SAN DIEGO, California — When President Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the San Diego California Temple in April of 1993, he noted the structure’s striking beauty.
The 45th temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints literally shimmers in the Southern California sun on a ridge above the Interstate 5 freeway in the north San Diego neighborhood of La Jolla. Drivers have a full view of the temple’s soaring double-towers, surrounding spires and the gleaming statue of angel Moroni.
And yet, as President Hinckley participated in one of the 23 dedicatory sessions for what was then California’s third house of the Lord, he emphasized that whether temples are large or small, grand or rather simple, the construction of the buildings is not an end in itself.
“It is a means to an end,” he said, ”which has to do with that magnificent promise that ‘God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life’ (John 3:16).
“That is the purpose of building temples,” President Hinckley declared (“45th temple dedicated — long-held dream now reality following rites in San Diego,” Church News, May 1, 1993).
That connection — of the Savior to His house — was echoed by President D. Todd Christofferson, second counselor in the First Presidency, who rededicated the sacred structure more than 33 years later on Sunday, Aug. 23.
“Since Jesus Christ is essential for our exaltation, it is not surprising that so much in the temple and temple ordinances is tied to Him,” President Christofferson said.
He noted the words of the late Church President Russell M. Nelson, who taught: “The temple lies at the center of strengthening our faith and spiritual fortitude because the Savior and His doctrine are the very heart of the temple. Everything taught in the temple, through instruction and through the Spirit, increases our understanding of Jesus Christ” (“The Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation,” October 2021 general conference).
The San Diego temple and all Latter-day Saint houses of the Lord constitute “our visible, tangible testimony of the living reality of the Redeemer since without His Atonement and Resurrection, the temple would serve no purpose,” President Christofferson declared.
The San Diego California Temple closed in July 2023 for extensive renovations, including improvements in accessibility; upgrades to the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system; and repairs to the roof. A public open house from June 18 to July 11 attracted close to 300,000 visitors.
Some 550 Latter-day Saints gathered within the walls of the temple on Sunday for the single 11 a.m. rededication session that was broadcast to the 16 stakes in Southern California and southwest Arizona that make up the temple district.
Also participating in the rededication was President Christofferson’s wife, Sister Kathy Christofferson, as well as Elder Steven R. Bangerter, General Authority Seventy and executive director of the Temple Department, and his wife, Sister Susan Bangerter; Elder Taylor G. Godoy, General Authority Seventy and assistant executive director of the Temple Department, and his wife, Sister Carol Godoy; Elder Hugo E. Martinez, General Authority Seventy and member of the United States West Area presidency, and his wife, Sister Nuria Martinez; and Presiding Bishop W. Christopher Waddell and his wife, Sister Carol Waddell.
The San Diego temple rededication marks President Christofferson’s second Southern California temple dedicatory service this summer. He dedicated the Yorba Linda California Temple in Orange County in June.
The Church’s 45th temple
Church President Ezra Taft Benson presided over the temple’s groundbreaking on Feb. 27, 1988 — his first ever groundbreaking.
In his remarks, President Benson noted that Latter-day Saints have been commanded to stand in holy places, like temples, in order to avoid the tribulations which are to come in the latter days.
“A temple is a constant visible symbol that God has not left man to grope in darkness,” he said (“President Benson starts 45th temple,” Church News, March 5, 1988).
Roughly 720,000 visitors toured the temple during its six-week open house from Feb. 20 to April 3, 1993.
In late April, President Benson, due to failing health, was unable to attend the dedication, so his counselors, President Hinckley and President Thomas S. Monson, took turns presiding during the 23 dedicatory sessions over six days.
In all, 25 general authorities and most of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles participated.
In the dedicatory prayer, President Hinckley blessed the temple to be “a thing of singular beauty from which shall emanate a spiritual glow that speaks of peace and goodness” to the millions who would see it from the adjacent highway.
He blessed the structure to be “a refuge from the noise and stress of the world” and a sanctuary for the Saints.
“A refuge” was how Linda Page described the San Diego temple. She and her husband, J. Drew Page, served as the temple open house and dedication coordinators and have prayed, pondered and served there for the past 30 years. Their three daughters have all been married there.
“My testimony has been strengthened and grown and cultivated within that temple,” she said. “It is precious to us.”
The ‘incredible opportunity’ of a rededication
Since its original dedication, the San Diego temple has become an iconic landmark in the community, said Drew Page. Local news stations will use it to report on traffic. “There’s a mural painted of San Diego County, and one of the things in the mural is the San Diego temple,” he said. Colloquially, it’s known as “the castle.”
Because of its prominence, the open house became an “incredible opportunity,” said Linda Page. “People would come to the open house saying, ‘I’ve driven past this for 33 years. I’m dying to see what’s inside.’”
Local Latter-day Saints brought their friends, neighbors, coworkers and clients, Drew Page said. The temple hosted more than a quarter million visitors during the three and half weeks of the open house.
President Art Rascon and Sister Patti Rascon, leaders of the California San Diego Mission, shared how seven to 10 sister missionary companionships were at the open house every day, sometimes for 12-hour shifts.
“Even though it was a long day and tiring, they were in heaven. They loved it and saw so many miracles,” said Sister Rascon.
Their missionaries were constantly being asked about the temple, said President Rascon. “And they were able to answer and say, ‘Come, come with us, and let’s go.’ They were able to bring thousands of people to the temple. It was truly amazing.”
President Daniel Rodríguez de Almeida, president of the Mormon Battalion Historic Site in San Diego, said they saw twice as many — or sometimes even three times as many — visitors during the open house. “We have never been so busy,” said President Almeida.
Carlsbad California Stake President Jack Shirley said that even individuals who were antagonistic toward the Church or religion were able to take a tour and come away with a better understanding and a reverence for the house of the Lord in San Diego.
President Neal Walton, president of the San Diego California Stake, and his wife, Tracy Walton, went three different times to the open house with three different neighbors.
“And wow,” President Walton said. “We’ve lived next to each other for 20 years and never had these types of conversations, but we did driving in the car there and back. That was special.”
Sister Rascon said the missionaries handed out more than 60,000 pass-along cards and read and received many “beautiful comments” from visitors. One woman asked, “How do I feel the same spirit out here every day in my work and my daily commute that I felt inside that celestial room?” Another asked, “How can I be with my family forever?”
Sister Rascon added, “And, of course, we had the answers.”
Missionary work and the temple is “aligned in a beautiful way,” President Rascon noted. “It’s all about Jesus Christ. It’s all focused on Christ, He is the center. And where do we learn more about Jesus Christ than right here in the temple? This is where we truly understand where we came from, why we’re here, where we’re going, and how to gain access to God’s power through Jesus Christ.”
J. Clifford Wallace, who served as president of the San Diego temple from 1998 to 2001 and is a longtime resident, was standing next to President Hinckley when he received the revelation for the location for the temple. Patrons to the temple should be a little better each time they leave, he said.
Following Sunday’s rededication, Wallace, now age 97, told the Church News, “I feel just terrific. I love the temple.”
A noble history of building the community
The history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in San Diego dates back to the early Restoration when the U.S. government recruited Latter-day Saints migrating west after fleeing persecution in Nauvoo, Illinois.
Known as the Mormon Battalion, the group of Latter-day Saint volunteer infantrymen marched nearly 2,000 miles from Council Bluffs, Iowa, to San Diego, California. Though they never saw combat, they established routes and reported information that proved crucial to the settlement of the American Southwest.
When the Mormon Battalion reached San Diego in late January 1847, many mustered out and traveled to Utah to be reunited with their families, but Company B stayed and built sidewalks, dug wells, built the courthouse and continued to build the community.
A few stayed in California, establishing a Church presence in the coastal state that has continued to grow.
In 1893 — the year the Salt Lake Temple was dedicated — there were about 80 members of the Church in California. By 1930, there were more than 21,000.
A stake was organized in San Diego in 1941. When President Hinckley, then second counselor in the First Presidency, announced a temple for San Diego at the start of the April 1984 general conference, membership in the area exceeded 39,000.
The strength of the Church in the area was part of what attracted the Pages to the area in 1989.
When they moved there in the late ‘80s, Drew Page said there were really strong stakes, wards and youth groups, and “it’s continued to grow and be strong ever since.”
Church historian Spencer McBride, who grew up in San Diego, noted that Latter-day Saints there have a legacy of service exemplified by those early Mormon Battalion members.
“The members of the Church who are there, they build their lives there, they live their faith there, but they also contribute to the building up of the community around them,” he told the Church News.
Today, the San Diego temple is one of nine operating temples in California, with one in Modesto scheduled to be dedicated in November and two others in planning stages.
Speaking of the history of the Church in the area, President Christofferson called the San Diego California Temple ”a testament to the faith of many generations, with the promise of more faithful, covenant-keeping generations to come. It is a testament that the Lord has been doing His work here for many years, and that He is now hastening His work.”
About the San Diego California Temple
Address: 7474 Charmant Drive, San Diego, California 92122-5000
Announced: April 7, 1984, by the First Presidency, with President Spencer W. Kimball as Church President
Groundbreaking: Feb. 27, 1988, presided over by President Ezra Taft Benson, Church President
Dedicated: April 25, 1993, by President Gordon B. Hinckley, first counselor in the First Presidency
Rededication open house: June 18 through July 11, 2026, excluding Sundays
Rededicated: Aug. 23, 2026, by President D. Todd Christofferson, second counselor in the First Presidency
Property size: 7.2 acres
Building size: 58,005 square feet
Building height: 169 feet to the top of the spire
