Jacksonville’s First Mormon Temple Groundbreaking
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for its first temple in Jacksonville on January 24. The event will take place on Loretto Road in the Mandarin area and will be a private, invitation-only service. Elder Massimo De Feo, first counselor in the United States Southeast Area Presidency, will preside over the ceremony.
Temple Details and Location
The new temple will cover 29,000 square feet on a 6.6-acre site just east of San Jose Boulevard. Announced in April, it joins four other Florida temples that are either built or planned in Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tallahassee, and Tampa.
Historical Significance of the Site
The property was once home to the two-story Fleming Bowden house, built in 1907. Bowden, who owned some of the first Ford Model T cars in Mandarin during the 1920s, served as Duval County supervisor of elections for 21 years. Though the land was rezoned for a subdivision in 2020, efforts to save the historic house failed, and it was demolished in early 2024 due to lack of historic designation, according to local historian Tracey Arpen.
"The property was rezoned for a subdivision in 2020, but a change.org petition was started in an attempt to stop the development... Since the house did not have historic designation, it was demolished in early 2024," – Tracey Arpen
Background of Mormon Presence in Florida
Mormon missionaries first arrived in Florida in 1845. The state’s first congregation was established in 1897 in the Big Bend region.
Author’s summary: Jacksonville will soon welcome its first LDS temple, marking a new chapter in the church's local history, built on a site with deep historical roots but without preservation protections.