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A temple for Atlanta, Georgia, was announced during a news conference on April 2, 1980, by the First Presidency — then consisting of Presidents Spencer W. Kimball, N. Eldon Tanner and Marion G. Romney. The conference was held in the Temple Square North Visitors’ Center in Salt Lake City.
President Spencer W. Kimball presided over a groundbreaking ceremony for the temple on March 7, 1981. Roughly 10,000 people attended the ceremony, including Georgia Gov. George Busbee and other civil and religious leaders.
An open house was held from May 3 to May 21, 1983. Approximately 61,644 visitors toured the temple during that time.
The Atlanta Georgia Temple was dedicated in 11 sessions from June 1 to June 4, 1983, by President Gordon B. Hinckley as second counselor in the First Presidency. Around 12,100 members attended a dedicatory session.
The Atlanta temple was closed in July 1997 to renovate and expand the baptistry.
The temple’s baptistry was rededicated by President Gordon B. Hinckley — who became President of the Church in 1995 — on Nov. 14, 1997.
The Atlanta temple was closed for extensive renovations on July 1, 2009. These included upgrading plumbing and electrical systems, as well as raising the roof above the celestial room 6 feet to allow windows to be installed.
An open house for the rededicated temple was held from April 9 to April 23, 2011. Among other dignitaries and members of the public, attendees included Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal and Georgia first lady Sandra Deal.
A cultural celebration for the renovated temple was held April 30, 2011, in the Civic Center in downtown Atlanta. Approximately 2,700 youth from parts of the temple’s district — Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and North Carolina — participated in the celebration, titled “Southern Lights.”
The Atlanta temple was rededicated in two sessions on May 1, 2011, by Church President Thomas S. Monson. Roughly 2,400 members attended a rededication session held at the temple. The ceremony was also broadcast to stake centers in the temple’s district.
2 April 1980
1 June 1983
14 November 1997
1 May 2011
President Gordon B. Hinckley (in 1997)
President Thomas S. Monson (in 2011)
6450 Barfield Road NE
Sandy Springs, Georgia 30328-4283
United States
View schedule and book online
(1) 770-393-3698
This was the first Latter-day Saint temple in Georgia.
It was the first temple built in the southeastern United States and, since 1846, was the second temple built east of the Mississippi River. Its original district comprised Latter-day Saints living in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and the panhandle of Florida.
The Atlanta Georgia Temple was President Gordon B. Hinckley’s first temple he had ever dedicated or rededicated. He was the second counselor in the First Presidency when he dedicated the Atlanta temple.
At the time of its 2011 rededication, an estimated 2.5 million people had attended the Atlanta temple since its dedication in 1983.
At the cultural celebration for the 2011 rededication of the temple, President Thomas S. Monson told the youth: “Tonight as you present ‘Southern Lights,’ we will be blessed by the light which emanates from each one of you, the children of light. I pronounce a blessing upon you that you may feel the love which we have for you. May you know, also, that our Heavenly Father loves you. I bless you that you will ever have a desire to serve Him and His Son, Jesus Christ. I bless you that you will always face the light and walk in the truth.”
The chandelier in the celestial room weighs 650 pounds and was constructed of 40,000 Swarovski crystals from Austria. Each crystal was hand-hung by volunteers.
More than 500 volunteers, comprising mostly Latter-day Saints, helped with the 2011 renovation of the house of the Lord.
Many of the items in the renovated Atlanta temple came from the original building materials. Some of the temple’s original stone was repurposed into the podium in the chapel, and the crystal from the old celestial room chandelier was ground down and used in the celestial room’s new art-glass windows.
An elaborate mural in an instruction room of the temple is a reproduction of a mural painted for the Helsinki Finland Temple.
This was the first Latter-day Saint temple in Georgia.
It was the first temple built in the southeastern United States and, since 1846, was the second temple built east of the Mississippi River. Its original district comprised Latter-day Saints living in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and the panhandle of Florida.
The Atlanta Georgia Temple was President Gordon B. Hinckley’s first temple he had ever dedicated or rededicated. He was the second counselor in the First Presidency when he dedicated the Atlanta temple.
At the time of its 2011 rededication, an estimated 2.5 million people had attended the Atlanta temple since its dedication in 1983.
At the cultural celebration for the 2011 rededication of the temple, President Thomas S. Monson told the youth: “Tonight as you present ‘Southern Lights,’ we will be blessed by the light which emanates from each one of you, the children of light. I pronounce a blessing upon you that you may feel the love which we have for you. May you know, also, that our Heavenly Father loves you. I bless you that you will ever have a desire to serve Him and His Son, Jesus Christ. I bless you that you will always face the light and walk in the truth.”
The chandelier in the celestial room weighs 650 pounds and was constructed of 40,000 Swarovski crystals from Austria. Each crystal was hand-hung by volunteers.
More than 500 volunteers, comprising mostly Latter-day Saints, helped with the 2011 renovation of the house of the Lord.
Many of the items in the renovated Atlanta temple came from the original building materials. Some of the temple’s original stone was repurposed into the podium in the chapel, and the crystal from the old celestial room chandelier was ground down and used in the celestial room’s new art-glass windows.
An elaborate mural in an instruction room of the temple is a reproduction of a mural painted for the Helsinki Finland Temple.