The LDS temple is almost done with renovations, and will open to the public for a period of time in the fall.

Rachel Kurzius / DCist

The LDS temple is almost done with renovations, and will open to the public for a period of time in the fall.Rachel Kurzius / DCist
A rendering of the baptistry in the temple for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Kensington, Md.Courtesy of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
A rendering of the temple bridge at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Kensington, Md.Image courtesy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
A rendering of the entry for the temple for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Kensington, Md.Image courtesy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
A rendering of the rotunda in the temple for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Kensington, Md.Image courtesy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
A rendering of the sealing room in the temple for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Kensington, Md.Image courtesy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
A rendering of the priesthood room in the temple for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Kensington, Md.Image courtesy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
A rendering of part of the interior of the temple for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Kensington, Md.This image is courtesy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
A rendering of the interior of the temple for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Kensington, Md.Image courtesy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Children have confused the building with the tall, white spires visible from the Beltway for Disneyland’s epic castle, and apparently at least one person thought it was Medieval Times. Not quite.

The Kensington, Md. building is a Mormon temple for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and it has become a landmark in the region.

Like all LDS temples, people who are not a part of the faith are barred from entering, with very few exceptions. And one of those exceptions is coming up: a public open house and rededication ceremony. It marks the first time since the temple first opened in 1974 that the general public will be allowed inside.

The open house will take place from September 24 through October 31, with an online sign-up form that will roll out during the summer. Entrance will be free, though it’s clear the church sees it as an opportunity to spread its faith.

“You may wonder: why the fuss over a building?” said Anne Golightly, the director of public affairs for the Washington DC Temple Open House Committee at a press conference announcing the dates. “For us, this isn’t just a building. It’s a symbol of our faith.”

The open house will be a way to exhibit a soon-to-be completed modernization effort that kicked off in 2018, including updates to the mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and lighting systems. The rededication of the temple will occur on December 13, 2020.

The 160,000 square foot building, which is covered in 173,000 square feet of Alabama white marble, serves Mormons in D.C, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. It’s the tallest of the LDS Church’s temples, reaching a height of 288 feet.

The church says it has more than 16 million faithful worldwide, with approximately 9 million in the United States and 120,000 people in this particular temple district.

While visitors can enter the grounds (especially during the annual annual Festival of Lights) and the visitor’s center, the temple itself is exclusively for members of the LDS church.

If the last open house is any indication, there may be a huge number of people who show up when the temple’s doors open. Back in 1974, 758,328 people showed up, according the church, which adds that the tours spurred more than 75,000 referrals for contact with local missionaries.

Back then, it marked the first temple east of the Mississippi River, serving members of the faith up and down the Atlantic seaboard. Since that time, many more LDS temples have opened, including as close by as Philadelphia.

Golightly says that they aren’t projecting any goals for visitors this time around. But considering that the chance to scope out the temple only happens approximately once each generation, “we just don’t want anyone to miss the opportunity who wanted to come.”

Previously:
At Long Last, Visitors Will Be Able To Peek Inside Mormon Temple

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