|
"For the word of the Lord is truth, and whatsoever is truth is light..." |
Washington DC TempleThe Washington DC Temple is located at 9900 Stoneybrook Dr in Kensington, Maryland. The Washington DC Temple is the 18th constructed temple (16th operating) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The temple was built with a modern six-spire design, with the three towers to the east representing the Melchizedek Priesthood leadership, and the three towers to the west representing the Aaronic Priesthood leadership. The central eastern tower reaches a height of 288 feet, the tallest of any LDS temple.
The temple was designed to be similar in style and form to the Salt Lake Temple so that it would be easily recognized as a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was estimated that it would cost fifteen million dollars to build the Washington D.C. Temple and members of the Church that would be attending the temple were asked to help in providing at least four and a half million dollars. Local members eventually raised six million dollars. The Washington D.C. Temple's angel Moroni statue, which sits atop the tallest tower, is eighteen feet tall and weighs two tons. Another interesting feature is that the temple appears to not have any windows. From the inside, however, the thinly cut marble appears translucent. At a completion ceremony the first presidency buried a metal box with historical items near a corner of the temple. During the first week of the temple open house government officials and diplomats from around the world were taken on special tours through the temple. The open house continued for seven weeks and over 750,000 people went through the Washington D.C. 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 at the time. Demand for tickets to the open house was high and the tickets were gone before the first day of tours and times were extended to accommodate more people. Ten dedicatory sessions were held for the Washington D.C. Temple between November 19th and 22nd, 1974. Over 40,000 members were able to attend the dedicatory services. The Washington D.C. temple is 160,000 square feet and is the third largest LDS temple. It holds six ordinance rooms and fourteen sealing rooms, and has a total floor area of 160,000 square feet. The temple phone number is: (301) 588-0650 |
|
|
|
|
 |
Building of the Washington D.C. Temple was announced on the 7th of December, 1968 followed by a groundbreaking ceremony on the same day. A very large plot of land on a wooded hill was bought in 1962 and only eleven acres were cleared for the temple. The rest of the land was left untouched to give the temple a peaceful setting.