Dedication of the Anchorage Alaska Temple
President Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the Anchorage Alaska Temple in seven sessions, from Jan. 9 to Jan. 10, 1999. The event brought 6,971 people, some traveling from as far as the Yukon Territory in Canada, to attend the dedication services, which began at 8 a.m. with the cornerstone ceremony.
During the dedicatory prayer, President Hinckley said, “We pray that this temple may stand against the storms of nature through the years to come.” He blessed the temple to be free from vandalism and recognized by those who aren’t members of the Church as an expression of love for God.
Read the whole dedicatory prayer of the Anchorage Alaska Temple here.
2004 Rededication of the Anchorage Alaska Temple
On Feb. 8, 2004, President Gordon B. Hinckley rededicated the Anchorage temple, which had been closed in April 2003 for renovation and expansion. More than 5,700 people attended the in-person ceremony, which was also broadcast to a meetinghouse in the Yukon Territory.
The additions to the new structure included changing rooms, office space, a laundry area, a patron waiting room and a separate ordinance room with a capacity of 50 people. The expansion enlarged the temple from 6,800 to 11,937 square feet.
During the rededication prayer, President Hinckley said, “it has become necessary to renovate and add to this sacred structure” to accommodate an increase in temple work.
Read the 2004 rededication prayer of the Anchorage Alaska Temple here.
Timeline of the Anchorage Alaska Temple
October
04
1997
April
17
1998
Groundbreaking
December
29
1998
Open house
Nearly 15,000 people attended the two-and-a-half day open house of the Anchorage temple from Dec. 29 to Dec. 31, 1998.
January
09
1999
Dedication
April
2003
April 2003 closure
The Anchorage temple was closed for renovation starting in April 2003.
January
27
2004
Rededication open house
The public was invited to tour the Anchorage temple from Jan. 27 to Jan. 31, 2004. Approximately 10,000 people toured the edifice in this time.
February
08
2004
Rededication
President Gordon B. Hinckley rededicated the Anchorage Alaska Temple on Feb. 8, 2004. The new additions to the temple included changing rooms, office space, a laundry area, a patron waiting room and a separate ordinance room.
January
23
2023
Closure announcement
The First Presidency announced plans to resize, reconstruct and relocate the Anchorage Alaska Temple, starting in early 2024. The modifications are planned to be completed by summer 2026.
SEE ALL Timeline of the Anchorage Alaska Temple
During October 1997 general conference, President Gordon B. Hinckley announced that a temple would be built in Anchorage, Alaska. Six months later, on April 17, 1998, Elder F. Melvin Hammond of the Seventy — president of the North America Northwest Area presidency — presided over the groundbreaking ceremony for the house of the Lord.
From Jan. 9 to Jan. 10, 1999, President Hinckley dedicated the Anchorage Alaska Temple in seven sessions. The temple was closed from April 2003 to February 2004 for expansion purposes. On Feb. 8, 2004, the newly renovated temple was rededicated by President Hinckley.
On Jan. 23, 2023, the First Presidency announced that the Anchorage temple would undergo reconstruction and enlargement. Additionally, the temple will be relocated within the same property to where a stake meetinghouse currently stands.
Architecture and Design of the Anchorage Alaska Temple
When the temple was first constructed, it covered 6,800 square feet. Upon reconstruction, it was enlarged to 11,937 square feet. The temple currently sits on a 5.54-acre site, alongside a meetinghouse.
The exterior finish is made from stone-clad Sierra white granite. The temple also has a spire with an angel Moroni statue mounted on top of it.
On the interior, the temple contains a celestial room, a baptistry, one ordinance room and one sealing room. The celestial room has a 700-pound chandelier integrated with thousands of Hungarian crystals and 140 lights, which give off a gold-colored ray of light through the windows.
The temple will undergo extensive construction starting in early 2024 that will increase the temple’s square footage to about 30,000 square feet. In addition, the temple will be relocated to where the Anchorage Alaska Stake meetinghouse currently sits; a new chapel will be built from the current temple structure.
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