SAN DIEGO, California — When President Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the San Diego California Temple in April of 1993, he noted the structure’s striking beauty.
The 45th temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints literally shimmers in the Southern California sun on a ridge above the Interstate 5 freeway in the north San Diego neighborhood of La Jolla. Drivers have a full view of the temple’s soaring double-towers, surrounding spires and the gleaming statue of angel Moroni.
And yet, as President Hinckley participated in one of the 23 dedicatory sessions for what was then California’s third temple, he emphasized that whether temples are large or small, grand or rather simple, the construction of the buildings is not an end in itself.
“It is a means to an end,” he said, ”which has to do with that magnificent promise that ‘God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life’ (John 3:16).
“That is the purpose of building temples,” President Hinckley declared, as recorded in a 1993 Church News article.
That connection — of the Savior to his house — was echoed by President D. Todd Christofferson, second counselor in the First Presidency, who rededicated the sacred structure more than 33 years later on Sunday.
“Since Jesus Christ is essential for our exaltation, it is not surprising that so much in the temple and temple ordinances is tied to him,” President Christofferson said.
The San Diego temple and all Latter-day Saint temples constitute “our visible, tangible testimony of the living reality of the Redeemer since without his Atonement and Resurrection, the temple would serve no purpose,” President Christofferson declared.
The San Diego California Temple closed in July 2023 for extensive renovations, including improvements in accessibility; upgrades to the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system; and repairs to the roof. A public open house from June 18 to July 11 attracted close to 300,000 visitors.
Some 550 Latter-day Saints gathered within the walls of the temple on Sunday for the single 11 a.m. rededication session that was broadcast to the 16 stakes in Southern California and southwest Arizona that make up the temple district.
The San Diego temple rededication marks President Christofferson’s second Southern California temple dedicatory service this summer. He dedicated the Yorba Linda California Temple in Orange County in June.
Since its original dedication, the San Diego temple has become an iconic landmark in the community, said Drew Page, who served with his wife, Linda Page, as the temple open house and dedication coordinators. Local news stations will use it to report on traffic. “There’s a mural painted of San Diego County, and one of the things in the mural is the San Diego temple,” he said. Colloquially, it’s known as “the castle.”
Because of its prominence, the open house became an “incredible opportunity,” said Linda Page. “People would come to the open house saying, ‘I’ve driven past this for 33 years. I’m dying to see what’s inside.’”
A noble history
The history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in San Diego dates back to the early Restoration when the U.S. government recruited Latter-day Saints migrating west after fleeing persecution in Nauvoo, Illinois.
Known as the Mormon Battalion, the group of Latter-day Saint volunteer infantrymen marched nearly 2,000 miles from Council Bluffs, Iowa, to San Diego, California. Though they never saw combat, they established routes and reported information that proved crucial to the settlement of the American Southwest.
When the Mormon Battalion reached San Diego in late January 1847, many mustered out and traveled to Utah to be reunited with their families, but Company B stayed and built sidewalks, dug wells, built the courthouse and continued to build the community.
A few stayed in California, establishing a Latter-day Saint presence in the coastal state that has continued to grow.
In 1893 — the year the Salt Lake Temple was dedicated — there were about 80 members of the church in California. By 1930, there were more than 21,000.
Today, the San Diego temple is one of nine operating temples in California, with one in Modesto scheduled to be dedicated in November and two others in planning stages.
Speaking of the history of the church in the area, President Christofferson called the San Diego California Temple ”a testament to the faith of many generations, with the promise of more faithful, covenant-keeping generations to come. It is a testament that the Lord has been doing his work here for many years, and that he is now hastening his work.”
San Diego temple facts
Address: 7474 Charmant Drive, San Diego, California 92122-5000
Announced: April 7, 1984, by the First Presidency, with President Spencer W. Kimball as Church President
Groundbreaking: Feb. 27, 1988, presided over by President Ezra Taft Benson, Church President
Dedicated: April 25, 1993, by President Gordon B. Hinckley, first counselor in the First Presidency
Rededication open house: June 18 through July 11, 2026, excluding Sundays
Rededicated: Aug. 23, 2026, by President D. Todd Christofferson, second counselor in the First Presidency
Property size: 7.2 acres
Building size: 58,005 square feet
Building height: 169 feet to the top of the spire
