u07a1 Architecture in Town

Washington DC Temple, the only peaceful and beautiful building I know! This is perhaps the most pleasurable paper and research I have done. I love the Temple and I went every weekend when I was in Alexandria Virginia. It took me 45 minutes to get there if there were no traffic, and about 1 hour and 30 minutes when there were congestion and accident. It has been a while since my last visits, and that was on my son’s wedding in August.
When I moved here in Pennsylvania, I visited only every month, because of my job and the distance I have to travel. Washington DC Temple is in Kensington, Maryland and it takes 2 hours [one way] from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania to get there. When I have a chance to go, I sometimes invited some members of the church and invited my son if he is available to accompany me. I must plan and prepare going to the temple because it is a long drive. I avoided stopping for any reason so I can to get there punctually and faster. I bring snacks and plenty of drinks as a precaution because most of the time there is traffic and sometimes accident. When this happens, I am stuck longer on the road and it is best to have something to eat and drink in case of emergency. I am always excited to see and visit the Temple. Anyone who will see the Temple from the Capital Beltway [north of Washington D.C.] would wonder about the white lit gloriously building. They always expressed their appreciation on how beautiful it is, but they did not know what it was until I told them. I would feel the peace and glory just contemplating the building at night. I utter how grateful I am that there is a place of concord in the middle of trouble world. It is so beautiful and breathtaking looking up the hill on my way to the House of the Lord. [That is what I call it.] There are 141 Temples in operation as of today.
The first temple was built in Kirkland Ohio in 1836, but it no longer belong to church. In 1853, the second Temple located in Utah was initiated, but it was not completed until 1893; Hence, It became the 4th Temple. Washington DC Temple cost 15 million to build. It is the 16th temple and it was completed in 1974. The temple has 52 acres in wooded site area, which is shared with Washington DC Visitors Center. The Visitors Center host regular lectures, and other interactive exhibits about the history of the Church and the Temple. There are four architects who collaborated the DC Temple design’s concept. The Washington DC Temple has 160,000 square feet total floor area and has six spires of 288 feet in height that is coated of 24 carat in gold. There are three towers facing the east and another three towers facing the west. The statue is 18 feet tall and weighs 4,000 pounds stand at the top of the tallest tower. The exterior finish is made of 173,000 square feet reinforced concrete sheathed of Alabama white marble. The white marble is shaved to 5/8 of an inch to allow sunlight to pass the interior during the day. Two large stained with rich oranges, rich vibrant reds, translucent blues, violets, and white runs the length of the end towers of the temple. Gates and doors of the Temple featured eight bronze medallions. There is seven floors inside the temple and there is a 30 foot long mural at the main lobby. There are several rooms inside the temple to perform sacred ordinances. These are the baptismal font, ordinance rooms, sealing rooms and celestial room. The temple is consider a sacred place and there are preparation before anyone can be admitted. There is no admission fee, but there are requirements prior to attending. An individual must be a member for the minimum of one year, and at least 12 years old. An individual will have an interview to the Church Presidency that he/she attending. There are questions to determine if the member keep the commandments, obeys the word of wisdom to have a healthy body, supports Church leaders, tithes 10 percent of gross income, and is free of sin and honest. Only members in good standing are permitted to enter, because the Temple is consider the House of the Lord, and the most sacred structures on earth. It is a house of learning and members receive endowment to receive ordinances necessary to go back to the presence of the Lord. I consider the temple place to seek God and His counsel, a place to commune, and understand His will. I know that I will stand before my Maker, and I will be judged according to the desire of my hearts, my deeds, obedience to my covenants.

References
2013 Deseret News Church Almanac (2012). Salt Lake City: Deseret News.
Hawkins, C. (2001). The First 100 Temples Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company.
Temple. (n.d.) The House of the Lord. Retrieved from http://www.lds.org/church/temples?lang=eng
Newsroom. (2012) Mormon Beliefs Explained at Washington D.C. Temple Visitors’ Center Exhibit http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/multimedia-download/article/mormon-beliefs-explained-at-washington--dc-temple-visitors-center-exhibit Comparison of Temples of LDS. (n.d.) Retrieved from
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Comparison_of_temples_of_The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints&oldid=555541278"