lake City isn't a museum piece. It’s a living, breathing, and slightly stressed-out metropolitan area trying to figure out how to keep its heritage while embracing a future that looks nothing like its past.
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Next Steps for Your Visit:
You should download the Temple Square app before arriving; it provides real-time updates on which walkways are closed due to the ongoing $900-million-plus renovation project. Additionally, check the Sunday morning schedule for Music & the Spoken Word if you want to hear the choir live, as seating begins 30 minutes prior to the 9:30 AM broadcast.