Monday, April 18, 2022

Washington DC Temple Renovation - Part 1: The Tree of Life and Stained Glass

 The Washington DC Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has recently been renovated and the public open house has started this week. I am going to do a few short posts about the renovated temple.

First off, I love the renovation. It has kept the essence of the temple including floor layout, while removing some extremely dated colors and a few other elements. I visited this temple about 10 years or so ago and I liked it. The photos and video I saw on ChurchOfJesusChrist.org and on CBS News appear to have furthered the beauty and quality of the existing temple.

Washington DC Temple Stained Glass "Tree of Life"

I watched the video the church included with the press release. The video said that the stained glass behind the recommend desk is of the Tree of Life. I don't think I knew that before now. They added some LED backlighting that has made the stained glass easier to see. Now if you know it is supposed to be The Tree of Life, you can see that. It is abstract, so it is understandable if you, like me, didn't realize what it was supposed to be. I hope they also put a sign below it like you see at an art gallery so people years from now know what it is. I really like this art glass and it is original to the temple, so about 50 years old.

Washington DC Temple Stained Glass

Washington DC Temple Stained Glass

Other stained glass has been cleaned and put into improved frames by the original stained glass company. The stained glass on each end of the temple extends the full height of the temple with the glass getting lighter and brighter as you ascend, which helps with the temple symbolism. This glass also makes the main temple staircases stunning. I really like what has been done. The renovation has made these stained glass windows and staircases even more beautiful.

I love what has been done with the glass in this temple. If you are in the Washington DC Area, you should go to the open house while it is still going on.

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