Washington D.C. Temple

The plan to build the temple was announced on November 15, 1968, by church president David O. McKay. with Hugh B. Brown presiding, and attended by local church members and community leaders. Land clearing began May 28, 1971. The site The temple is part of a 57-acre (23 ha) site along the Capital Beltway, purchased by the church in 1962. The 4,220 acres of property changed hands multiple times, and the site's long history has been described by the Deseret News as being "as American as the capital city itself". The property later passed to Daniel Carroll's grandson, who built a home a mile from the current temple site. He renamed the property "the Highlands", and wore out the land growing tobacco on it. However, during negotiations for the temple site, a personal connection developed between church representatives and the Jewish owners of the property, including David Bazelon. A week after that meeting, McKay approved the proposal. The construction of the temple on the site was presented to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles the next day. The proposal met with some opposition from more conservative members of the body, particularly Mark E. Petersen and future church president Harold B. Lee. They objected to the location of the temple in an area with such a significant African American population as Washington, D.C. At the time the church had policies that limited the participation of Black people and faced considerable national opposition from civil rights advocates. Lee was concerned the temple site would attract protests from African Americans and favored an alternative site such as Valley Forge, Pennsylvania with fewer African American residents. The concerns of Lee and Petersen were overruled by McKay and construction proceeded. It was the church's first temple built east of the Mississippi River since the Nauvoo Temple, which was dedicated in 1846. Construction and opening Original cost estimates for the temple were about $15 million (about $ in ). Church members in the temple's district contributed about a third of the cost of construction, When it opened, the temple served about 300,000 Latter-day Saints in 31 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, seven Canadian provinces, Cuba, Haiti, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and the Dominican Republic. Many sites important to early church history, such as Nauvoo, Palmyra, and Kirtland, are within the Washington D.C. Temple district. At a completion ceremony the church's First Presidency buried a time capsule with historical items near a corner of the temple. 2018–2022 renovation On February 23, 2017, the church announced that the temple would close in March 2018 for a three-year renovation to update furnishings and mechanical systems. The visitors' center remained open. In February 2020, as renovations neared completion, church officials announced a public open house from September 24 through October 31, with a rededication planned for December 13. But on June 17, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, officials postponed the events until large public gatherings were deemed safe. In January 2022, they rescheduled the rededication to August and said the open house would be extended as needed. The church put up banners in the city to promote the event; they recorded a virtual tour, led by Gary E. Stevenson and Dale G. Renlund, members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. During the open house, more than 250,000 people visited the temple. At the time, the temple's district covered 38 stakes in Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, and West Virginia. Other artworks commissioned for the 2022 renovations aimed to reflect the church's diverse global membership, aligning with church president Nelson's temple expansion initiative, according to church historian Emily Utt. ==Location and "Surrender Dorothy"==

The temple is located in suburban Kensington, Maryland, north of Washington, D.C., near the Capital Beltway. The temple is a local landmark, due in part to its visibility from the Beltway; D.C.-area traffic reports often refer to "the temple". Maryland Governor Larry Hogan called it a "beacon of hope". and the Washington Post called it "the single most famous graffito in the Washington area". They also said that the church reportedly did not care for the message. In 2022, D. Todd Christofferson was asked by CBS News what church members think when they hear the temple compared to the land of Oz, he said that it makes them smile, and that part of the reason the open house was happening was so people "see it as something much, much more than Oz". Author Orson Scott Card, writing for the Deseret News in 2005, explained that the humor of the "Surrender Dorothy" graffiti lay in the unintentional connection of the temple to The Wizard of Oz: "This is funny because clearly the (Latter-day Saints) didn't intend their temple to remind anybody of a classic fantasy movie, but once somebody put up the graffiti, it made everybody think of it and laugh". Card noted that the juxtaposition of the temple's architecture with the lush greenery and the clever quote created this unexpected cultural link. ==Design and architecture==

The seven-story temple's architectural style blends elements of mid-century modern architecture with a traditional Latter-day Saint temple design. The modern six-spire design was modeled after the Salt Lake Temple This was one of the first to depict the angel holding a set of golden plates. The Washington D.C. Ward meeting house displayed a similar statue until it was moved to the Church History Museum. The building is made of reinforced concrete and structural steel, the outer walls are covered in white Alabama marble, and the spires are coated in 24-carat gold. There are two large stained-glass windows on the eastern and westernmost spires. During the 2018 restoration, an architectural glass firm restored the glass by taking charcoal rubbings before cleaning and recasting it in resin to match the original design. and a modern furniture design. It is also one of the few temples that uses the Big Dipper (pointing to Polaris) as a symbol, which represents the leadership of the church constantly pointing people to God. The temple occupies a 52-acre site, with only 11 acres developed. The temple has green lawns and annuals over 64,822 square feet, along with perennials, shrubs, and trees meant to complement native vegetation. == Cultural and community impact ==

The visitors' center next to the temple acts as an educational resource, helping members and non-members understand the role of the temple's place in church history, and of temples in the church and as a symbol of God. Another building, the Washington D.C. FamilySearch Center, enables members and nonmembers to do genealogical research with organizations such as the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution and the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society. The event attracts thousands of visitors who come to view millions of lights on the temple grounds. The festival features live performances by the Washington, D.C. Temple Choir; a public lighting ceremony; a narrated outdoor nativity scene; and nightly performances from various regional artists and musicians. Beginning in 1989, church leaders invited foreign ambassadors to co-host the annual Festival of Lights at the temple's visitors' center. In 2021, a Reverse Open House Series was held, where local church members visited other religious groups in the DC area to learn about their beliefs, participate in their religious practices, and promote interfaith dialogue and understanding. The series was created by Georgetown University's Diana Brown as an interfaith fellowship project and was planned to coincide with the temple’s own open house. Events included visits to a Sikhs gurdwara, a Jewish synagogue, an Ahmadiyya mosque, and a joint interfaith iftar hosted at a Latter-day Saint meetinghouse during Ramadan. == Admittance and use ==

The temple is not used for Sunday worship services, and is not open to the public like Latter-day Saint meeting houses, but rather is a central place of worship and spiritual ceremonies for church members such as sealings and baptisms for the dead. Entry into the temple is only available to those who hold a valid temple recommend. Before the 1974 dedication, a seven-week public open house was held. This allowed people of all faiths to see the temple's architecture and learn about its sacred functions. More than 750,000 people visited, Another public open house was held after a four-year renovation from April 28 to June 11, 2022, drawing more than 250,000 visitors to the temple. == Temple presidents ==

Since its dedication in 1974, the temple has been overseen by temple presidents and temple matrons, each typically serving a term of three years. The president and matron oversee the administration of temple operations and provide guidance and training for both temple patrons and staff. Notable temple presidents include Franklin D. Richards (1983–1986), David S. King (1990–1993), and F. Melvin Hammond (2005–2008). As of 2024, the temple president is Peter K. Christensen, with Toby E. Christensen serving as matron. ==See also==