Kona Hawaii Temple

Kona Hawaii Temple
Closed for renovation
Number	70
Dedication	January 23, 2000, by Gordon B. Hinckley
Site	7.02 acres (2.84 ha)
Floor area	12,325 sq ft (1,145.0 m2)
Height	71 ft (22 m)
Official website • News & images
Church chronology
← St. Paul Minnesota Temple Kona Hawaii Temple → Ciudad Juárez Mexico Temple
Additional information
Announced	May 7, 1998, by Gordon B. Hinckley
Groundbreaking	March 13, 1999, by John B. Dickson
Open house	January 12–15, 2000
Current president	Edward Lincoln Reinhardt
Designed by	Church A & E Services, Bob Lowder
Location	Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, U.S.
Geographic coordinates	19°38′29.8″N 155°59′7.9″W
Exterior finish	White marble veneer
Temple design	Classic modern, single-spire design
Baptistries	1
Ordinance rooms	2 (two-stage progressive)
Sealing rooms	2
()

The Kona Hawaii Temple is the 70th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The temple is located in Kailua-Kona on the island of Hawaii and is the second temple built in Hawaii, along with the Laie Hawaii Temple. It is the sixth temple built in the Pacific Islands.

Announcement

The Kona Hawaii Temple was announced May 7, 1998, with a groundbreaking ceremony presided over by John B. Dickson of the Seventy held less than a year later on March 13, 1999. Approximately 1,200 people attended the groundbreaking ceremonies. Dickson, Donald L. Hallstrom, an area seventy, Hilo stake president John Sakamaki and Kona stake president Philip A. Harris each spoke at the ceremony. Dickson turned over the first shovelful of dirt, after which other onlookers, including many children, also participated.

The structure itself was constructed in concrete, white marble and some native materials. Architects used a simple classical design featuring a single spire, similar to other smaller temples constructed by the church at the same time.

Upon completion, an open house was held from January 12–15, 2000.

Dedication

LDS Church president Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the Kona Hawaii Temple on January 23–24, 2000. Hinckley was accompanied to the dedication by Boyd K. Packer, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and Hallstrom.

More than 3,800 church members attended the dedicatory sessions.

Temple facts

The Kona Hawaii Temple has two ordinance rooms and two sealing rooms.

The temple dedication was considered the first event in a yearlong commemoration of the sesquicentennial of the church in Hawaii.

NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young married his wife, Barbara Graham, in the Kona Hawaii Temple on March 15, 2000.

See also

• Comparison of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by geographic region
• Temple architecture (Latter-day Saints)
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Hawaii

References

• Dockstader, Julie (Jan 29, 2000), "Second sacred edifice in Hawaiian Islands", Church News
• Dockstader, Julie (Feb 26, 2000), "Legacy of faith is his gift to posterity", Church News
• Heaps, Julie Dockstader (Oct 21, 2006), "Members rally after quake strikes islands", Church News
• "Plans announced for renovation of Hawaii temple", Church News, Oct 4, 2008

External links

• Official Kona Hawaii Temple page
• Kona Hawaii Temple page