# Columbus Ohio Temple

The Columbus Ohio Temple is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) located in Columbus, Ohio, United States. It was completed and dedicated in 1999 as the church's 60th operating temple and at the time served church members living in 16 stakes, covering most of Ohio, but also extending into western Pennsylvania and southwestern West Virginia. The temple is in the western edge of Columbus, adjacent to Interstate 270 just north of its western junction with I-70.

## History

The temple was announced by LDS Church president Gordon B. Hinckley during a visit to Columbus on April 25, 1998, with a groundbreaking held later that year on September 12. Following completion of construction in 1999, an open house was held from August 19 to 28. The open house attracted approximately 30,000 people, including Ohio Governor Bob Taft. The temple was dedicated in six sessions by Hinckley on September 4, 1999, with approximately 11,000 members attending.
The dedication of the Columbus Ohio Temple marked the church's first modern temple in the state, and the first since the 1836 dedication of the Kirtland Temple, the first built by the Latter Day Saint movement. Kirtland is located approximately 150 miles (240 km) northeast of Columbus and was the church's headquarters for much of the 1830s. Increasing persecution and other factors led to the Kirtland Temple being mostly abandoned by 1838, after most church members moved west to Missouri, eventually relocating to Illinois in 1839, and ultimately to present-day Utah, beginning in 1847. The Kirtland Temple is today a National Historic Landmark owned and operated by the LDS Church.
The Columbus Ohio Temple is one of nearly 40 that uses the small temple plan. The plan features a marble exterior and art glass windows with two ordinance rooms, two sealing rooms, and a total of 10,700 square feet (990 m$^2$). After Hinckley initially addressing plans for smaller temples in 1997, this temple was the first of thirteen announced in 1998 using this approach. It was the second such temple completed, and one of nine smaller temples dedicated in 1999, of 13 dedicated that year. The statue of the angel Moroni atop the spire was originally used on the Monticello Utah Temple and was white instead of the traditional gold. In Monticello, the white proved difficult to see on cloudy days, so the statue there was replaced with a slightly larger gold leaf statue, while the white fiberglass statue was covered in gold leaf and sent to Columbus.
In February 2013, a shooting took place in the temple's parking lot in which at least two people were injured. According to an LDS Church spokesperson, the shooting was unrelated to the temple.
In March 2020, like all the church's others, the Columbus Ohio Temple was closed for a time in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Later in March, the LDS Church announced that the temple would close for renovation on August 15, 2020, and was anticipated to reopen in late 2022. The renovation included a major update to its exterior appearance, along with acoustical upgrades, new windows, and artwork. The temple was rededicated on June 3, 2023, by M. Russell Ballard. Prior to the rededication, a public open house was held, with an estimated 20,000 people attending, including Ohio Governor Mike Dewine.