The long-anticipated public open house for the renovated Washington D.C. Temple is officially back on the calendar.
The announcement was made Tuesday in a letter from the First Presidency and shared during a media event at the Washington D.C. Temple Visitors’ Center.
The renovated temple will start with a media day on April 18, 2022, followed by private tours for invited guests from April 19 to April 27.
The two-month public open house will start April 28 and go until June 4 (except for Sundays). Open house ticket information is available at dctemple.org.
A youth devotional will be held on June 18, followed by the temple rededication on June 19 in three sessions. The youth devotional and rededication will be broadcast for all congregations within the Washington D. C. Temple district.
Washington D.C. Temple history
The church originally broke ground on the Washington D.C. Temple on Dec. 7, 1968.
More than 750,000 people toured the temple from Sept. 17 to Oct. 19, 1974, before President Spencer W. Kimball dedicated it on Nov. 19, 1974.
Since then, the landmark temple over the Capital Beltway in Kensington, Maryland, has served Latter-day Saints in the Washington, D.C., area, Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland.
The Washington D.C. Temple closed in March 2018 for a major renovation project that included repairs or upgrades to mechanical, electrical, plumbing and lighting systems, along with other refurbishing needs.
Dan Holt, project manager for the Washington D.C. Temple renovation project, said the inside of the temple maintains its same midcentury motif with an added “21st-century flair” to make it “more maintainable, more modern and really relevant for today.”
“Our hope,” Holt said, “is that both the design of the building and the materials and equipment that we put in are going to last another 50 to 100 years — and do so efficiently and effectively.”
“We’ve been waiting for the temple to be rebuilt and rededicated. We’re excited to be part of this community and to be part of this great opportunity to share with our neighbors,” said Lucy Lopez, a Church community outreach specialist.
“The temple building is absolutely beautiful,” said Kisha Wilson, area director of Church Communication. “If you look at the structure, if you look at the details of the building. What makes it even more special is we can invite everyone. This is a community gift. And so, we want everyone to participate in the open house, to have the opportunity to feel a special or close connection to God and to feel His love.”
“I hope when people come, they will feel the warmth of a place dedicated to God,” said Anne Golightly, chair of the temple open house public affairs committee. “There is a light there. There’s a feeling of hope.”
Why was the Washington D.C. Temple open house postponed in 2020?
Following the renovation, a public open house for the Washington D.C. Temple was scheduled for late September and October in 2020, with the rededication to take place on Dec. 13.
But church leaders postponed the public open house and rededication in June 2020 “because of concern for the effects of COVID-19 ... until large public gatherings are deemed safe,” the church said in a statement.