Washington D.C. Temple

The Washington D.C. 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 bought in 1962 for the temple, and only eleven acres were cleared for the building itself. The rest of the land was left untouched to give the temple a remote feeling. It is the 16th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A groundbreaking and site dedication ceremony was held on 7 December 1968. Elder Hugh B. Brown presided.

The temple serves Church members in Washington, D.C., Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, and New Jersey. It was the first Latter-day Saint 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.

At 160,000 square feet, the Washington D.C. Temple is the third largest Latter-day Saint temple in the world. It was designed to be similar in style and form to the Salt Lake Temple so that it would be easily recognized as a Latter-day Saint temple. The exterior finish is constructed of reinforced concrete sheathed in 173,000 square feet of Alabama white marble. There are six ordinance rooms (stationary) and fourteen sealing rooms inside the temple.

The Washington D.C. Temple has the tallest tower of any of the Church's temples, at 280 feet. The angel Moroni that sits on top of this tower is eighteen feet tall and weighs two tons. Another interesting feature is that the temple does not look like it has any windows, but when you go inside you realize that the marble has been cut thin enough in some places that it is translucent.

Temple Location

The Washington D.C. Temple is located on a serene 52-acre hilltop in Kensington, Maryland, standing on sprawling grounds about 10 miles north of the United States Capitol, and creates an impressive sight for travelers along the Capital Beltway. The beauty of this soaring edifice is enhanced by a reflection pond near the Washington D.C. Visitors' Center and a spouting water feature at the temple entrance. Also sharing the 52-acre wooded site is the Washington D.C. Stake Center. The Washington D.C. Temple Visitors' Center hosts numerous interactive exhibits, a breathtaking reproduction of the Christus statue, and regular lectures and concerts throughout the year. Admission is free. And at Christmastime, the grounds are set aglow during the Festival of Lights, which offers nightly concerts, a live nativity scene, and international nativity sets.

Temple Shuttle

A free temple shuttle, funded by donations, is offered to patrons and visitors traveling between the Metro and the Washington D.C. Temple.

Washington D.C. Temple Open House

When the construction of the temple was completed, the First Presidency buried a metal box with historical items near a corner of the temple.

The temple opened to the public from 17 September to 2 November 1974, and more than 750,000 visitors toured the edifice. Several high-profile visitors, including Betty Ford, U.S. 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.

The Washington D. C. Temple 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.

Washington D.C. Temple Renovation, Open House, and Rededication

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced the closure of the Washington D.C. Temple for extensive renovation beginning in March 2018. The temple was expected to be closed for a period of at least two years. Per the Church Newsroom, as part of the renovation, the mechanical systems were upgraded and the finish and furnishings were refreshed.

Following the completion of the Washington D.C. Temple renovation in 2020, the temple was slated to be rededicated on Sunday, 13 December 2020, in three sessions. Prior to the rededication, a public open house would be held from 24 September through 31 October 31 (except for 27 September, 3-4, 11, 18 and 25 October).

As part of the rededication festivities, a youth devotional was scheduled for the evening prior to rededication on Saturday, 12 December 2020. The rededication and youth devotional would be broadcast to Latter-day Saint meetinghouses within the Washington D.C. Temple district.

The open house and rededication of the Washington D.C. Temple were postponed because of the worldwide effects of COVID-19.

A media day for the renovated temple took place on 18 April 2022, followed by private tours for invited guests from 19 April 2022 to 27 April 2022. A two-month public open house began on 28 April 2022 and continued through 11 June 2022 (except for Sundays). Visitors surpassed a quarter of a million.[1] On May 24, the Church released a virtual tour of the Washington D.C. Temple, offering 360-degree views inside and outside of the sacred building. Posted on ChurchofJesusChrist.org, the YouTube video includes the welcome desk, walkway bridge, dressing rooms, baptistry, bride’s room, a sealing room, staircases, initiatory area, an endowment room, and the celestial room.

Aaron Sherinian, director of media for the temple open house committee, said, "This is a great occasion for us to open the doors of the temple for our friends, members of the Washington, D.C., community, people and partners of all faiths and backgrounds to come and join us and to experience the beauty and peace that is the temple of the Lord."

A youth devotional was held on 18 June 2022, followed by the temple rededication on 19 June 2022 in three sessions — 9:00 am EST, 12:00 pm EST, and 3:00 pm EST. The youth devotional and rededication were broadcast for all congregations within the Washington D. C. Temple district.

Nearly four and a half years after the Washington D.C. Temple closed for renovation, President Russell M. Nelson rededicated it on August 14, 2022, in three sessions that included the entire First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.