Announced: Oct. 4, 1997.
Location: 13161 Brayton Drive, Anchorage, AK 99516; phone: (907) 348-7890; no clothing rental.
Site: 5.54 acres, including adjoining meetinghouse.
Exterior finish: Granite.
Temple design: Classic modern.
Architects: McCool, Carlson & Green Architects and Church A&E Services.
Project manager: Cory Karl.
Contractor: H. Watt & Scott.
Rooms: Baptistry, celestial room, one ordinance room, one sealing room.
Total floor area: Originally 6,800 square feet; 11,937 square feet after remodeling.
Dimensions: 79 feet by 108 feet.
District: Six stakes, one district in Alaska and Yukon.
Groundbreaking, site dedication: April 17, 1998, by Elder F. Melvin Hammond of the Seventy and president of the North America Northwest Area.
Dedication: Jan. 9, 1999, by President Gordon B. Hinckley; 7 sessions. Rededicated after remodeling Feb. 8, 2004, by President Hinckley; one session.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: May this great work of temple building go forward across the earth to bless Thy people wherever they may be found. May all who come with hope and high expectation, leave with satisfaction and gratitude.
A sacred house to carry forward the work
Following is the complete text of the dedicatory prayer of the Anchorage Alaska Temple, given Jan. 9, 1999, by President Gordon B. Hinckley.
O God our Eternal Father, Thou great Elohim, the Creator and Ruler of the universe, we come unto Thee in the name of Thy Beloved Son Jesus Christ to dedicate this the Anchorage Alaska Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
We are grateful for this sacred and hallowed structure. We are grateful for the purposes for which it has been built. We thank Thee for the faithful Saints who will use it. We thank Thee for the light of the everlasting gospel which has come into our lives and given purpose for our being. Our hearts are filled with thanksgiving unto Thee, our Father and our God, as we acknowledge Thy benevolent hand in our behalf.
We, as Thy faithful sons and daughters, and as Saints of the Most High, love Thee. We love Thy Beloved Son, who gave His life for each of us, our Savior and Redeemer.
We love the Prophet Joseph Smith through whom Thy work has been restored in this the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times. We thank Thee for the everlasting truths which have come of that restoration, for the Book of Mormon as another witness for the divinity of our Lord, for the organization of the true and living Church which carries His name, and for divine authority to act in these temples in service to Thy sons and daughters of all generations.
We thank Thee for the eternal ordinances which will be administered in this Thy holy house. We thank Thee for the keys governing these ordinances, for the wonderful work of baptism for the dead, for the initiatory ordinances associated with Thy holy house, for the endowment service with its sacred and binding covenants, for the beautiful and matchless sealing ceremony performed in the authority of the eternal priesthood. We thank Thee for the work carried on in temples throughout the world to bless the living and bring eternal life and the opportunities for exaltation to the dead. O Father, we are so deeply grateful for these remarkable and wonderful gifts, blessings, keys, and authority which make this possible.
Now we have this sacred house in which to carry forward this work. Acting in the authority of the holy priesthood and in the name of Jesus Christ, Thy Divine Son, we dedicate this the Anchorage Alaska Temple to Thee and to Him as Thy holy house, a sacred sanctuary which Thou might call Thine own. Accept of it as the offering of Thy thankful people. Bless and sanctify it and hallow it with the presence of Thy Holy Spirit.
We pray that all who enter these portals may recognize that we come here as Thy guests. May no evil thing, or influence, cross the threshold of this Thy house. We dedicate all of the elements of its structure from the foundation to the figure of Moroni. We dedicate every facility found herein, together with the land on which it stands.
We are grateful for the inspiration which has come to build it, and pray that Thy faithful people in this part of Thy vineyard may treasure it and use it for the purposes for which it is designed. Increase their faith, deepen their understanding of things divine, acquaint them with Thy holy and everlasting purposes. Bless them as they walk in righteousness before Thee, contributing their tithes and offerings, working with faith to build Thy cause and kingdom. Open the windows of heaven and shower down blessings upon them.
We pray that this temple may stand against the storms of nature through the years to come. May no unholy hand vandalize it in any way. May it be recognized even by those not of our faith as a place holy and sacred, the house of the Lord, built as an expression of love for Thee.
May this great work of temple building go forward across the earth to bless Thy people wherever they may be found. May all who come with hope and high expectation, leave with satisfaction and gratitude, having tasted of the sweet things of Thy divine work.
Bless, we pray Thee, all who shall serve here, the temple presidency, the matron and her assistants, and all who work in any capacity. Theirs will be a labor of faith and love. Bless them with joy in their service.
And now, to the accomplishment of Thy work we, with love and appreciation, dedicate this Thy holy house, again asking that Thy sanctifying blessings may rest upon it, in the name of Thy Beloved Son, the Redeemer of the world through whose Atonement all of these blessings are made possible, even the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.
‘Solemn covenants’
Following is the full text of the dedicatory prayer given by President Gordon B. Hinckley rededicating the Anchorage Alaska Temple on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2004.
Almighty God, Thou Great Elohim, we solemnly gather before Thee on this peaceful Sabbath in this Thy holy house.
Five years ago we met in these sacred precincts to dedicate to Thee and to Thy Beloved Son, our Redeemer, this, the Anchorage Alaska Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Since that time, a great and wondrous work has here gone forward. Thousands of ordinances in behalf of the living and the dead have been performed within these walls. Husbands and wives, families and children, have been sealed together for all eternity. The living have here entered into solemn covenants before Thee, and the prison doors have been opened, freeing those in bondage to move forward on the way of eternal life and exaltation.
To accommodate an increase in the work, and to facilitate its progress, it has become necessary to renovate and to add to this sacred structure so extensively as to require a rededication of the enlarged facility.
And so, acting in the authority of the priesthood in us vested, and in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, we dedicate and consecrate the new additions and rededicate the renovated original structure with all features and appurtenances pertaining thereto. We consecrate the entire temple unto Thee and unto Thy Son. Wilt Thou accept of that which is accomplished and smile upon it as the gift of Thy thankful people.
Touch those of this temple district with Thy Holy Spirit, and stir within them a desire to use this beautiful facility in the accomplishment of Thy divine will. May they find great joy in coming here. May it be a haven of peace from the cares and stress of the world, a refuge from the hurried pace of their lives. As they here serve, may they be lifted in spirit, and may there come into their vision something of the divine light that is of Thy nature.
May they be worthy as Saints of the Most High.
As we have previously prayed, preserve this edifice from the harsh elements of this land. Shield it against defilement or vandalism of any kind. May all who look upon it know that it is Thy house, the house of the Lord, a place hallowed and sanctified.
Accept the work of baptism for the dead. This great vicarious labor is a part of Thy divine plan in behalf of Thy sons and daughters of all generations. Endow those who serve here with the gift of the ordinances of eternal life. Seal upon them the promises of exaltation.
Our Beloved Father, bless Thy work in all the earth. May it shine among the people of the world with increasing luster. Chart its path and direct its course that there may be a harvest of the righteous in many lands. Endow from on high Thy servants who go forth as messengers of eternal truth.
Open the windows of heaven and shower down blessings upon Thy people who walk in faith, wherever they may be. Watch over the righteous and preserve them from harm and evil. Strengthen their faith and increase their will to live after the pattern of Thy gospel. May peace and gladness abide in their hearts and in their homes.
Strengthen the youth who walk in a world saturated with evil. Give them the courage and the will ever to stand in virtue before Thee.
Overrule, O Lord, among the nations of the earth that they shall lay down their arms and walk together in brotherhood as Thy sons and daughters. Remember those who stand in positions of leadership across the world that they may look to Thee and lead their people in the ways of peace.
We pray for all who are called to positions of responsibility in Thy Church and kingdom. Bless Thine ordained servants, and grant unto them life and strength, and give them revelation that they may lead Thy people in righteousness.
We know that Thou dost love us as Thy children. We are profoundly grateful for that love. We love Thee, and we love thy Beloved Son. May we ever conduct our lives in the light of that love.
Accept of our thanks, dear Father, for every blessing and continue to smile with favor upon us we humbly pray, in the sacred name of our Redeemer, the King Immanuel, the Prince of Peace, even the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.
Lloyd V Owen, 74, North Canyon 3rd Ward, Bountiful Utah North Canyon Stake; Anchorage Alaska Temple, succeeding President Gary Everett Cox. President Owen’s wife, Peggy Eathel Tuel Owen, will serve as temple matron. Temple ordinance worker and gospel doctrine teacher; former president of the Provo MTC and Utah Salt Lake City North Mission, stake president and bishop. Born in Rigby, Idaho, to Vincent Edgar and Lucile May Nielsen Owen.
Sister Owen, a ward relief society teacher, formerly served with her husband as he presided over an MTC and a mission, is a former stake Relief Society president and ward Young Women adviser. Born in Jerome, Idaho, to Orville Prentice and Zola Doris Dodge Tuel.
Anchorage Alaska Temple rededicated by Prophet
(Story from Church News, Feb. 14, 2004)
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — In spite of cold weather and under a beautiful full moon, members began to line up hours before the rededication of the Anchorage Alaska Temple Feb. 8 by President Gordon B. Hinckley. No complaints were heard, as joyful hearts and anticipation seemed to ward off the chill. More than 5,700 attended the rededication here during a time of year when the sun doesn’t rise until 9 a.m. They gathered at the temple and at meetinghouses in Alaska and one meetinghouse in the Yukon Territory where the one rededicatory session was broadcast.
The newly remodeled Anchorage Alaska Temple is one of 117 temples worldwide, counting the Apia Samoa Temple which is being rebuilt after it was destroyed by fire last year. When the Anchorage temple was originally dedicated in January 1999, it became the 54th temple in operation.
Having a temple nearby makes a difference in the lives of members, said Elder Stephen A. West of the Seventy and first counselor in the North America Northwest Area.
