{"id":363423,"date":"2026-06-16T23:04:20","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T23:04:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/363423\/"},"modified":"2026-06-16T23:04:20","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T23:04:20","slug":"open-house-begins-for-renovated-san-diego-california-temple","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/363423\/","title":{"rendered":"Open house begins for renovated San Diego California Temple"},"content":{"rendered":"

SALT LAKE CITY \u2014 The San Diego California Temple is opening again after three years of renovations, but before its dedication, community members who have seen the unique 10-spire building from the outside will have a chance to walk through and see what it looks like inside \u2014 something that hasn\u2019t been available in over three decades.<\/p>\n

Elder Neil L. Andersen, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, told members of the media on Monday during an open house media day that everything in the temple points to Christ.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a time for us to declare very strongly our knowledge of Jesus Christ and our belief in him, our faith in him, our hope in him,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re so happy to be able to declare his name.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The celestial room of the San Diego California Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A media day marked the beginning of the temple\u2019s public open house on Monday. (Photo: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)<\/p>\n

The reopening of the temple is a \u201cmajor event\u201d for San Diego, according to Eder Andersen, noting that the temple in San Diego is unique and beautiful.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe temple is the most sacred place on earth to us as members of the church,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is a place of holiness, of peace, of revelation, of receiving our answers to our prayers. It\u2019s very, very important to us. It is a testament to us of the immortality of the soul.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Our temple\u2019<\/p>\n

After three years of traveling farther to reach a temple, many Latter-day Saints are excited to have their local, unique temple back.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo know that San Diego Temple \u2014 our temple \u2014 is going to be reopening and we can be here as frequently as we want and not have it be an all-day affair \u2026 it just really makes us feel joyful,\u201d said Jan Draper.<\/p>\n

Public tours begin on Thursday and go through July 11, Monday through Saturday. The temple will be dedicated on Aug. 23.<\/p>\n

\"Stained<\/p>\n

Stained glass windows and chandeliers inside the San Diego California Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (Photo: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)<\/p>\n

Deon Travers, a local church member, said the open house provides an opportunity for him to show the temple to friends and neighbors.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve seen it driving by. They\u2019re so curious. \u2026 Now we can offer them a little opportunity to come in and join us and see what it\u2019s all about,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Sheantala Abello, another local church member, said her friends refer to the temple as a castle.<\/p>\n

A \u2018stunning\u2019 temple<\/p>\n

The San Diego California Temple was dedicated in April 1993 and was the church\u2019s 45th temple. It sits just off the freeway near the La Jolla community.<\/p>\n

Spencer McBride, a historian with the Church History Department, said the view of the temple from the freeway is \u201cstunning.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s white, and the people who built the temple blew chips of marble into the plaster on the exterior to give it kind of a glisten, especially when the sun hits it,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

\"Exterior<\/p>\n

Exterior of the San Diego California Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (Photo: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)<\/p>\n

A similar method was used on the church\u2019s first temple in Kirkland, where dishes were broken and placed into the stucco to make the building shine.<\/p>\n

McBride said other unique aspects of the San Diego California Temple include a two-level celestial room and an atrium at the center of the temple.<\/p>\n

He said there was a lot of excitement when the temple was announced, as it would make a temple more accessible to many Latter-day Saints in the area. Now, about 50,000 church members will be assigned to the temple, from the southern side of Riverside County to Yuma, Arizona.<\/p>\n

A statement from the church said the need for renovation was primarily due to aging art glass windows that were cracking; those windows were redesigned and repositioned to allow the glass to breathe and prevent future cracking.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A spiral staircase inside the celestial room of the San Diego California Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (Photo: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)<\/p>\n

During the renovations, the marble-crate facade was all restored, staining from the freeway traffic and marine growth was arrested and the landscaping was updated. Inside the temple, paint, carpet and bathrooms were updated and the cafeteria and dining room were modified into a worker\u2019s break room and a large marriage waiting room. Two sealing rooms were combined to create one larger sealing room.<\/p>\n

Joshua Young, special projects manager with the church, said keeping that sparkle was the biggest challenge \u2014 \u201cbut also the most rewarding.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m excited for the open house, excited for the dedication so that it can return and be operational as it\u2019s meant to be,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

We want to hear from you.<\/p>\n

Have a story idea or tip? Send it to the KSL NewsRadio team here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\t
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