Anchorage Alaska Temple

The Anchorage Alaska Temple is the 54th operating temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The temple serves church members in Alaska and the Yukon Territory.

Anchorage Alaska Temple
Number54
DedicationJanuary 9, 1999, by Gordon B. Hinckley
Site5.4 acres (2.2 ha)
Floor area11,937 sq ft (1,109.0 m2)
Height71 ft (22 m)
Official website • News & images
Church chronology
←
Monticello Utah Temple
Anchorage Alaska Temple		 →
Colonia Juárez Chihuahua Mexico Temple
Additional information
AnnouncedOctober 4, 1997, by Gordon B. Hinckley
GroundbreakingApril 17, 1998, by F. Melvin Hammond
Open houseDecember 29-31, 1998
RededicatedFebruary 8, 2004, by Gordon B. Hinckley
Current presidentRodney D. Metcalf[1]
Designed byMcCool Carlson Green
LocationAnchorage, Alaska, United States
Geographic coordinates61°6′5.857200″N 149°50′25.84319″W
Exterior finishStone-clad Sierra white granite quarried from near Fresno, California
Baptistries1
Ordinance rooms2 (two-stage progressive)
Sealing rooms1
()

History

In 1997, church president Gordon B. Hinckley, announced the building of smaller LDS temples. The first of these smaller temples was built in Monticello, Utah and the second in Anchorage, Alaska. After the groundbreaking of the Anchorage Alaska Temple in 1998, the construction of this 6,800-square-foot (630 m2) temple took only nine months.

The entrance of the Anchorage Alaska Temple

The west side of the Anchorage Alaska Temple features the seven stars of the Big Dipper pointing to the North Star, a symbol found on the Alaskan flag and on the Salt Lake Temple. The temple walls are covered with gray and white quartz-flecked granite, and the temple design incorporates Alaskan motifs, such as likenesses of fir trees on the doorway pilasters. The stained glass is reminiscent of water, and stylized evergreens with patterns resembling native designs are used to adorn interior furnishings.[2]

Hinckley dedicated the temple on January 9, 1999, with more than six thousand members from as far away as the Yukon braving the freezing weather. After remodeling that nearly doubled the size of the temple, Hinckley rededicated the temple on February 8, 2004. The Anchorage Alaska Temple now has a total floor area of 11,937 square feet (1,109.0 m2), two ordinance rooms, and one sealing room.

In 2020, the Anchorage Alaska Temple was temporarily closed in response to the coronavirus pandemic.[3]

New structure

In January 2023, the church announced plans to rebuild the Anchorage Alaska Temple. This new building would be approximately 30,000 square feet, an increase from the 11,930 square foot temple that existed at the time of the announcement. Construction is expected to start in early 2024 and be completed in mid 2026. Following completion of the new temple, the existing temple will be removed for the building of meetinghouse.[4]

See also
Temples in Alaska ()
  • = Operating
  • = Under construction
  • = Announced
  • = Temporarily Closed

References
  1. "New Temple Leaders Called to Serve in 2022", Newsroom, LDS Church, October 24, 2022 [26 May 2022], retrieved October 24, 2022
  2. "Gathering of Saints", by Jasper and Lommel, p 320
  3. Stack, Peggy Fletcher. "All Latter-day Saint temples to close due to coronavirus", The Salt Lake Tribune, 26 March 2020. Retrieved on 28 March 2020.
  4. Hill, Victoria (January 23, 2023), "Plans announced to rebuild, relocate Anchorage Alaska Temple", KUTV CBS Channel 2, retrieved January 24, 2023

Additional reading

Media related to Anchorage Alaska Temple at Wikimedia Commons


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