1 Chronicles 17: The Temple

But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight.1 Chronicles 22:8 KJV

God tells David he isn't to build the Ark, but we don't find out why until a few chapters later.

Introduction

David wanted to build the Temple, but God stopped him. God told the prophet Nathan that David wasn't going to be the one to create his home and many people wonder why. 1 Chronicles 17 and 2 Samuel 7 discuss David's desire to build the Temple and God's response.
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A Theory

One group theorizes that Solomon was chosen because of his wisdom. They believe that Solomon constructed a hidden room in the Temple, with the help of his Egyptian bride, to conceal the Ark. Although no mention of the Ark is made from the time it enters the first Temple onward, they believe it is still in Jerusalem in this hidden space.^[1] Egypt is known for their expertise in hiding things; in fact new chambers may have been recently discovered in one of the pyramids just last year.^[2][3] If the Egyptians were involved with the process it seems likely that a hidden room is possible. Of course, God could have given Solomon this knowledge directly if He wanted to, why include the Egyptians?

If this theory proves true, it seems to me that the plan was carried out by Solomon without inspiration from God. Kings were not to marry foreign women and God would have possessed the knowledge to to create a secret chamber. It seems odd that God would send Solomon to the Egyptians to carry out such a task. Of course, it is also possible that the Egyptian princess was meant to help and Solomon decided to make her his wife on his own. It is one of the Bible's many mysteries.
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The Bible Speaks

But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight.1 Chronicles 22:8 KJV

While the theory mentioned above is impressive, the Bible actually tells us why David wasn't allowed to build the Ark in 1 Chronicles 22. David may have had great faith, but David was a man of war who killed many people; David was violent. God shows that is His preference that we be wise and peaceful over violent when he tasks Solomon with building the Temple instead.
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References

1. Edoardo Recanati. "The Ark of the Covenant". Israelhai.org; visited February 2017
2. Adam Boult . "Scientists discover two mysterious ‘chambers’ in the Great Pyramid of Giza". The Telegraph. October 18, 2016
3. Owen Jarus. "Chambers Hidden in Great Pyramid? Scientists Cast Doubt". Live Science. October 17, 2016