Newport Beach California Temple
The Newport Beach California Temple is the 122nd temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The temple was announced on April 21, 2001 and dedicated by Gordon B. Hinckley on August 28, 2005. At the time of its dedication, it was the sixth operating temple in California. Prior to the dedication, 175,000 people attended an open house to tour the building. The open house was disrupted by a small group of protesters who carried signs reading "Mormon Lies Found Here" and "Jesus Warned Against False Prophets" and urged people not  to enter. The temple was built to serve the 50,000 Latter-day Saints in Orange County at the time. Similar to the Redlands California Temple, it uses interior and exterior architectural themes consistent with what was used in the Spanish missions of the early Western US and Mexico. The interior includes murals of the California coast. In response to opposition from residents of the surrounding community, the LDS Church made several modifications to the original design. The exterior was changed from white marble or granite to a more pink granite, considered more appropriate for Orange County. The steeple was lowered  from to , and the exterior lighting is turned off each night at 11 o'clock (unlike most temples, which are lit throughout the night). The temple is topped by a cupola holding the traditional statue of the angel Moroni. As with many contemporary LDS temples, the Newport Beach California Temple is built on the grounds of an existing stake center and shares parking with it. The temple has a total of , two ordinance rooms, and three sealing rooms. It is located on an 8.8-acre campus. The temple is located in eastern Newport Beach, on Bonita Canyon Road, at Prairie Drive , near California State Route 73.