Description

In the process of time the shores of the Pacific may yet be overlooked from the temple of the Lord.
-Brigham Young and Willard Richards, Letter to the Saints in California, August 1847

The Los Angeles California Temple (formerly the Los Angeles Temple) is the tenth operating and the second-largest temple, It is on Santa Monica Boulevard in the Westwood district of Los Angeles, California, United States. When it was dedicated in 1956, it was the largest of the church’s temples, though it has since been surpassed by the Salt Lake Temple due to later expansions. The temple serves 41 stakes in Los Angeles, Ventura, Kern, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties.^[1]http://lds.org/temples/district/0,11217,1915-1-46-2,00.html Archived March 24, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.

The grounds include a visitors’ center, which was renovated in 2010, the Los Angeles Regional Family History Center, both of which are open to the public, and the headquarters of the church’s California Los Angeles Mission.

History

Announcement

The Los Angeles Temple was announced on March 23, 1937 by church president Heber J. Grant, when the church purchased 24.23 acres (98,000 m²) from the Harold Lloyd Motion Picture Company. Construction was to begin soon thereafter, but financial difficulties relating to the Great Depression and World War II delayed the groundbreaking.^[2]Orton, Chad M. (1987), More Faith Than Fear: The Los Angeles Stake Story, Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft, ISBN 0-88494-646-0

Growth in the state of California and within the Church itself prompted President George Albert Smith to expand President Grants earlier plans for a temple that could seat 200 per session, into a temple that could seat 300 per session. Additionally he requested an Assembly room be added, something that had not been done since the Salt Lake Temple.^[3]George Albert Smith Diary, 8 November 1949; Western Americana Collection, University of Utah^[4]Edward O. Anderson, “The Los Angeles Temple,” Improvement Era 56 (April 1953): 225–26.^[5]Edward O. Anderson,“The Los Angeles Temple”, Improvement Era 58, (November 1956):804.

Groundbreaking

Ground was finally broken for construction on 22 September 1951. David O McKay presided over the event, which was attended by the members of the First Presidency, the President of the Quorum of the Twelve, Presiding Bishopric and the Mayor of Los Angeles. After the ceremony President McKay gave the dedicatory prayer.^[6]Edward O. Anderson,“The Los Angeles Temple”, Improvement Era 58, (November 1956):802

Construction began in earnest in August of 1952.[ref name=”golden”]Richard O. Cowan and William E. Homer, “California Saints: A 150-Year Legacy in the Golden State” (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1996), 337–64.[/ref]

Open House

The temple was open to the public December 19, 1955 through February 18, 1956. Those who attended the open house were taken on tours of the 190,614 square foot temple. Some 662,000 visitors toured the temple

Dedication

The dedication of the Los Angeles California Temple was held 11-14 March 1956 over 8 sessions. David O. McKay gave the dedicatory prayer.

Dedicatory Prayer

Dedication Order

The Los Angeles California Temple was the 10the operating temple completed by the church. At the time of it’s dedication there were 2 other temples under construction.

Temples under Construction

London England

Hamilton New Zealand

Renovations

The temple has seen various changes since it was dedicated 50 years ago.

Originally, patrons progressed through each ordinance room as part of one session. This was later changed to have patrons remain in one ordinance room for the entire session. As part of this, one ordinance room was split and it’s beautiful murals removed.

2003

In 2003, the temple reverted to a progressive-style presentation of the endowment (but still using a film) and completely renovated the Terrestrial room.

2005

In late November 2005 the temple closed for major renovations. The temple required seismic retrofitting for current earthquake standards. As part of the renovation, the 50 year old ventilation systems were updated and the entrance foyer interior was completely remodeled. It was hoped that the temple would be open in March of 2006 for the 50th anniversary, but due to construction delays the temple was not reopened until July 2006.^[7]“News from the Church”, Church News & Events, LDS Church, July 10, 2006, archived from the original on October 29, 2009, retrieved 2012-10-08

 The renovation also included a seismic overhaul and a complete redesign and reconstruction of the baptistry, which had long been plagued by mold due to poor ventilation.^[8]“Los Angeles California Temple”, MormonTemples.com, June 11, 2008, retrieved 2012-10-08

2010

In 2010 a two-year renovation and update for the Los Angeles Temple visitor’s center was completed. [1] The renovation includes the latest technology in interactive media. One new exhibit takes visitors to the Holy Land in a 2-D presentation. “The center was expanded by about 20 percent to 12,817 square feet. The renovation includes a 180-seat theater, complete with a multipurpose space for films, cultural performances and traveling exhibits.” The Savior is the focus of the exhibit. The center re-opened to the public on August 7, 2010, and has added some historical exhibits. There are a history of the Los Angeles Temple, including previously unseen video, interviews from President David O. McKay and a “testimonial from the first June bride,” as well as artifacts from the 1956 dedication.

Presidents

Temple President	Years Served	Reference
William F. Reynolds	2014–	[a]
R. Randall Huff	2011–2014	[a]
Grant R. Brimhall	2008–2011	[a]
Richard M. Andrus	2004–2008	[a]
Paul R. Hatch	2001–2004	[a]
Nile A. Sorenson	1998–2001	[a]
Glen H. Walker	1995–1998	[a]
H. Von Packard	1992–1995	[a]
Wayne A. Reeves	1989–1992	[a]
Jack B. McEwan	1986–1989	[a]
Allen C. Rozsa	1982–1986	[a]
Robert L. Simpson	1980–1982	[a]
Richard C. Stratford	1975–1980	[a]
Myrthus W. Evans	1970–1975	[a]
Benjamin L. Bowring	1956–1970	[a]

Details

Located at 10777 W. Santa Monica Boulevard in the Westwood district of Los Angeles, the temple sits atop a small hill above the intersection of Overland Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard.

Exterior

Landscape

The Los Angeles Temple was the first temple explicitly designed for automobile accessibility: with its parking facilities being larger than those of any temple built previously and with no direct pedestrian connection between the front doors and Santa Monica Boulevard.

The well manicured grounds are open to the public and are filled with various plants, including Canary Island Pine trees, several varieties of palm trees, Bird of Paradise trees, olive trees, and rare Chinese Ginkgotrees. At the left and right of the temple are two fountains, and at the front is a large reflection pool. Several family-themed statues further beautify the grounds. In December, the temple grounds are decorated with thousands of multi-colored lights in celebration of Christmas.

Numerous church facilities are on its grounds including a meetinghouse, a baseball field, the headquarters of the church’s California Los Angeles Mission, and apartments (used by missionaries, temple workers, temple patrons, and visiting church officials).

Cladding

The Temple is faced with Mo-Sai stone facing, a mixture of crushed quartz and white Portland cement panels, which were etched with acid in such a way that the stone crystals sparkled in the light. The Buehner brothers of Salt Lake City received the contract to provide the stone, which they regarded as a fulfillment of their father’s prophetic patriarchal blessing decades before, which stated that his family would “help erect temples of this Church.” Previously the Buehner brothers had also made the Facade for the Idaho Falls Temple.

There are more than 2,500 panels on the temple exterior, some of them more than 14 feet in height. [ref name=”buehner”]Edward O. Anderson,“The Los Angeles Temple”, Improvement Era 58, (November 1956): p. 769 (advert).[/ref]

The water course around the base of the exterior is Rockville granite from Minnesota.

Windows

Symbolism

Inscriptions

Cornerstone

Spires and Moroni

Spire

This was the first temple with an angel Moroni statue since the Salt Lake Temple. In October of 1954, a 15 foot statue was placed atop the spire of the temple. Unlike other statues that were bronze or copper, this one was aluminum to satisfy Los Angeles zoning regulations. When the statue was installed it faced southeast, as the temple does. President David O. McKay asked that the statue be turned 90 degrees. The statue now faces North East, with the trumpet pointing due east.

Moroni

Sculptor

Version

Placed

Faces

Height

Feet

Meters

Interior

This was the last temple designed to use live actors instead of a film to present the endowment. The motion-picture presentation soon replaced the live actor presentation, and the progressive presentation (in which patrons moved from one room to another through four rooms) was replaced with stationary ordinance rooms (i.e., patrons remained in a single room for the entire ceremony). It has since been returned to the room to room style, but keeping the film for presentation.

Celestial Room

The Celestial room of the temple features murals on the walls, making it one of only three temples that have murals in the Celestial room; Hamilton New Zealand and the Idaho Falls Idaho Temples are the other two. The corner pillars in the Logan Utah Temple Celestial Room portray a heavenly landscape as well.

Individuals and Contractors

Architect Edward O. Anderson [ref ]Edward O. Anderson,“The Los Angeles Temple”, Improvement Era 58, (November 1956): p. 802.[/ref]

Mo-Sai Precast  Otto Buehner and Company  [backref name=”buehner”]

Mason Contractor  Thomas B. Child and Company [backref name=”buehner”]

Super intendant  Vern Loader  [ref ]Edward O. Anderson,“The Los Angeles Temple”, Improvement Era 58, (November 1956): p. 804 (photo).[/ref]

General Contractor  Jacobsen Construction  [ref ]Edward O. Anderson,“The Los Angeles Temple”, Improvement Era 58, (November 1956): p. 771(advert),804 (photo).[/ref]

Mechanical Systems Edmund P. Evans Plumbing and Heating  [ref ]Edward O. Anderson,“The Los Angeles Temple”, Improvement Era 58, (November 1956): p. 785 (advert).[/ref]

Floor Tile  Gladding McBean and Co.[ref ]Edward O. Anderson,“The Los Angeles Temple”, Improvement Era 58, (November 1956): p. 790 (advert).[/ref]

AC/Sheet Metal  Hodge Sheet Metal Products[ref name=”verts”]Edward O. Anderson,“The Los Angeles Temple”, Improvement Era 58, (November 1956): p. 831 (advert).[/ref]

Sound System  Altec Lansing Corporation/Frazer & Hansen LTD.  [backref name=”verts”] Interior Decoration  Frandsen’s Interiors  [ref ]Edward O. Anderson,“The Los Angeles Temple”, Improvement Era 58, (November 1956): p. 835 (advert).[/ref]

Scaffolding  Patent Scaffold Co.   [ref ]Edward O. Anderson,“The Los Angeles Temple”, Improvement Era 58, (November 1956): p. 836 (advert).[/ref]

Lawn Sprinkler  Wallace F. Hammer  [ref ]Edward O. Anderson,“The Los Angeles Temple”, Improvement Era 58, (November 1956): p. 842 (advert).[/ref]

Wall Cover  Joanna Western Mills Co.  [ref ]Edward O. Anderson,“The Los Angeles Temple”, Improvement Era 58, (November 1956): p. 845 (advert).[/ref]

Hardscape (Curb, Gutter, Retaining Walls, Street)  Burgess-Whitehead & Co.  [ref ]Edward O. Anderson,“The Los Angeles Temple”, Improvement Era 58, (November 1956): p. 846 (advert).[/ref]

Electrical  J. S. Jacobs[ref ]Edward O. Anderson,“The Los Angeles Temple”, Improvement Era 58, (November 1956): p. 847 (advert).[/ref]

Fencing  Burkett Fence Co.  [ref ]Edward O. Anderson,“The Los Angeles Temple”, Improvement Era 58, (November 1956): p. 854 (advert).[/ref]

Landscaping  Superior Landscaping and Tree Service  [ref ]Edward O. Anderson,“The Los Angeles Temple”, Improvement Era 58, (November 1956): p. 855 (advert).[/ref]

Equipment Manufacture  Worley & Co.  [ref ]Edward O. Anderson,“The Los Angeles Temple”, Improvement Era 58, (November 1956): p. 864 (advert).[/ref]

Woodwork  Fetzer’s Salt Lake Cabinet and Furniture  [ref ]Edward O. Anderson,“The Los Angeles Temple”, Improvement Era 58, (November 1956): p. 866 (advert).[/ref]

Panting and Wall Furnishing  Klass Brothers  [ref ]Edward O. Anderson,“The Los Angeles Temple”, Improvement Era 58, (November 1956): p. 867 (advert).[/ref]

Chillers  Carrier Corporation[ref ]Edward O. Anderson,“The Los Angeles Temple”, Improvement Era 58, (November 1956): p. 868 (advert).[/ref]

Pip Line Contractor  Sam B. Pearce[ref ]Edward O. Anderson,“The Los Angeles Temple”, Improvement Era 58, (November 1956): p. 876 (advert).[/ref]

Sources and Links