Richmond Virginia Temple
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Photo: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
Extended Maintenance Closure for the Richmond Virginia Temple
The Richmond Virginia Temple will close for approximately three months from April 15 through July 8, 2024, for an extended maintenance period to accommodate adjustments and improvements to the interior including the baptistry. The temple was dedicated almost a year ago on May 7, 2023. It was the first temple constructed in the state, but plans have been announced for temples in Winchester and Roanoke.
Photo: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
President Oaks Dedicates the Richmond Virginia Temple
The Richmond Virginia Temple was dedicated today in two sessions by President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency. "Every temple is beautiful, but this is an especially impressive House of the Lord for this great Commonwealth of Virginia," said President Oaks, who was impressed by the temple's historic architecture, rich coloring, and inspiring art that reflect the state's distinct heritage. "Temples are essential to our Heavenly Father’s plan for His children," he taught. "In these Houses of the Lord, we are taught the most important things we can learn in mortality, the knowledge of eternity." The temple is located in the state capital and is the first to be constructed in Virginia.
Photo: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
First Look at the Richmond Virginia Temple Interior
Interior photographs and a video tour of the Richmond Virginia Temple have been released today in conjunction with the media day for the open house. "The temple isn't just the Church of Jesus Christ's temple. It's Virginia's temple," said local member Ashlee Stettler. "You'll feel a sense of Virginia and a sense of community. You'll feel like it's yours." The temple design reflects a blend of Georgian, Federal, and Jeffersonian architecture. The foyer gives a nod to Jeffersonian motifs in the vibrant area rug that features a octagon pattern—true to the period—with Virginia's state flower, the dogwood blossom. A one hundred-year-old repurposed art glass of Jesus with His sheep has been incorporated in the panel behind the welcome desk.
Photo: Stabo Media
Reservations Available for Free Tours of the Richmond Virginia Temple
Reservations are available for free tours of the Richmond Virginia Temple during its three-week open house. Tours begin on Saturday, March 25, and continue through Saturday, April 15, with no tours held on Sundays. Reservations are recommended, and participants are encouraged to wear comfortable shoes and modest dress. Tours are wheelchair accessible, but service animals are not permitted. Book your tour today!
Photo: Creative Dog Media
Opening Dates Announced for the Richmond Virginia Temple
The First Presidency has announced the open house and dedication dates for the Richmond Virginia Temple. The open house will begin with a media day held on Monday, March 20, followed by tours for invited guests from March 21–24, 2023. The general public is invited to tour the temple from Saturday, March 25, through Saturday, April 15, 2023 with no tours held on Sundays or Saturday, April 1 (during general conference). The temple will be dedicated on Sunday, May 7, 2023 with Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presiding. The dedicatory sessions will be broadcast to all units in the temple district at 9:00 a.m., 12:00 noon, and 3:00 p.m.
Photo: Scott Leake
Landscaping of the Richmond Virginia Temple Grounds Completed
Deep green grass has filled in the remaining sections of soil on the grounds of the Richmond Virginia Temple, bringing the landscaping to completion. A square patch of grass located in front of the temple, just behind the monument sign, will provide the perfect spot for wedding photographs or selfies. The parking lots have been landscaped and striped, leaving only the finishing touches on the interior to be completed. No open house or dedication dates have been announced.
Photo: Scott Leake
Golden Doors Installed at the Richmond Virginia Temple
The Richmond Virginia Temple has a shiny new addition at the main entrance—golden doors with stained-glass inserts that are currently covered for protection. Trees are being established in the entrance plaza where irrigation tubing is protruding from the garden spaces. Electrical wiring in the fence posts will allow for post cap lights to be added. Landscaping is nearing completion in the northwest portion of the grounds.
Photo: April Smith
More Trees Planted on the Richmond Virginia Temple Grounds
Trees are being planted in the green space on the north side of the Richmond Virginia Temple. They stand outside the fence that will enclose the formal grounds, including the entrance plaza and the garden strips immediately adjacent to the temple. It is the first temple to be constructed in Old Dominion—a nickname that the state of Virginia earned during the colonial era.
Photo: Ty Palmer
Reflecting on the Richmond Virginia Temple
The beauty of the Richmond Virginia Temple is reflected in the still waters of a pond on a peaceful Sabbath morning, giving rise to personal reflections on eternity and the sacred ordinances that will soon be available in this House of the Lord. As Sister Camilla Kimball once said, "Whenever I reflect and ponder upon the glorious truths of the gospel, and that is often, I wonder if we even begin to appreciate the implications of these glorious truths."
Photo: Sandy Willis
Exterior Lighting Tests Begin for the Richmond Virginia Temple
The Richmond Virginia Temple is stunning against a backdrop of deep blue shortly after sunset. Tests of the exterior lighting system have begun, which includes accent lighting around the steeple pedestal, along the parapet, and inside the pediment. The windows in the steeple have been backlit, and interior light fixtures illuminate the rest of the windows.
Photo: Scott Leake
Monument Sign Installed for the Richmond Virginia Temple
An elaborate monument sign has been installed in front of the Richmond Virginia Temple, facing toward the intersection of Staples Mill Road and Mountain Road. The inscribed stones were recently added, identifying the name of the Church and the temple. Similar to the Holiness to the Lord inscription on the front portico, the lettering will be tinted to make it more visible. In the entrance plaza, trees are being planted and pavers are being laid.
Photo: Scott Leake
New Pavement Around the Richmond Virginia Temple Site
Paving has wrapped up on Mountain Road where the main driveway entrance to the Richmond Virginia Temple site is located. The fresh asphalt and striping stands in beautiful contrast to the light stone cladding of the temple. Irrigation lines are being installed in the garden spaces next to the temple, and trees continue to be planted around the meetinghouse.
Photo: Scott Leake
Landscaping Update on the Richmond Virginia Temple
Young cherry trees are being planted in the parking lot islands around the Richmond Virginia Temple and the adjoining meetinghouse while topsoil is being added to the planters that anchor the entrance plaza. More walkways are being poured immediately around the temple, and lamp posts are being wired to light the grounds. Railing posts have been inserted into the retaining wall structure toward the rear of the building.
Photo: Scott Leake
Coping Stones Placed at the Richmond Virginia Temple
While stone masons place the final capstones along the parapet walls of the Richmond Virginia Temple, coping stones are being set on top of the walls that comprise the entrance plaza on the ground below. Behind the temple, a wide curved planter, following the curve of the surrounding parking lot, has been installed where flowers can be planted to beautify the east end of the temple and grounds.
Photo: Scott Leake
Driveway Entrance to the Richmond Virginia Temple Completed
Hardscaping has been completed for the north access road to the Richmond Virginia Temple. The curved driveway is located off Mountain Road directly across from Mountain Spring Terrace. An oval-shaped flowerbed sits behind the concrete apron, separating the entrance and exit sides of the road. Stone cladding of the temple is in the final stages, and progress continues on the entrance plaza.
Photo: Kerry Petersen
Cladding the Steeple Pedestal of the Richmond Virginia Temple
Cladding of the triangular pediment that sits over the portico of the Richmond Virginia Temple is nearly finished, and work has begun around the steeple pedestal. Only a few sections on the upper west walls remain to be clad before the stonework is complete. A large stand of trees is being preserved on the north side of the building while the rest of the grounds is planted with new trees and foliage.
Photo: Kerry A Petersen
Inscription Stones Installed at the Richmond Virginia Temple
Cladding of the entablature that rests on top of the portico columns at the main entrance to the Richmond Virginia Temple has been completed, including the panels that are inscribed with the sacred words Holiness to the Lord – The House of the Lord. Construction of the temple has been underway for 21 months. The two-year anniversary of the groundbreaking will be reached on April 11.
Photo: Kerry A Petersen
Richmond Virginia Temple: A Monument to the Lord
The Richmond Virginia Temple continues to be constructed as an enduring monument to the Lord. Cladding of the architrave that sits atop the capitals of the portico columns has been completed. It will be followed by cladding of the frieze where the Holiness to the Lord inscription will be located, proclaiming the sacred structure as the House of the Lord.
Photo: Scott Leake
Cladding of the Richmond Virginia Temple Portico Columns Completed
Cladding of the four columns at the entrance to the Richmond Virginia Temple has been completed, and hanging brackets are being attached to the pediment and the upper west walls. Staples Mill Road has been expanded to accommodate a turning lane for the temple complex. The shared parking works well for the temple and meetinghouse since they operate on largely nonconflicting schedules.
Photo: Scott Leake
Richmond Virginia Temple Portico Columns
The steel poles that support the pediment over the entrance to the Richmond Virginia Temple are being clad in rounded stone panels to form the beautiful columns of the building's classical portico. On the south side of the temple, white decorative lintel stones have been installed over the windows, matching the white body of the steeple. Richmond is among the oldest cities in America. It was named after the English town of Richmond, which is now part of London.
Photo: Scott Leake
Cladding the Front Facade of the Richmond Virginia Temple
Stone cladding of the Richmond Virginia Temple has reached the richly ornamented front facade of the building including the round pillars that will form the portico. The other three sides of the temple and the mechanical level have already been faced in stone, leaving only the west face and steeple. The exteriors of the meetinghouse and grounds building have been completed, and the parking surfaces have been paved.
Photo: Kerry A Petersen
Exquisite Stonework on the Richmond Virginia Temple
The exquisite detail of the stone cladding being installed on the Richmond Virginia Temple can be seen in recent photographs. Cladding is reaching the top of the mechanical level at the rear and has not yet begun on the front facade. The parking lots have been paved around the temple and meetinghouse, providing better staging areas for the crews. The temple is the first to be constructed in the state of Virginia.
Photo: Scott Leake
Stonework Reaches Mechanical Level of Richmond Virginia Temple
Stone cladding of the Richmond Virginia Temple has reached the upper sections of the structure including the parapet walls and mechanical level. The rear side of the temple is breathtaking with its precisely cut stone and recently installed window frames. Brick laying has been completed on the meetinghouse, and an aggregate layer has been put down where the meetinghouse parking lot will go.
Photo: Scott Leake
Glen Allen's Most Beautiful Intersection
For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints living in the Richmond metropolitan area, the most beautiful intersection in the region may very well be Staple Mills Road and Mountain Road in Glen Allen. The Richmond Virginia Temple sits on the east side of the intersection on a gentle rise fit for a House of the Lord. Stone cladding of the temple has progressed to the mechanical level, and brickwork on the stake center is nearly completed.
Photo: Scott Leake
Cladding to Begin on Front Side of Richmond Virginia Temple
The main body of the Richmond Virginia Temple has been clad on three sides, leaving the front, parapets, and steeple to be completed. The temple design was inspired by American Federal architecture, which flourished in the newly founded United States from roughly 1780 to 1840. Richmond became the state capital of Virginia in 1780 under the governorship of Thomas Jefferson, who later become the third president of the United States.
Photo: Scott Leake
Cladding Progress at the Richmond Virginia Temple
Cladding of the main body of the Richmond Virginia Temple is nearing completion on three sides with work currently underway on the north face. Brick laying is advancing concurrently on the adjacent stake center. Window frames and temporary glass have been installed in the temple where interior work is making strides. The temple is located north of Richmond in the community of Glen Allen, near the junction of Interstate 295 and Highway 33.
Photo: Scott Leake
Turning a Corner at the Richmond Virginia Temple
Stone cladding of the Richmond Virginia Temple is progressing to the north side of the building, having started on the south and then wrapped around to the east. The east side stonework features pilasters on either side of the Celestial Room and baptistry windows. Brickwork on the grounds building and mechanical enclosure that stand behind the temple is nearly finished.
Photo: Scott Leake
East Side Cladding of the Richmond Virginia Temple
Stone cladding of the Richmond Virginia Temple is wrapping up on the south side and wrapping around the corner to the east (rear) side. The exterior walls are built in layers starting with the steel frame; once the sheathing and insulation layers are in place, a final board is affixed to attach the clip and rail system for hanging the stone panels. At the center of the east side are the window openings for the baptistry (main level) and Celestial Room (second level), which is topped with a dome for the chandelier.
Photo: Scott Leake
Richmond Virginia Temple Exterior Advancements
Stone cladding along the south side of the Richmond Virginia Temple has nearly reached the top of the wall. Green insulation blocks have been attached to the body of the temple, and a blue moisture barrier is following closely behind. The majestic building, which was recently capped with a gold-leafed angel Moroni, is a beautiful sight to behold. The Celestial Room dome on the rear bears a resemblance to the dome on Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, located about 60 miles (100 km) northwest of the temple.
Photo: Wayne Leake
Angel Moroni Added to the Richmond Virginia Temple
Just a day after the steeple was secured to the Richmond Virginia Temple, a fiberglass statue of the angel Moroni was attached to the top of the spire. Coated in gold leaf, the heralding figure beautifully reflects the light of the sun while calling to those who seek the light of the Son, Jesus Christ. The trumpeting angel is regarded as a symbol of the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ in these latter days.