Washington D.C. Temple |
16th operating temple |
Phone Number: 301-588-0650.
Site: 52 acres.
Exterior Finish: Reinforced concrete sheathed in 173,000 square feet of Alabama white marble.
Temple Design: Six-spire design—the total design portrays the Church as "a light to the world," with the three towers to the east representing the Melchizedek Priesthood leadership, and those to the west, the Aaronic Priesthood leadership.
Number of Rooms: Six ordinance rooms and fourteen sealing.
Total Floor Area: 160,000 square feet.
Groundbreaking and Site Dedication: 7 December 1968 by Hugh B. Brown
Public Open House: 17 September–2 November 1974
Dedication: 19–22 November 1974 by Spencer W. Kimball
Standing on sprawling grounds about 10 miles north of the United States Capitol, the gold-spired Washington D.C. Temple is a well-known landmark along the Capital Beltway in Kensington, Maryland. The beauty of this soaring edifice is enhanced by a stunning reflection pool and spouting water feature. Sharing the 52-acre wooded site are the Washington D.C. Stake Center and the beautiful Washington D.C. Temple Visitors' Center, which hosts numerous interactive exhibits, a breathtaking reproduction of the Christus statue, and regular lectures and concerts throughout the year. Admission is free. At Christmastime, the grounds are set aglow during the Festival of Lights, which offers nightly concerts, a live nativity scene, and international nativity sets.
The Washington D.C. Temple was the first temple built in the East Coast of the United States.
The Washington D.C. Temple was the first temple to feature six spires since the construction of the Salt Lake Temple, which inspired the design.
Soaring to a height of 288 feet, the Washington D.C. Temple is the tallest temple in the Church.
The Washington D.C. Temple is the only temple outside of Utah to be built with six ordinance rooms. (The temples in Utah with six ordinance rooms are the Ogden Utah Temple, Provo Utah Temple, and Jordan River Utah Temple.)
The Washington D.C. Temple was originally named the Washington Temple.
The Washington D.C. Temple is one of five temples featuring an angel Moroni statue holding the gold plates. (The other four temples are the Los Angeles California Temple, Jordan River Utah Temple, Seattle Washington Temple, and México City México Temple.)
The main lobby of the Washington D.C. Temple features a striking 30-foot-long mural depicting the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. An image of the temple was incorporated into the mural.
Following the completion ceremonies for the Washington D.C. Temple, in which a time capsule was placed in the northeast corner of the building, President Spencer W. Kimball conducted the largest press conference in the Church's history.
The highly successful public open house of the Washington D.C. Temple was attended by 758,328 guests including special guest Betty Ford—wife of then-U.S. President Gerald Ford. These tours resulted in over 75,000 missionary referrals.
During the ten dedicatory sessions of the Washington D.C. Temple, all but two of the Church's General Authorities delivered speeches.