Description

History

Historical records indicate that in 1858, the S. M. Rooker family—a member family from Utah—was the first to settle at the site that later became Denver.

The first Colorado stake, or group of congregations similar to a Catholic diocese, was organized in 1883 in the San Luis Valley of south central Colorado. Church membership grew slowly in Colorado at first, but growth accelerated dramatically with each decade after the 1950s as a result of missionary work and job opportunities bringing members of the Church to Colorado. In the early 1980s, 11 new stakes were organized in Colorado.

The Church’s growth in Colorado in the 1980s came at the beginning of a temple-building era. In April 1980, Church President Spencer W. Kimball announced seven new temples, planning more temples than ever before in the Church’s history to that date. Ten more were announced in January 1982 and another four (including the Denver temple) in March the same year.

Even before this era of increased temple construction, Latter-day Saints in Colorado demonstrated their faith and desire for a temple by increasing their efforts to attend temples despite their distance. Members in some congregations of Colorado donated small amounts of money to a designated temple trip fund, which allowed local members to go on two-day temple trips to Manti, Utah, for a mere $25 per trip. When Church President Spencer W. Kimball received reports of the members’ efforts to make these trips, he was touched by their commitment. In 1978, he wrote a letter to Raymond Kimball, a Church leader in Littleton, Colorado, and cousin to President Kimball. He said, “It is quite likely that we will get to the point of building a temple in the Denver area, which would please us very much.” ^[1] In Twila Bird, Build Unto My Holy Name: The Story of the Denver Temple (1987), 5. Latter-day Saints in Colorado also conducted a vast amount of family history research, a process necessary to support a temple, since much of the work Mormons do in temples is in behalf of their own ancestors.

Announcement

When the Denver Colorado Temple was announced on March 31, 1982, members of the Church living within the proposed temple district were asked to donate funds equal to 30 percent of the temple’s estimated construction costs within the next six months. The members responded with great generosity and enthusiasm.

In anticipation of a temple in their area one day, one stake had begun a temple fund years in advance, and they had gathered enough donations to meet its assessment for the construction of the temple far ahead of time.

In an act of hope and faith, one Denver-area stake started a temple fund years before the Denver Colorado Temple was announced, gathering enough donations to meet its assessment for the construction of the temple far ahead of time.

Hazel Atterberry was among those enthusiastic members who contributed to the temple fund. At age 69, she was employed by the First Baptist Church to use her years of experience in the restaurant business and prepare meals for 100 to 200 people at weekly family events. Hazel made many new Baptist friends during her job. They came to love her and respected her dedication to her religion when they learned she was donating some of her earnings to the construction of the temple in Denver.

Securing a suitable site for the Denver Colorado Temple proved difficult. When the originally preferred site became unavailable, two other sites were considered, but both were blocked by traffic-concerned citizens. In the meantime, the original site opened again, and the Church successfully employed lessons learned to gain citizen support for the temple at the preferred location.

The Church considered a few different sites for the temple and originally planned to use a sloped-roof, six-spire design similar to the design of the Boise Idaho Temple. However, the Church changed the design to better suit the acquired location, allowing homeowners in the neighborhood to keep the beautiful, unobstructed views to which they were accustomed. Prior to the construction of the temple, residents were worried a temple in their area would be too big and overshadow everything else. The church let the residents of the neighborhood surrounding the temple grounds pick the final design of the temple.

Neighbors initially rejected the proposed nightly floodlighting of the Denver Colorado Temple. So, Church officials agreed to turn off the lights by 11:00 PM. In time, however, the neighbors came to appreciate the singular beauty of the temple and asked that the lights remain on all night.

Groundbreaking

Almost two years after the announcement, Gordon B. Hinckley presided over the site dedication and groundbreaking.

Open House

Visitors of all faiths were welcomed through the temple’s doors during a public open house from September 4 to 24, 1986. During the three-week public open house of the Denver Colorado Temple, approximately 140,000 visitors toured the building—far more than expected—resulting in the placement of 17,000 copies of the Book of Mormon to members of other faiths and 27,500 guest response cards.

Dedication

Church President Ezra Taft Benson dedicated the temple, and 19 dedicatory sessions were held October 24–28, 1986, allowing many Church members in the temple district to attend. Members were honored to hear addresses from numerous authorities in the general leadership of the Church including the First Presidency, ten of the twelve Apostles, ten members of the First Quorum of the Seventy, and (then) Bishop Henry B. Eyring of the Presiding Bishopric.

In his dedicatory prayer, President Ezra Taft Benson specifically referred to the faith and sacrifice of all who devoted their time and means in support of the temple construction: “We ask that Thou wilt open the windows of heaven and shower down blessings upon all who have given of their substance for this sacred purpose.”^[2] Denver Colorado Temple dedicatory prayer, in Church News, Nov. 2, 1986, http://www.ldschurchnewsarchive.com/articles/61687/Denver-Colorado-Temple-This-is-a-day-of-rejoicing.html.

Set aglow each night, the Denver Colorado Temple is—as President Ezra Taft Benson described at the cornerstone ceremony for the temple—a “beacon to members and nonmembers alike…a constant, visible symbol that God has not left man to grope in darkness.”

Dedication Order

The Denver Colorado Temple is the 40th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Denver Colorado Temple was the first temple built in Colorado.

In addition to Colorado, the Denver Colorado Temple District originally covered portions of several western and midwestern states including Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.

At a centennial celebration of the Church in Colorado, held September 13, 1997, President Gordon B. Hinckley was presented a pair of Colorado blue spruce trees. He, in turn, presented the trees to Denver Colorado Temple President Russell C. Taylor to plant on the temple grounds. “If you want to call them the Hinckley trees, it’s all right with me,” he said.

The Denver Colorado Temple closed on August 15, 2011, for a six-week renovation project, which included modernization of the heating and air conditioning systems, roof work, new carpet, conversion of a sealing room into a sealing office, and conversion of the dining room and kitchen into a nonpatron waiting room and temple worker break room.

Presidents

Temple President	Temple Matron	Years Served	Total Years
Thomas Taylor Priday	Marva Bingham Priday	2021–
Mitchell Allen Chesney	Joyce Maxfield Chesney	2018–2021	3
Robert Moss Lewis Jr.	Retta Renae Lewis Lewis	2015–2018	3
Robert Kent Bills	Susan Carolyn Dorius Bills	2012–2015	3
Mark Alma Baer	Jane Waldron Baer	2009–2012	3
Dennis Keith Brown	Kathleen Ann Taylor Brown	2006–2009	3
Grant Elggren Marsh	Edith Thornton Rockwood Marsh	2004–2006	2
Lee Sterling Carlson	Shirley Elizabeth Weathers Carlson	2002–2004	2
Grant Elggren Marsh	Edith Thornton Rockwood Marsh	2001–2002	1
George Stanford Goble	Joan Buckwalter Goble	1998–2001	3
Russell Carl Taylor	Joyce Elaine Mortensen Taylor	1995–1998	3
Forrest Jacob Jensen	Mary Lindsay Jensen	1992–1995	3
Roger Lionel Pugmire	JoAnne Thompson Pugmire	1989–1992	3
Raymond Alonzo Kimball	Adrus Hansen Kimball	1986–1989	3

Details

Location

The Denver Colorado Temple stands atop a rise in Centennial, a suburb of Denver. The 7.56 acres of manicured grounds include the striking white temple, thousands of colorful flowers in the growing season, and a calming water feature bordered by benches.

Visitors are welcome to enjoy the temple’s peaceful grounds, and a few attendants are available to answer questions.

Exterior

The final design chosen for the temple has one 90-foot spire instead of the taller six spires of the previous design. The new plans also lowered the roofline by 14 feet.

The exterior is made of pre-cast stone.

A statue of the angel Moroni, a Book of Mormon prophet, caps the single spire.

The temple also features more than six hundred square feet of specially designed stained glass windows, including a wall of colorful stained glass above the temple entrance.

Interior

The Denver Colorado Temple has just over 27,000 square feet. Hand-carved woodwork adorns the temple interior, along with hand-painted designs on the walls and ceilings.