Columbus Ohio Temple

The Columbus Ohio Temple is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) located in Columbus, Ohio, United States. It was completed and dedicated in 1999 as the church's 60th operating temple and serves church members living in 16 stakes, covering most of Ohio, but also extending into western Pennsylvania and southwestern West Virginia. The temple is in the western edge of Columbus, adjacent to Interstate 270 just north of its western junction with I-70.

Columbus Ohio Temple
April 2017
Number60
DedicationSeptember 4, 1999, by Gordon B. Hinckley
Site5 acres (2.0 ha)
Floor area11,745 sq ft (1,091.1 m2)
Height71 ft (22 m)
Official website • News & images
Church chronology
←
Spokane Washington Temple
Columbus Ohio Temple		 →
Bismarck North Dakota Temple
Additional information
AnnouncedApril 25, 1998, by Gordon B. Hinckley
GroundbreakingSeptember 12, 1998, by John K. Carmack
Open houseAugust 21–28, 1999
29 April-13 May 2023
Rededicated4 June 2023, by M. Russell Ballard
Current presidentJames J. Chrisman (2013)
Designed byFirestone J. Mullin
LocationColumbus, Ohio, United States
Geographic coordinates39°59′38.72040″N 83°6′47.57039″W
Exterior finishImperial Danby White variegated marble quarried from Vermont
Temple designClassic modern, single-spire design
Baptistries1
Ordinance rooms2 (Movie, two-stage progressive)
Sealing rooms2
()

History

The temple was announced by LDS Church president Gordon B. Hinckley during a visit to Columbus on April 25, 1998, with a groundbreaking held later that year on September 12.[1] Following completion of construction in 1999, an open house was held from August 19 to 28. The open house attracted approximately 30,000 people, including Ohio Governor Bob Taft.[2] The temple was dedicated in six sessions by Hinckley on September 4, 1999, with approximately 11,000 members attending.[3]

The dedication of the Columbus Ohio Temple marked the first modern LDS temple in the state and the first since the 1836 dedication of the Kirtland Temple, the first temple built by the Latter Day Saint movement. Kirtland is located approximately 150 miles (240 km) northeast of Columbus and was the headquarters of the church for much of the 1830s. Increasing persecution and other factors led to the Kirtland Temple being mostly abandoned by 1838, after most church members moved west to Missouri, eventually relocating to Illinois in 1839 and ultimately present-day Utah in 1847. The Kirtland Temple is today a National Historic Landmark owned and operated by the Community of Christ.[1]

The temple is one of nearly 40 that uses the Small Temple Plan. The plan features a marble exterior and art glass windows with two ordinance rooms, two sealing rooms, and a total of 10,700 square feet (990 m2). The temple in Columbus was the first of thirteen announced in 1998 using the smaller plans. It was the second such temple completed, and one of nine smaller temples dedicated in 1999 out of a total of 13 dedicated that year. The statue of the angel Moroni atop the spire was originally used on the Monticello Utah Temple and was white instead of the traditional gold. In Monticello, the white proved difficult to see on cloudy days, so the statue there was replaced with a slightly larger gold leaf statue, while the white fiberglass statue was covered in gold leaf and sent to Columbus.[4]

In February 2013, a shooting took place in the temple's parking lot in which at least two people were injured.[5] According to an LDS Church spokesperson, the shooting was unrelated to the temple.[6]

Along with other LDS temples around the world, the Columbus Ohio Temple was closed in late March 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic.[7] Later in March, the LDS Church announced that the temple will close for renovation on August 15, 2020, and is anticipated to reopen in late 2022.[8]

See also
Temples in the United States Midwest ()
  • = Operating
  • = Under construction
  • = Announced
  • = Closed for renovation

References
  1. Morello, Pauline (September 19, 1998). "Columbus Ohio Temple: 'Faith brought this temple'". Church News. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  2. Stahle, Shaun (August 28, 1999). "Columbus Ohio Temple begins public open house". Church News. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  3. Stahle, Shaun (September 11, 1999). "Spiritual celebration — Columbus Ohio Temple dedicated". Church News. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  4. "Monticello Utah Temple". Daily Herald. April 16, 2015. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  5. "Police: 2 Shot In Parking Lot Of West Side Mormon Temple". 10tv.com. February 26, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  6. "Ohio Shooting at LDS Temple Parking Lot | KUTV.com". Archived from the original on March 1, 2013. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  7. Stack, Peggy Fletcher (March 26, 2020). "All Latter-day Saint temples to close due to coronavirus". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  8. "Renovation of the Columbus Ohio Temple Scheduled" (Press release). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. March 27, 2020. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
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