Washington D.C. Temple - History

History

Plans to build the temple were announced on November 15, 1968; a groundbreaking ceremony was held on December 7. Clearing of the land started May 28, 1971. The site chosen for the temple was a 57-acre (23 ha) wooded hill purchased in 1962 just north of the Capital Beltway (Interstate 495). Only 11 acres (4.5 ha) of the site was cleared to give the area a more remote feeling. It was the first LDS temple since 1846 in the United States east of the Mississippi River and remained the only LDS temple in eastern North America until the dedication of the Atlanta Georgia Temple in 1983.

At the time of the temple's completion, its district included all Latter-day Saint members in 31 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, 7 Canadian provinces, Cuba, Haiti, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and the Dominican Republic. Original cost estimates for the temple were about $15 million. Members of the church within the temple's attendance district were asked to contribute at least $4.5 million dollars. Eventually, local members donated around $6 million for the temple's construction.

At a completion ceremony the LDS Church 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 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 church president Spencer W. Kimball. 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 19 and 22, 1974. Over 40,000 members were able to attend the dedicatory services.

During the 5.8 magnitude 2011 Virginia earthquake on August 23, 2011, the temple sustained minor damage to some parts of the exterior. The tops of four spires were knocked off and fell to the ground, as were several pieces of marble from the building's facade. No significant damage was reported to the temple's interior or to the neighboring visitor center. Repairs were made beginning in September of that year and no disruptions occurred in the temple's normal operating schedule.