Location
7474 Charmant Drive
San Diego, California 92122-5000
United States
Contact
Telephone: (858) 622-0991
Facsimile: (858) 622-0995
Distribution Services: (858) 558-2003
Details
Announcement: 7 April 1984
Groundbreaking and Site Dedication: 27 February 1988 by Ezra Taft Benson
Public Open House: 20 February–3 April 1993
Dedication: 25–30 April 1993 by Gordon B. Hinckley
Site: 7.2 acres.
Exterior Finish: Marble chips in plaster.
Ordinance Rooms: Four ordinance rooms (stationary) and eight sealing.
Total Floor Area: 72,000 square feet.
Temple Locale:
Situated near the upscale community of La Jolla in San Diego, the striking double towers of the San Diego California Temple soar above I-5 in heavily populated Southern California. Connecting the towers at the center is a supernal star-shaped atrium filled with a healthy, colorful garden. The atrium is accessed from the breathtaking two-story Celestial Room filled with towering art glass, suspended light fixtures, and featuring a grand staircase to an upper-level balcony. The public is invited to tour the manicured temple grounds and a visitors' center honoring the San Diego Mormon Battalion located 10 miles south of the temple in Old Town San Diego.
Temple Facts:
The San Diego California Temple was the third temple built in California, following the Los Angeles California Temple (1956) and the Oakland California Temple (1964).
The architects for the San Diego California Temple were William S. Lewis, Jr., design architect; Dennis Hyndman, project architect; and Shelly Hyndman, interior design architect. The Hyndmans, who are Roman Catholic, had not toured the interior of a Latter-day Saint temple until the Las Vegas Nevada Temple open house commenced in 1989.
After suffering a mild heart attack four months earlier, President Ezra Taft Benson made his first trip outside the Salt Lake Valley to break ground for the San Diego California Temple—his first time presiding over a temple groundbreaking.
On Monday, December 23, 1991, the 186th anniversary of the birth of the Prophet Joseph Smith, a gilded statue of the angel Moroni was installed atop the eastern spire of the San Diego California Temple. Shortly after the setting, a traveling flock of seagulls—a bird of symbolic significance to the Church—circled the new statue about three times before continuing on its course.
Over 720,000 visitors attended the widely publicized open house of the San Diego California Temple.
President Benson's ailing health did not allow him to preside at the dedication of the San Diego California Temple. President Gordon B. Hinckley was assigned to dedicate the temple in 23 sessions where 49,273 persons attended.
The San Diego California Temple was honored as Headliner of the Year for 1993 in the landmark category by the San Diego Press Club.
For its efforts during the open house of the San Diego California Temple to increase public awareness of the Church and the role of the temple, the Church was presented with the Public Relations Society of America's prestigious Silver Anvil Award in the category of special events and observances by non-profit organizations.