Washington, D.C. Mormon Temple: A Beltway Landmark
Rising above the Beltway comes a sudden vision – a gold-spired, castle-like infrastructure soaring over the hills and from the clouds, shining from the stars, with a need for a choir of angels to accompany its existence. In fact, it is the Washington DC Mormon Temple for the Church of Latter-Day Saints, a famous and infamous building to all Washingtonians who travel the I-495, and a wonderful landmark to Mormons and non-Mormons alike when sitting in traffic on the Beltway. Children mistake the Washington DC Mormon Temple for either the Magic Kingdom or Emerald City, and for years the bridge by the church had the words “Surrender, Dorothy” written in graffiti on it.
Construction began in 1968 and was completed in 1974. It is the first Mormon church on the East Coast. When it was complete, the entire structure was open to the public for tours. It is the third largest church for the Latter-Day Saints, made up of 173,000 square feet of Alabama white marble and sits on 52 acres of land.
It rises to 288 feet, well above the Beltway, with six spires. The church is open only to Mormons, but there’s a visitors’ center open to the public to explore. During the holidays, the church has a fantastic Christmas light display also open to the public, in which lights cover trees and shrubs and are made to look like flowers.
The visitors’ center operates like a museum and provides background to the Church of Latter-Day Saints, complete with artwork and genealogical history. There are also nativity scenes from around the world on display, and during the Festival of Lights at Christmas, the church puts on a live nativity scene. The visitors’ center also has a large concert hall featuring performances, choirs and lectures.
HelloWashingtonDC Tip: The grounds themselves are fairly woodsy and untouched, to give the feeling of isolation from the busy world of Washington. There are also plenty of practicing Mormons on site who are happy to share their knowledge of the church and who will invite you to information sessions if you’re interested.
Posted on Jan 24, 2011 by Rin-rin Yu
