Newly renovated Washington DC Temple ready for self-guided tours

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The newly renovated Celestial Hall of the Washington DC Temple.

More than 150 reporters got their first glimpse Monday of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temple in Washington, DC.

This is the first time guests have been welcomed into the temple since 1974. The opportunity arises as the church has made major renovations to the temple, and is now allowing an extended open house before it is rededicated. in August.

The Washington DC Temple Open House will begin with private tours for guests April 19-27. An open day will begin on April 28 and will last for several months (except Sunday). Ticket information is available at http://dctemple.org.

A youth devotional will be held Aug. 13, followed by a rededication of the temple the following day in three sessions. The youth devotion and rededication will be broadcast to all congregations in the Washington DC Temple District.

The temple has been closed since March 2018 for a major renovation. Energy-efficient mechanical, electrical and lighting systems were installed throughout the 160,000 square foot structure, as was new plumbing.

Courtesy intellectual reserve

The New Baptistry of the Washington DC Temple.

Dan Holt, project manager for the Washington DC Temple Renovation Project, said the intent was to “return the building to its original glory” as a mid-century modern structure. A gothic arch motif drawing the eyes to the sky prevails throughout: in the altars, carpets, gold leaf and cut-out stained glass windows (now backlit with LED lights for added prominence) to the east and west of the temple. The window colors lighten as they get closer to the arrow.

This design, Holt said, signifies “the brighter light we have and the knowledge we receive of the gospel as we learn, grow, and ascend to be more like our Heavenly Father.”

The exterior of the temple is made of white Alabama marble, quarried in Sylacauga, Alabama. Shortly after the building was completed, Alabama Quarries ceased producing retail marble slabs, making it impossible to find color-matched replacements should the Church need them. In 2016, however, a marble quarry was reopened, allowing the purchase of stone that matches the exterior, according to the church.

This marble, Holt said, has a silvery veining that turns gold over time when it oxidizes and is exposed to water and sunlight. Over time, the newly installed marble will assimilate to the rest of the temple’s original stone.

The Washington DC Temple was the first Church temple built east of the Mississippi River since the Nauvoo Temple more than a century earlier. Most major Church historic sites, including Palmyra, Kirtland, and Nauvoo, are within the original boundaries of the Washington, DC, Temple District.

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One of the smaller sealing rooms in the renovated Washington DC Temple.

The temple’s groundbreaking was in 1968 and construction began in 1971. It was dedicated in 1974 by President Spencer W. Kimball and became the faith’s 16th operating temple, according to church records. .

The Washington DC Temple shares some features with the Church’s iconic Salt Lake Temple, namely six towers and a similar footprint.

“It was intended to be so, with the idea that the Salt Lake Temple represented the founding of the Church and the Washington, D.C. Temple represented the international future of the Church,” Holt said. . .

At the time of the temple’s dedication, the temple district included approximately 300,000 people who lived in the eastern United States, eastern Canada, and the Caribbean. Church members from South America have also been assigned to the temple.

More than 750,000 people visited the temple during the open house in 1974, including many U.S. government officials. The church expects more than one million visitors to pass through the open house on 11 June.

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A renovated staircase in the Washington DC Temple.

As the temple opens its doors to the public for the second time, Latter-day Saints hope visitors will feel its holiness and find Christ-centered peace and hope.

“From the outside, everyone sees [the temple] on [Capital] Beltway, and it’s clear at night and it’s beautiful. But it’s even more beautiful on the inside,” said David Oryang, a local Church leader in the Washington DC Temple District. “We invite everyone to come to the open house and feel the Spirit here.”