Faith

Ground broken for the Cincinnati Ohio Temple in Mason — Ohio's third temple, and its largest

Mason, Ohio • November 8, 2026 • By Press Pass USA

Architectural rendering of the Cincinnati Ohio Temple, a light stone building with a tall central spire

Rendering: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Ground has been broken for the Cincinnati Ohio Temple in Mason, Ohio. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held the groundbreaking ceremony on Saturday, November 7, 2026, starting construction on what will be the third temple in Ohio — and the largest in the state.

Elder Alan T. Phillips, a General Authority Seventy and member of the Church's United States Northeast Area Presidency, presided over the ceremony and offered the dedicatory prayer on the site and the construction process. Local Latter-day Saints, faith and government leaders, and community members attended the event, which was livestreamed.

The temple will rise on a 35-acre site at the southwest corner of Mason-Montgomery Road and Cedar Village Drive in Mason, about 20 miles northeast of downtown Cincinnati. Plans call for a single-story building of approximately 29,630 square feet — bigger than either of Ohio's other temples. Construction is expected to take about three years.

Once dedicated, the Cincinnati temple will join the Cleveland and Columbus Ohio Temples as the state's third house of the Lord. The Cleveland temple was dedicated in August 2026, less than three months before Saturday's groundbreaking in Mason.

The temple was announced by President Russell M. Nelson on April 7, 2024, during the Church's general conference, and a public rendering of the design was released in December 2024. The Church bought the Mason land from JHHA Real Estate in September 2023 for close to $7.9 million. Big-D Construction of Salt Lake City is the general contractor, and Richardson Design Partnership, also of Salt Lake City, is the architect.

Temples hold a distinct place in Latter-day Saint worship. Unlike meetinghouses, which are open to the public for Sunday services, temples are reserved for sacred ceremonies, including marriages, and open to the public only during a brief open house before dedication. The Cincinnati temple is one of about 350 temples the Church has operating, planned or under renovation worldwide.

Sources: Church Newsroom, "Ground Broken for the Cincinnati Ohio Temple" (Nov. 7, 2026); Church News, "Cincinnati Ohio Temple enters construction phase" (Nov. 8, 2026); The Cincinnati Enquirer, "Mason temple will be Ohio's largest for Latter-day Saints" (Oct. 8, 2026). Event date verified: the groundbreaking ceremony was held Saturday, November 7, 2026, in Mason, Ohio.