Renovations to Kona Hawai‘i Temple still ongoing amid announcement of new temple location on Maui

With the Kona Hawai‘i Temple still undergoing renovations, the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced the location of the state’s third temple in Kahului, Maui.

This temple, which was initially announced in October 2023, will be constructed on a 7.6-acre site located along Kuikahi Drive next to an existing meetinghouse at 1300 Maui Lani Parkway. Plans call for a single-story temple of 19,000 square feet and an accompanying ancillary building, according to a news release from the church.

This will be the first temple on the island of Maui. The first LDS temple was constructed in La‘ie on O‘ahu and dedicated in 1919. Eighty-one years later, the second temple in the state was dedicated in Kailua-Kona in January 2000.

At the time of the Maui Temple announcement, church leaders announced that the Kona Hawai‘i Temple would close for extensive renovations and expand the square footage of the building from 9,500 to approximately 12,000. The exterior appearance will also be modified to feature a steeple inspired by the historic Honolulu Tabernacle.

Hawai‘i is home to more than 76,000 Latter-day Saints in over 140 congregations. The church has temples all over the world.

“Latter-day Saints consider each temple a house of the Lord and the most sacred places of worship on earth,” according to the church website.

Temples differ from the Church’s meetinghouses (chapels). All are welcome to attend Sunday worship services and other weekday activities at local meetinghouses.

“The primary purpose of temples is for faithful members of the Church of Jesus Christ to participate in sacred ceremonies such as marriages, which unite families forever, and proxy baptisms on behalf of deceased ancestors who did not have the opportunity to be baptized while living,” according to the website.

The upgrades at the Kona temple were expected to be completed by late 2025, according to the church news site. However, work is still ongoing.

Located behind the LDS Church, 75-230 Kalani St., the demolition of the building was witnessed by passing drivers along Queen Ka‘ahumanu Highway.

The new building slowly started to take shape in July of 2025, with structural framing erected. The following month, structural walls began to rise, revealing the fenestration of the building’s facade. The arched doorway is flanked by three sets of mulled windows with an additional set of windows on the north end.

On Jan. 10, vertical scaffolding rails have been erected alongside the Kona Hawai‘i Temple to support the installation of exterior wall finishes and stone cladding, as reconstruction of this house of the Lord advances.

The interior of the temple is in the rough-in phase, including interior framing and the installation of ductwork, plumbing, and electrical wiring.

Monthly updates on the Kona Hawai‘i Temple renovation are available here.

Dates for the public open house and rededication following the renovation will be announced closer to the completion date.