Carroll's nephew, John, (who was the first Catholic bishop in the United States, and a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787), built a chapel on a property below the hill.

[8] The property later passed to Daniel Carroll's grandson, who built a home a mile from the temple site, which he renamed "the Highlands", and was then used as a tobacco farm.

Despite a competing offer, the land was sold to the church at a discounted price, motivated by shared respect for religious history and the sacred nature of the temple's purpose.

[14][15][16] At the time of its completion, the temple served approximately 300,000 Latter-day Saints in 31 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, seven Canadian provinces, Cuba, Haiti, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and the Dominican Republic.

[7][18] Additionally, many of the sites which are important to early church history, such as Nauvoo, Palmyra, and Kirtland, are within the original Washington D.C. Temple district.

[10] On September 17, 1974, during the first week of the temple open house, government officials and diplomats from around the world were taken on special tours through the building, including an invitation to US President Gerald Ford, his family, and his cabinet.

"[7] The temple open house was almost canceled last minute when a fire marshal required an emergency backup generator for the sprinkler system in case of a power outage.

Harold Ranquist, a local member and Army Reservist, spent eight hours the day before the event using his military connections to locate a generator.

A generator was secured and brought to the site, arriving to be installed just 25 minutes before the open house began, enabling it to proceed as planned.

At a completion ceremony the church's First Presidency buried a time capsule with historical items near a corner of the temple.

[6] This included scriptures (the Bible, the Doctrine and Covenants), copies of current newspapers, photos of church leaders, a replica of a statue of Brigham Young, and tickets from the dedication.

After the event, they observed a member of their local congregation, who typically walked without difficulty, struggling to reach his car, and being helped by his family.

[7] Other accounts also describe individuals feeling the presence of deceased ancestors while participating in temple ordinances, cementing its sacredness in the minds of church members.

[27] In February 2020, the church announced that with renovations nearing completion, a public open house would be held from September 24 through October 31, 2020, with the temple scheduled for rededication on Sunday, December 13, 2020.

[28] However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the church announced on June 17, 2020, that the open house and rededication dates would be postponed until large public gatherings were determined to be safe.

[29] However, on January 28, 2022, the church announced that the duration of the open house tours would be extended as needed,[30] with the rededication pushed back to August 14, 2022.

[31] The church put up banners in the city to promote the event and recorded a virtual tour, led by Gary E. Stevenson and Dale G. Renlund, who serve as members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

The message was originally created by a group of Catholic schoolgirls in 1974, using wadded newspaper in a chain link fence to promote their school play.

"[42] Author Orson Scott Card, writing for the Deseret News in 2005, explained that the humor of the "Surrender Dorothy" graffiti lay in its unintentional connection to The Wizard of Oz: "This is funny because clearly the (Latter-day Saints) didn't intend their temple to remind anybody of a classic fantasy movie, but once somebody put up the graffiti, it made everybody think of it and laugh."

Card noted that the juxtaposition of the temple's architecture with the lush greenery and the clever quote created this unexpected cultural link.

[48][49] The building is made of reinforced concrete and structural steel, the outer walls are covered in white Alabama marble, and the spires are coated in 24-carat gold.

The design includes symbolic elements representing core tenets of Latter-day Saint faith to reflect the temple's religious significance.

"[53] The interior includes a stained-glass depiction of the Tree of Life, a significant symbol in the Book of Mormon that represents Jesus Christ.

Wilcox explained that church leaders intended the temple's design to inspire curiosity about the faith, seeing it as a "beacon" that "glows with the spirit of enlightenment", inviting people toward truth and lasting happiness.

[20][10] Over the years, the temple has undergone several renovations to preserve its structural integrity, update facilities, and enhance its spiritual and aesthetic appeal.

Artisans specializing in architectural glass, drywall, and plastering were employed to ensure that both the renovation was faithful in keeping with the original design while incorporating modern techniques.

[54] Dan Wilson, a fine arts graduate from Utah Valley University and an artist inspired by Carl Bloch, was commissioned to create an 8-by-12-foot mural titled His Return, depicting the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

[55] Drawing on personal spiritual practices like fasting and priesthood blessings, Wilson devoted over 2,000 hours to the piece, expanding the number of angels from 120 to over 300, aiming to reflect ethnic diversity.

[64][65] Beginning in 1989, church leaders began inviting foreign ambassadors to co-host the annual Festival of Lights at the temple's visitors' center.

For example, in 2011, J. W. "Bill" Marriott, Jr. and his wife, Donna, hosted Brazilian Ambassador to the United States Mauro Vieira, with L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presiding.