Announced:
23 January 1961
Groundbreaking:
26 May 1962, Performed by David O. McKay
Dedicated:
17 November 1964, Performed by David O. McKay
Size:
- Located on 18 acres of land
- 95,000 square feet of floor space
- Seven sealing rooms
- Four Endowment rooms
Materials:
- Constructed from reinforced concrete
- Face is Sierra white granite
Photo Courtesy of Crystal-Images
Additional Information:
"The history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in northern California is long, dating back to the
earliest days of the Church's westward migration. Members of the Mormon Battalion, for example, were on the scene
when gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill in 1848. In 1924, Elder George Albert Smith of the Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles saw in vision "a great white temple of the Lord" in the Oakland hills. Land for the temple was purchased
in 1943, but it wasn't until 1961 that President David O. McKay announced that it was time to build. The Oakland
California Temple was the first temple since the Mesa Arizona Temple to include decorative friezes on the exterior,
including one portraying the Savior commissioning His apostles in the Old World and His appearance to the Nephites
in America. The temple's Asian motif was designed to represent the large Asian population in northern California.
It is the only temple with five spires. The Oakland Temple is so prominently placed and such a distinctive landmark
that ships entering San Francisco Bay use it for navigation purposes." (Used with permission from lds.org)