OGDEN, Utah -- About 400,000 have already bought tickets to tour the newly remodeled Ogden temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Several more are expected in the coming month.
Tours are free and open to the public and will begin Friday.
The old Ogden temple was the second busiest Mormon temple in the world and with the new renovations it's only expected to draw more faithful members.
"The temple is so exquisite and beautiful. It's something to see," said Elder Craig Fisher an area member of the Quorum of the Seventy.
As part of the renovation, the Church completely reshaped the exterior with new stone and art glass.
The entrances moved from the west side to the east side, to face Washington Boulevard, one of the city's main streets.
"The facade was completely changed, but as you look at it structurally, the same foundations were kept and as you look at the floor plan, most of the rooms and the walls have been kept as well," said Michael John Teh a member of Quorum of the Seventy and Assistant Executive Director of the Temple.
The remodeled temple also features additional parking, a water fountain, and new landscaping.
Once it officially opens in September it will serve as the temple for more than 250,000 LDS members.
"This will become a very prominent piece of Ogden," Fisher said. "The event itself will be one of the biggest events in the history of Ogden. Perhaps even beyond the driving of the Golden Spike and the celebration that took place here many, many years ago."
LDS Church officials say the open house is a chance for people to see what goes on inside a temple -- whether members or not.
"I know there are a lot of people who drive by the temple and ask what this building is and what goes on in there," Teh said. "And so we want to open the doors of the temple and give them the opportunity to walk in and see all the rooms of the temple and then the opportunity to explain to them what goes on there."
The Ogden temple will be formally dedicated on September 21. Once re-dedicated, only faithful LDS members can enter its doors.
During the open house the tours are free and open to anyone. Tickets are available through this website: www.templeopenhouse.lds.org
