Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple

Dedication of the Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple

While looking for a site to build Pennsylvania’s first Latter-day Saint temple, Church leaders found a vacant plot near multiple interstate highways. The owner had possessed the site for 25 years, and although he could have developed or sold the property in that time, he had felt the land had a “higher and better purpose.” When Church leaders met the owner with an offer to build a temple, he decided to sell the land, saying it felt right.

After building plans went forward, the city of Philadelphia filed a legal claim to stop the temple from being constructed. Local Church leaders and Elder Dean M. Davies, then a General Authority Seventy, met with the mayor of Philadelphia to dispute the claim. Among those in attendance was Vaiangina (Vai) Sikahema, a well-known figure in Philadelphia who was a sports broadcaster and former National Football League player.

The atmosphere in the meeting started out “more than a little cold,” said Elder Davies, because the mayor figured the land was better for commercial purposes. The mayor kept looking at his watch, and it was clear to those in attendance that he had already decided to deny their dispute.

Sikahema — later called as a General Authority Seventy in 2021 — then had the impression to bear his testimony of the gospel and the blessings of the house of the Lord. He shared the sacrifices he and his family had made to travel from Tonga to New Zealand to attend the temple in his youth. He then told the mayor, “You need this temple. This temple will bless your city.”

Although the mayor was originally hesitant to meet with the Church for the scheduled 30 minutes, he ultimately spent an hour and a half discussing building plans.

On Sept. 17, 2011, President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency, presided over the groundbreaking ceremony for the Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple then returned five years later to dedicate the house of the Lord on Sept. 18, 2016.

President Eyring was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Philadelphia and was raised in nearby Princeton, New Jersey. Of the growth of the Church in Philadelphia, he said, “I can’t believe what the Lord has done, not just in having the temple, but what it represents in the strength of the Church.”

Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “We thank Thee for all who have made possible this day: those who have made the decision to place a temple here, the architects and contractors, the city officials who have granted the necessary permits, the workmen and all associated with this undertaking. Bless the faithful tithe payers of the Church who have given to further the building of temples. Keep Thine promises made by the prophet Malachi to open the windows of heaven and shower blessings down upon them.”

Read the dedicatory prayer of the Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple here.

Plans to build a temple in Philadelphia were announced by Church President Thomas S. Monson on Oct. 4, 2008. A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the temple on Sept. 17, 2011, and was presided over by President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency.

An open house was held from Aug. 10 through Sept. 9, 2016, for visitors to tour the Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple after its completion. The night before the dedication, members from the temple district participated in a cultural celebration in honor of the temple, which was dedicated by President Eyring on Sept. 18, 2016.

Architecture and Design of the Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple

The 61,466-square-foot Philadelphia temple was built on 1.6 acres of property. The exterior of the temple is clad in granite quarried in Maine and fabricated in Canada. Temple grounds feature a variety of flowers and trees native to the Eastern United States, as well as a fountain.

The interior of the temple was fashioned in classical styles of architecture to match the American Georgian period construction of other historic buildings in Pennsylvania.

Interior Photos of the Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple