Washington D.C. Temple

A landmark north of Washington

The Washington D.C. Temple is not in the District of Columbia: its address is 9900 Stoneybrook Drive in Kensington, Maryland, just north of the capital’s beltway. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints identifies it as a functioning temple and lists a separate visitors’ center on the same site. That distinction matters to travelers. The center is a public attraction with posted daily hours, while the temple itself is a sacred place of worship and is not a routine interior tour for general visitors. The grounds and exterior, by contrast, offer a striking landmark in the Washington metropolitan landscape.

The temple’s location made it unusually visible to people driving through the region, and its scale has long given it a place in local memory. A Church renovation fact sheet describes a 52-acre property and a building measuring 156,558 square feet. The six-spired composition rises to 288 feet, including the statue atop the principal spire. Those figures explain the building’s presence without requiring access inside. The site is best approached as both a religious center and a major piece of modern institutional architecture, rather than as a conventional museum with an unrestricted visitor route.

From announcement to rededication

Church leaders announced the temple on November 15, 1968, and held the groundbreaking on December 7 of that year. It was dedicated over several days, November 19–22, 1974. The Church describes it as the first temple it built east of the Mississippi River since the Nauvoo Temple in Illinois in the nineteenth century. Its construction therefore represented a major expansion of the Church’s temple network in the eastern United States, serving members across a large region rather than only the Washington suburbs.

After more than four decades, a major renovation began in 2018. The work updated the building and its systems while preserving the temple’s recognizable exterior and six-spire silhouette. Before the renewed temple was dedicated, a public open house in 2022 gave visitors a temporary opportunity to walk through the interior; the Church later rededicated it on August 14, 2022. That open-house window has ended. The date is still useful historical context, but it should not be mistaken for a current promise of public interior access or a recurring annual event.

What the public can see

The visitors’ center is the clearest reason for a general traveler to stop. The Church currently lists free admission, free public parking and opening hours of 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day of the week. It stands at 9900 Stoneybrook Drive, Kensington, Maryland 20895; the published telephone number is (301) 587-0144. The center presents exhibits about temples, Jesus Christ and family, providing context for the building outside. Because hours can change for holidays, special events or operational reasons, check the official location page before setting out, particularly if the visit is the main purpose of a day trip.

Visitors should understand the difference between seeing the temple and entering it. The Church’s public guidance says that, after a temple is formally dedicated, entry is reserved for eligible Church members participating in sacred ordinances; public access is normally provided only during a scheduled open house before dedication or rededication. The Washington D.C. Temple’s 2022 open house is over. Visitors can still appreciate its grounds and exterior and use the public center, but should not expect a walk-in tour of the temple interior. This respectful distinction avoids a wasted trip and recognizes the site’s religious function.

How to plan a stop in Kensington

Put the Kensington address—not “Washington, D.C.”—into a navigation app, and allow extra time for metropolitan traffic. The site’s free parking is a practical advantage, but availability and entry procedures may change during special events. The visitors’ center’s daily 10 a.m.–9 p.m. schedule makes it possible to pair the stop with other Maryland or capital-area sights; it does not mean the temple itself is open for public tours during those hours. If you need an accessibility accommodation, a group visit or confirmation about a holiday, contact the center using the number on its official page before traveling.

A thoughtful visit can combine the center with an exterior circuit around the temple grounds, leaving time to observe how the building’s white surfaces, towers and landscaped setting shape views from the surrounding area. Keep photography and movement within posted public areas, follow staff instructions and avoid treating worshippers’ entrances as tourist access points. The temple is most rewarding when understood in context: announced in 1968, opened in 1974, extensively renewed and rededicated in 2022, it remains an active religious building as well as a visible architectural landmark. Confirm current center hours shortly before departure, since official visitor information—not old travel listings—should guide the plan.