The temple is a prominent landmark featuring a five-spire East Asian architectural design. The temple complex includes a visitors' center as well as a garden with fountains frequently used in photoshoots, as it offers panoramic views of the San Francisco Bay Area. The auditorium hosts performances open to the public such as dance, music, and pageants. The Hayward Fault runs through the property, necessitating two lengthy closures for seismic retrofit.
The building of the Oakland Temple, as well as other LDS Church temples in California, was considered as early as 1847. LDS Church members who had traveled by ship around Cape Horn to California were told by Brigham Young that "in the process of time, the shores of the Pacific may yet be overlooked from the Temple of the Lord."[4]
David O. McKay, then the second counselor in the church's First Presidency, inspected the site of the current Oakland Temple in 1942. The 14.5 acres (59,000 m2) were purchased by the church on January 28, 1943.[5] Ground was broken for the temple in 1962.[6]
On February 23, 2017, the church announced that beginning February 2018, the temple would close for renovations that would be completed in 2019.[7] Following completion of the renovations, a public open house was held from 11 May through 1 June 2019, excluding Sundays.[8] The temple was rededicated on Sunday, June 16, 2019, by Dallin H. Oaks.[9] The renovation included putting the front doors back in use, updating upholstery, installing new carpeting, updating the electrical system, inserting new paneling, and restoring an outdoor reflecting pool.[10] A new visitors' waiting area was added that features added windows that gather light reflected from the reflection pool outside.[11] In 2020, the Oakland California Temple was closed in response to the coronavirus pandemic.[12]
The temple today
A map of the temple site
The inter-stake center, built in the 1950s, remains the oldest church building at the site. Originally referred to as the "tri-stake center", the building served the San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley stakes.[13] The center includes two chapels for sacrament meetings, an auditorium, a gymnasium, several classrooms, and offices. As of May 2021, the building is used by 14 congregations in languages of English, Spanish, Chinese, and Khmer.[14]
There is a Family History Center (FHC), an LDS Employment Center, an LDS Distribution Center, and the headquarters of the California Oakland–San Francisco Mission.[13] In addition, a small memorial to the Brooklyn is located on site.[15]
Visitors' center
Adjacent to the temple is the visitors' center (opened 1992) which includes artwork, displays, and a reproduction of Thorvaldsen's Christus statue. Visitors can also learn about the temple, have questions answered, and learn more about the LDS Church. The visitors' center is staffed by volunteers,[16] and open to the public.[17] In 2004, the visitors' center was remodeled to better emphasize Jesus Christ, and Joseph Smith's founding of the Latter Day Saint movement.[18]
The temple grounds are set on 18.1 acres and includes a garden integrated with water features. The site attracts local photographers.[19]
Christmas
The temple at Christmas
Every holiday season since 1978, the temple grounds have been lit up with thousands of Christmas lights. It originally started with 50,000 multi-colored lights. By 1998, the Christmas display had grown to 500,000 lights that could be seen from the San Francisco Bay. Along with the lights, musical performances and dances are organized to celebrate Christmas and the birth of Jesus Christ.[18]
Auditorium
The auditorium seats 1,600 people, and has a 60-foot (18 m) stage.[20] When more seating is needed, the auditorium can be extended into a large cultural hall that is large enough to fit two full-size basketball courts.[21] The cultural hall was used years ago as a practice facility for the NBA's Golden State Warriors.[20] The concert hall is home to the Temple Hill Symphony Orchestra, Temple Hill Choir, and the Temple Hill Dance Company.[22] In addition, the concert hall hosts other musicians, singers, and performance groups.[23] Besides the three resident organizations and the temple pageant, many Brigham Young University (BYU) performing arts groups have performed in the auditorium.[24]
Hayward Fault
The Hayward Fault runs directly underneath the auditorium building.[25] The slowly creeping fault has offset minor parts of the building, and exterior pavement has cracked.[26] The rate of creep is about 0.6 inches (16 mm) per year, which may alleviate tension in the fault. Even so, the fault zone is regarded as dangerous, with geologists in 2009 estimating a 33% chance of a large earthquake occurring before the year 2040.[27] The auditorium and temple were closed for refit after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, to open a year later in October 1990.[28] A sharply jolting 4.2 magnitude strike-slip earthquake hit the area in July 2007.[29] The auditorium and temple closed again for seismic retrofit in February 2018, except for the visitor's center and gardens which stayed open.[28] The work was finished in May 2019.[30]
Family history center
The family history center (FHC) helps people find and identify their ancestors. Open to the public, volunteers assist those interested in tracing their own genealogy. Many members of the local community frequently visit the FHC. Four out of every five visitors to the FHC are not members of the LDS Church.[18] Genealogical activities by LDS Church members date back decades prior to the building of the Oakland California Temple.[18]
Design
The Oakland California Temple
Designed by architect Harold W. Burton in 1962, the temple features a combination of Art Deco, Asian, and midcentury elements.[31][32] Recent improvements in the 2019 renovation were led by architect David Hunter & interior designer Karen Willardson.[32] Jen Woo of Architectural Digest says the redesigned temple has "an abundance of Asian-inspired elements in reference to the diversity of the area."[33] Madeline Wells of SFGate said the design "echo(es) a Buddhist temple", inspired by the Bay Area's local culture.[34] Larry Wilson, the executive director of the church's Temple Department, said the building has Asian design influences, and was partly modeled after the Taj Mahal and Angkor Wat.[35] The church said that the Oakland temple (like other temples) was built using the "finest craftsmanship and materials available."[36]
The temple sits on a prominent site in the Oakland hills and has become a local landmark.[34] Through the front courtyard are stairways which led to the temple terrace.[37] From the temple grounds and terrace are views of the Bay Area, including downtown Oakland, the Bay Bridge, Yerba Buena Island, downtown San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge.[34][37] The grounds are accented by flowers, palm trees, cascading waterfalls and a fountain.[37][38]
The temple was built on an 18.3-acre (74,000 m2) plot, has four ordinance rooms, seven sealing rooms, and has a total floor area of 95,000 square feet (8,800 m2).[39] The temple & its associated complex of buildings are referred to by some as "Temple Hill."[40]
Exterior
This is the LDS Church's only temple built with a modern five-spire design.[31] The five exterior golden spires reflect the sun with the tallest spire reaching 170 feet.[10] The exterior of the temple is reinforced concrete faced with sierra white granite from Raymond, California. On the north and south faces of the temple are two decorative friezes; it is the last LDS temple to have such.[16]
At night, the exterior of the building is lit up. Some refer to it as "the beacon on the hill" because the temple is visible to much of the Bay Area.[41][42] It has also been referred to as a "beacon."[35][34] The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) uses the Oakland California Temple as a navigation beacon.[11][41] The bright lights have prompted complaints about light pollution, along with the temple running a monthly utility bill up to $35,000.[43]
Interior
The goal of the interior design is to bring a remembrance of Jesus Christ to those who visit the temple.[44] Sam Matthews of Tracy Press said: "The temple’s interior décor is subdued, with shades of tan and brown and traditional furnishings."[45] Found throughout the temple are religious themed paintings and others depicting California.[45] The walls feature white oak paneling accented by marble flooring.[46] Artwork includes paintings, murals, and relief artworks.[46] The lobby has a relief artwork representing Adam and Eve and another with Christ in the garden at Gethsemane.[10] Other paintings throughout the building are a mix of scenes from the life of Jesus Christ and nature scenes of California landscapes.[10] Several rooms include full length mirrors, opulent crystal sconces, and refined oriental designed seating. The baptistry features gold leaf decorations on the ceiling, marble columns, and bronze railings. The sealing rooms are adorned with dark cherry wood paneling, backlit marble altars, and mirrors that create an infinite reflection. Some of the sealing rooms feature barrel vaulted ceilings.[11]
In the nearby meetinghouse, local members performed a Latter-day Saint pageant (an annual theatrical production) for many years. The pageant, commonly known as the "Temple Pageant," was a musical stage production rehearsing the history and legacy of the LDS Church. It was one of only a few "temple pageants" around the country; others include the Easter Pageant in Mesa, Arizona, and the Mormon Miracle Pageant in Manti, Utah. Until its retirement, it was the only such pageant performed indoors as well as the only one to be fully accompanied by a live orchestra. Initially, the pageant consisted of three acts performed over three consecutive nights; however, it was eventually shortened to an hour and a half.[48][49][50] In November 2007, the pageant was officially retired due to concerns about the cost of production, and because the majority of the membership around the globe would never see the pageants.[51][52]
Organizations
The Temple Hill Symphony Orchestra was formed in 1985. It has 52 members, about a third of whom are not Latter-day Saints. It has other sponsors besides the LDS Church and is a non-profit organization that offers free concerts. It is currently directed by John Pew.[53]
There is also a Temple Hill Public Affairs Council which seeks to use the resources on the location to raise awareness of the LDS Church and its mission. As of 2007, it was directed by Lorenzo Hoopes.[13]
The Temple Hill Choir and Behold Dance Collective—The Temple Hill Dance Company are also based here.[54][55]
^ abCandland, Evelyn (1992), An Ensign to the Nations: History of the Oakland Stake, Oakland, CA: Oakland California Stake, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, OCLC78984818
