Courtesy Intellectual Reserve

More than 150 journalists got their first look on Monday of the Washington D.C. Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

It is the first time guests have been welcomed into the temple since 1974. The opportunity comes as the church has done major renovations to the temple and now allows a special extended open house before it is rededicated in August.

The Washington D.C. Temple open house will begin with private tours for invited guests from April 19-27. A public open house will start on April 28 and extend for several months (excluding Sundays). Ticket information is available at http://dctemple.org.

A youth devotional will be held on Aug. 13, followed by the temple rededication the next day in three sessions. The youth devotional and rededication will be broadcast for all congregations in the Washington D.C. Temple district.

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

Courtesy Intellectual Reserve

Dan Holt, project manager for the Washington D.C. Temple renovation project, said the intent was to “bring the building back to its original glory” as a midcentury modern structure. A gothic arch motif that directs eyes heavenward is prevalent throughout — in altars, carpeting, gold leafing and the reframed stained-glass windows (now backlit with LED lights for more prominence) on the east and west of the temple. The windows’ colors become lighter as they near the spire.

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

The temple exterior is made of Alabama white marble, quarried in Sylacauga, Alabama. Soon after the building was first completed, Alabama quarries stopped producing retail slab marble, making it impossible to find replacements of the same color should the church ever need it. In 2016, though, a marble quarry reopened, allowing for the purchase of stone that matches the exterior, according to the church.

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

The Washington D.C. Temple was the church’s first temple built east of the Mississippi River since the Nauvoo Temple more than a century earlier. Most major church history sites — including Palmyra, Kirtland and Nauvoo — are within the original boundaries of the Washington D.C. Temple district.

Courtesy Intellectual Reserve

The groundbreaking for the temple was held 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 information.

The Washington D.C. Temple shares some features with the church’s iconic Salt Lake Temple, namely six spires and a similar footprint.

“It was intended to be that way, with the idea that the Salt Lake Temple represented the foundation 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 about 300,000 people living in the eastern United States, eastern Canada and the Caribbean. Church members in South America were also assigned to the temple.

More than 750,000 people toured the temple during the open house in 1974, including many U.S. government officials. The church is anticipating more than a million visitors will come through the open house by June 11.

Courtesy Intellectual Reserve

As the temple opens its doors to the public a second time, Latter-day Saints hope visitors will sense its sacredness and encounter Christ-centered peace and hope.

“From the outside, everyone sees (the temple) on the (Capital) Beltway, and it’s bright 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 D.C. Temple district. “We invite everyone to come to the open house and feel the Spirit here.”

Stained glass windows in the Washington D.C. Temple.

Recommend Desk at the Washington D.C. Temple. This is where patrons show their recommends as they enter the temple.

Exterior of the newly renovated Washington D.C. Temple.

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