Announcement: 2 April 1980
Groundbreaking and Site Dedication: 7 March 1981 by Spencer W. Kimball
Public Open House: 3–21 May 1983
Dedication: 1–4 June 1983 by Gordon B. Hinckley
Rededication: 14 November 1997 by Gordon B. Hinckley (baptistry only)
Public Open House: 9–23 April 2011
Rededication: 1 May 2011 by Thomas S. Monson
Site: 9.6 acres.
Exterior Finish: Pre-cast stone walls and a built-up roof.
Ordinance Rooms: Four ordinance rooms (two-stage progressive) and four sealing.
Total Floor Area: 34,500 square feet.
Temple Locale
Located on the north side of the Atlanta metro area, the Atlanta Georgia Temple stands just west of the Turner McDonald Parkway on a gentle hillside in the community of Sandy Springs. Highlighting the holy structure is a wall of heavenly stained glass that softly glows at night beneath the temple's single spire. The rolling lawn and meticulous grounds offer a spiritual refuge to all who visit.
Temple Facts
The Atlanta Georgia Temple was the first temple built in the Southeastern United States (and in Georgia).
The Atlanta Georgia Temple was the first temple dedicated by President Gordon B. Hinckley, who went on to dedicate or rededicate 89 other temples.
The Atlanta Georgia Temple was originally named the Atlanta Temple.
On March 7, 1981, nearly 10,000 members crowded on the site of the Atlanta Georgia Temple to witness the first ceremonial shovelfuls of dirt at the groundbreaking ceremony.
The originally proposed design for the Atlanta Georgia Temple fell short of "Mormon Temple" status in the eyes of a Faith & Values reviewer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, who noted the absence of a spire and gold angel. Church Public Affairs Director for Atlanta, Donald Conkey, forwarded the review to the First Presidency. A short time later, on January 10, 1982, church architect Emil B. Fetzer announced revised plans for the temple, which commenced a tradition of including a spire and angel Moroni on every successive Latter-day Saint temple.
In May 1983, over 60,000 people toured the Atlanta Georgia Temple during its nearly three-week public open house. The first day of the open house was reserved for VIP guests including various local leaders and baseball legend Dale Murphy of the Atlanta Braves—himself a member of the Church.
At the dedication of the Atlanta Georgia Temple, President Hinckley promised that the baptistry would one day be enlarged. That promise was fulfilled 14 years later when a renovation project enlarged the baptistry, added offices, and remodeled the waiting rooms. President Hinckley himself returned to the temple to dedicate the baptistry addition.
The angel Moroni statue that originally stood atop the Atlanta Georgia Temple, which has now been replaced, was a casting made by LaVar Wallgren of the statue created by Torlief Knaphus for the Washington D.C. Ward chapel, which he made as a replica of Cyrus E. Dallin's statue atop the Salt Lake Temple. (Other castings of this statue stand atop the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple and the Boston Massachusetts Temple.)
The Atlanta Georgia Temple closed for nearly two years beginning July 1, 2009, for a complete remodel of the interior, renovation of the exterior, and relandscaping of the grounds. The interior was reconfigured to feature high ceilings in the foyer, a nonpatron waiting room, a high-capacity sealing room, progressive ordinance rooms with murals, and art glass illuminated with daylight-style lighting in the Celestial Room. Clothing rental was removed, and food vending was relocated.
The crystal from the original Celestial Room chandelier of the Atlanta Georgia Temple was crushed and incorporated into the Celestial Room art glass windows of the remodeled temple. Marble from the original altars was laid into the pulpit of the chapel.
