Cardston Alberta Temple
Number	6
Dedication	August 26, 1923, by Heber J. Grant
Site	10 acres (4.0 ha)
Floor area	88,562 sq ft (8,227.7 m2)
Height	85 ft (26 m)
Official website • News & images
Church chronology
← Laie Hawaii Temple Cardston Alberta Temple → Mesa Arizona Temple
Additional information
Announced	June 27, 1913, by Joseph F. Smith
Groundbreaking	November 13, 1913, by Daniel Kent Greene
Open house	Tours offered, 1920–23 June 6–15, 1991 (after renovation)
Rededicated	July 2, 1962, by Hugh B. Brown June 22, 1991, by Gordon B. Hinckley
Current president	F. Brent Thomas[1]
Designed by	Hyrum Pope and Harold W. Burton
Location	Cardston, Alberta, Canada
Geographic coordinates	49°11′52.23840″N 113°18′32.50800″W / 49.1978440000°N 113.3090300000°W / 49.1978440000; -113.3090300000
Exterior finish	White granite
Baptistries	1
Ordinance rooms	4 (four-stage progressive)
Sealing rooms	5
Clothing rental	Yes
Visitors' center	Yes
Notes	An addition was completed in 1962 and was dedicated on July 2, 1962 by Hugh B. Brown.
()

The Cardston Alberta Temple (formerly the Alberta Temple) is the eighth constructed and sixth of the still-operating temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located in Cardston, Alberta, it is the church's oldest temple outside the United States. It is one of eight temples that does not have an angel Moroni statue, and one of six without spires, similar to Solomon's Temple.^[2] It is also one of only two temples the church built in the shape of a cross, the other being the Laie Hawaii Temple.

The Cardston Alberta Temple looking from the northeast, outside the baptistry.

History

The temple was announced on June 27, 1913, and was built on Temple Hill, an eight-acre plot given to the church by Charles Ora Card. The site expanded to more than 10 acres (4.0 ha) in the mid-1950s. The granite used in building the temple was hand-hewn from quarries in Nelson, British Columbia.

Originally dedicated on August 26, 1923, by church president Heber J. Grant,^[3] an addition was rededicated on July 2, 1962, by Hugh B. Brown. The first temple president was Edward J. Wood, who served from 1923 to 1948. The temple was renovated in the 1990s, and Gordon B. Hinckley rededicated it on June 22, 1991.

The temple has four ordinance rooms, five sealing rooms, and a floor area of 88,562 square feet (8,227.7 m²).

In 1992, the temple was declared a National Historic Site, and a plaque was dedicated in 1995.^[4]

In 2020, like all the church's other temples, the Cardston Alberta Temple was closed in response to the coronavirus pandemic.^[5]

Presidents or matrons

Other than Wood, other notable temple presidents, or matrons, include Merlin R. Lybbert (1994–97); Elaine L. Jack (1997–2000); and Ardeth G. Kapp (2000–03).

A view of the Cardston Temple, circa the 1920s.

See also

Calgary Cardston Edmonton Lethbridge Vancouver Temples in Alberta () Canada Temples Vancouver Winnipeg Halifax Toronto Montreal Regina Temples in Canada () = Operating = Under construction = Announced = Temporarily Closed ()

• Comparison of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Torleif S. Knaphus — sculpted the large bas relief titled Christ the Fountainhead on the exterior of the building and also the life-size oxen holding the baptism font
• LeConte Stewart - painted murals and other art work in the temple
• List of National Historic Sites of Canada in Alberta
• List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by geographic region
• Temple architecture (Latter-day Saints)
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Canada

References

Further reading

• Anderson, Paul L. (July 1977), "First of the Modern Temples", Ensign
• Gates, Susa Young (October 1923), "Dedication of the Alberta Temple", Improvement Era, 26 (12): 1139–1141
• Jenson, Andrew (October 1923), "Elder Andrew Jenson (Assistant Church Historian.)", [General] Conference Report, pp. 125–132
• Anderson, Paul L. (July 1978), "Paintings from the Alberta Temple", Ensign
• Brown, Hugh B. (August 1962), "The LDS Concept of Marriage", Improvement Era, 65 (8): 570–575 (Has accompanying color photographs of interior of Cardston Alberta Temple)
• Steele, C. Frank (August 1962), "Trek to the North", Improvement Era, 65 (8): 568–569, 590–591

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cardston Alberta Temple.

• Cardston Alberta Temple Official site
• Cardston Alberta Temple at ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org
• Augustine, Nathan. "The Cardston Alberta Temple". Nathan's Exhaustive Guide to the Temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Archived from the original on 2006-02-10. Retrieved 2006-12-26.