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Washington D.C.

Washington D.C. Temple Wiki

Description

The Washington D.C. Temple is the 18th constructed and the 16th operating temple.The temple serves Church members in Washington, D.C., Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia and New Jersey. It was the first Mormon temple to be built on the East Coast of the United States. When the temple was completed in 1974, it served all Latter-day Saints living east of the Mississippi and all Latter-day Saints in South America. ^[1]

History

Announcement

The Washington DC Temple was announced on 15 November 1968. The announcement was gladly received by the thousands of members that lived east of the Mississippi River who had no nearby temple. A very large plot of land on a wooded hill had been purchased in 1962 for the temple.

Original cost estimates for the temple were about $15 million. Members of the church within the temple’s attendance district were asked to contribute at least $4.5 million. Eventually, local members donated around $6 million for the temple’s construction.^[2]

Groundbreaking

A groundbreaking and site dedication ceremony were held on 7 December 1968. Elder Hugh B. Brown presided.

Construction

Clearing of the land started May 28, 1971. The site chosen for the temple was a 57-acre (23 ha) wooded hill just north of the Capital Beltway (Interstate 495).^[3] Only 11 acres (4.5 ha) of the site was cleared for the Temple. The rest of the land was left untouched to give the temple a remote feeling.

Open House

The temple opened to the public from 17 September to 2 November 1974, and 758,328 visitors toured the edifice. Several high-profile visitors, including Betty Ford, President Gerald Ford’s wife, were among those who attended the open house. The open house continued for seven weeks. During the first week of open houses, government officials and diplomats from around the world were taken on special tours through the temple. The high number of people that attended the open house was due mostly to the large amount of coverage that the temple and Church received as the temple neared completion. Articles were printed in Time, Newsweek, and World Report. There was also a large press conference held that introduced the temple and Spencer W. Kimball, the Prophet and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at that time.

The demand for tickets to the open house was high, and the tickets were gone before the first day of tours, so the times were extended to allow as many people as possible to attend the open house. The times had originally been set from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. but were changed to 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Interest in the Church was so high, that more missionaries were called to the area to answer questions.

Dedication

The Washington D.C. Temple was dedicated in 10 sessions held from 19-22 November 1974. Church President, Spencer W. Kimball offered the dedicatory prayer, in which he gave thanks for those who paved the way for the founding of the United States: “We are grateful that thou didst cause this land to be rediscovered and settled by people who founded a great nation with an inspired constitution guaranteeing freedom in which there could come the glorious restoration of the gospel and the Church of thy Beloved Son.” More than 40,000 members were able to attend the dedicatory services.

Dedicatory Prayer

Dedication Order

The Washington D. C. Temple was the 14th temple in the world, and the 12th in the United States. At the time of it dedication there were No Temples under construction, and no temples announced. 2 Temples, the St, George Utah Temple and the Mesa Arizona Temple, were undergoing renovation.

It was the first temple built by the Church east of the Mississippi since beginning the move west in 1846.It would remain the only Temple in the Eastern United States and North America until the Atlanta Georgia Temple was dedicated in 1983.^[4] At the time of the temple’s completion, its district included all Latter-day Saint members in 31 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, seven Canadian provinces, Cuba, Haiti, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and the Dominican Republic.^[5]

Renovation

On 23 February 2017 The First Presidency announced that the Washington D.C. Temple will close for extensive renovation.

Closure

The temple closed for Renovation in March of 2018

The temple is expected to be closed for a period of at least two years. Per Mormon Newsroom, as part of the renovation, the mechanical systems will be upgraded and the finish and furnishings will be refreshed.^[6]

Following the completion of the Washington D.C. Temple renovation in 2020, the temples will be rededicated. Public open house and rededication information will be provided as the renovations near completion.

The visitors’ center will remain open throughout the renovation.

Presidents

Details

Built at a cost of about $15 million, It was designed to be similar in style and form to the Salt Lake Temple so that it would be easily recognized as a Mormon temple.

Location

Exterior

The Washington D.C. Temple, designed by architect Keith W. Wilcox, was built with a modern six-spire design based on the design of the Salt Lake Temple, with the three towers to the east representing the Melchizedek priesthood, and the three towers to the west representing the Aaronic priesthood. The temple was designed to be similar in style and form to the Salt Lake Temple so that it would be easily recognized as a temple of the LDS Church.^[7] The central eastern tower reaches a height of 288 feet (88 m), the tallest of any LDS Church temple.

Cladding

The exterior finish is constructed of reinforced concrete sheathed in 173,000 square feet of Alabama white marble.

There are six ordinance rooms (stationary) in the Washington D. C. Temple.

Sealing Rooms

The Washington D.C. Temple has fourteen sealing rooms inside.