Spokane Washington Temple Wiki

In April 1998, Church President Gordon B. Hinckley announced plans to build small temples in areas of the Church where membership was small. This announcement opened a significant era of temple building, and by the end of 2000, the number of Mormon temples had doubled. 

On 13 August 1998, plans to build the Spokane Washington Temple, the fourth of the smaller temples, were announced. The small temples built before the Spokane Washington Temple — located in Monticello, Utah; Anchorage, Alaska; and Colonia Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico — proved to be too small, and the Monticello Utah Temple and Anchorage Alaska Temple were each expanded. The Colonia Juárez Chihuahua Mexico Temple was left unchanged and remains the smallest temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The floor plan used for these three preceding temples was enlarged to a 10,700-square-foot design for the Spokane Washington Temple, a floor plan that was then used for 38 succeeding temples. Slight variations were used for an additional 14 temples, and enlarged versions of this floor plan were used for 8 more temples. The Spokane Washington Temple was an important part of the Church’s ambitious effort to build identical small temples throughout the world.

Washington Temples at Time of Announcement

Announced

• –

Under Construction

• –

Dedicated

• Seattle Washington [1980]

Since the Church already owned the site, and the temple fit within existing zoning, a groundbreaking ceremony took place only a month after the temple was announced.

At the groundbreaking ceremony in October of 1998, Elder F. Melvin Hammond of the Seventy said, “Everyone in this city will be blessed by the establishment of this glorious edifice, member and nonmember alike.”^[1]“News of the Church,” Ensign, Jan. 1999, 74

The site was dedicated in front of an audience of 1,000.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Spokane Washington Temple was held on the same day as the groundbreaking ceremony for the Detroit Michigan Temple, marking the first time that groundbreaking ceremonies were held on the same day.

Special VIP tours were given to government, civic and religious leaders on August 5. Spokane Mayor John Talbott related, “You could almost sense the spiritual component of the progression [through the temple].”

A public open house was held from August 6 through 14, 1999, and more than 51,953 people toured the new edifice during the first weekend.

During the open house of the Spokane Washington Temple 52,000 people toured the beautiful building. President Gordon B. Hinckley commented that as people toured, “They [were] most impressed with pictures of the Savior they see in these holy houses. They must know that the central figure in all of our worship is the Lord Jesus Christ. They will no longer regard us as a non-Christian people.”^[3]Gordon B. Hinckley, “Welcome to Conference,” Ensign, Nov. 1999, 4^[4]“Facts, Figures: Spokane Washington Temple.” Church News, 11 Jan. 2024, www.thechurchnews.com/1999/8/28/23248107/facts-figures-spokane-washington-temple.

On 21 August 1999, President Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the Spokane Washington Temple with 16,000 members attending. 11 total dedicatory sessions were held on August 21st and 23rd. During the dedicatory prayer President Hinckley prayed, “Touch the hearts of the people in this temple district that the spirit of Elijah may rest upon them, that their hearts may turn to their fathers, and that they may be motivated to search out their forebears and do a great vicarious work on their behalf.”^[5]“News of the Church,” Ensign, Nov. 1999, 109

He also prayed, “Preserve this Thy Holy House from defilement of any kind,” he prayed. “And may all who enter here be worthy in every way. May their thoughts be lifted to things of everlasting worth, and may this be a place of holiness to all who cross the threshold of its portals.”^[6]Spokane Washington Temple dedicatory prayer, in Church News, Aug. 28, 1999.

Between two of the sessions President Hinckley remarked of these smaller temples, “This is a very important movement, because it is making it possible to extend the temples to many, many more people.”^[7] In Julie Dockstader, “‘Wonderful Way’ to Make Temple Blessings Possible,” Church News, Aug. 28, 1999.