It once served the church's largest geographical temple district, which included Finland, the Baltic states, and all of Russia.

The church's First Presidency announced on April 2, 2000 that a temple would be built near Helsinki in Espoo, Finland.

On March 29, 2003, a site dedication and groundbreaking ceremony were held in Karakallio, a district of Espoo.

D. Lee Tobler, of the church's Second Quorum of the Seventy, presided at the ceremony and gave the site dedication prayer.

An open house was held September 21 to October 7, 2006 to allow the public to tour the temple prior to its dedication.