The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints welcomed journalists and invited guests to the new Wichita Kansas Temple on Monday, September 21, according to a Church Newsroom release. The media day opened a series of events that will allow the public to tour the first house of the Lord in Kansas before its November dedication.
Public tours will run from Thursday, September 24, through Saturday, October 10, excluding Sundays and Saturday, October 3, when the Church of Jesus Christ will hold general conference. The temple stands at 2550 West Harborlight Street in Wichita and will serve more than 14,500 Church members in the region.
Elder Jeremiah J. Morgan, a General Authority Seventy, presided over the media event with Elder Karl D. Hirst of the Seventy. Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will dedicate the temple on Sunday, November 1, 2026, in a service broadcast to congregations throughout the Wichita area.
Design Rooted in the Kansas Landscape
The temple’s design draws from Kansas wheat fields, sunflowers and local artistic traditions, including art deco elements. Sage green, golden wheat, soft paprika and buttercream form the primary color palette, connecting the building’s interior to the prairie and agricultural scenery of the Great Plains.
Decorative painting throughout the temple incorporates wheat and sunflower designs inspired by the Kansas landscape. Warm neutral wall colors complement the golden wheat and sage green tones used elsewhere in the building.
The art glass introduces warm vanilla, colonial blue, pink champagne, copper red and gold into the interior. Those colors extend the prairie-inspired palette while giving the glass its own distinct combination of floral and agricultural tones.
Custom decorative light fixtures combine crystal, acrylic, satin brass and polished nickel. Crystal chandeliers and wall sconces provide lighting in key rooms throughout the temple.
Two original paintings also appear inside the building: “Autumn Evening” by Ryan S. Brown and “Line upon Line, Precept upon Precept” by Michael Albrechtsen. The press kit identifies both works as part of the temple’s permanent artwork collection.
Materials and Interior Details
Crema Marfil marble serves as the principal stone inside the Wichita Kansas Temple. The warm-colored marble appears alongside custom nylon carpet tile used throughout the building and wool-and-nylon area rugs placed in selected rooms.
Stained African mahogany and paint-grade poplar form the temple’s interior millwork. Interior doors use stained African mahogany and painted poplar with satin brass hardware, while the exterior doors feature an antique brass finish.
The ceilings combine glass-fiber-reinforced gypsum, gypsum board and acoustic ceiling tile. Around the baptismal font, painted decorative guardrails with solid wood caps and glass panels stand beside stainless steel handrails.
The baptismal font itself appears in the collection of photographs released for the open house, along with views of the recommend desk, celestial room, sealing room, artwork and exterior. The images give prospective visitors an advance look at spaces they can see during the public tour.
A 97-Foot Temple on More Than Six Acres
The 9,950-square-foot temple occupies a 6.42-acre property in Wichita. A structural steel frame supports the building, which has an exterior of glass-fiber-reinforced concrete and rises 97.5 feet from the ground to the top of its spire.
A metal fence encloses the property, while landscaping surrounds the light-colored temple exterior. The building’s central tower and tapered spire rise above lower sections marked by tall windows, arched openings and geometric architectural details.
The temple’s exterior incorporates the same regional influences that shaped its interior. Its combination of Kansas-inspired ornamentation and art deco elements connects the building’s religious purpose with design references drawn from the area it will serve.
From Announcement to Dedication
President Russell M. Nelson announced the Wichita Kansas Temple during the Church’s April 2022 general conference. Church leaders held the groundbreaking ceremony on September 7, 2024, beginning construction approximately two and a half years before the public open house.
Once dedicated, the Wichita Kansas Temple will become the Church’s 229th operating temple worldwide. It will also become the first operating temple in Kansas, where nearly 40,000 Latter-day Saints worship in 75 congregations.
Elder Morgan, who led the media event, received his call as a General Authority Seventy during the April 2026 general conference. His previous Church assignments have included service as a full-time missionary in the Micronesia Guam Mission, branch president, bishop, high councilor, communication specialist, stake president and Area Seventy.
Elder Hirst has served as a General Authority Seventy since April 2024. He previously served as a full-time missionary in the England London South Mission and, with his wife, Claire, as a For the Strength of Youth session director.
Temples differ from the meetinghouses and chapels where Latter-day Saints gather for regular Sunday services. Church members consider each temple a house of the Lord where they participate in marriages, baptisms and other sacred ceremonies centered on Jesus Christ and the eternal unity of families.
What stood out to you most inside Kansas’ first temple? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Holly Wallace is a writer and storyteller drawn to meaningful questions and overlooked details. Her work explores Latter-day Saint life and culture through faithful inquiry, inviting readers to pause, consider, and engage more deeply with what matters most.
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