The Atlanta Georgia Temple in Sandy Springs sat empty for two years as it underwent an extensive renovation. Inside the white structure on Barfield Road Northeast, workers have installed new carpeting, eucalyptus wood from Brazil, art glass panels, paintings and Swarovski Crystal chandeliers and sconces.
The general public can tour the renovated Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- the only Mormon temple in Georgia -- through April 23. The temple will be formally dedicated on May 1.
“The temple is very, very symbolic for the faith,” said Elder William Walker of Salt Lake City. “To have a temple in the area is a wonderful blessing.”
Walker declined to say how much the renovation cost, only that it was a multi-million-dollar restoration project. The building was worn and need of repair when it closed in July 2009.
While reopening, the temple will hold public tours beginning Saturday. The temple hasn’t been open to the public since its original dedication in 1983. Among its features now is a giant baptismal font that rests atop 12 oxen, symbolic of the 12 tribes of Israel.
On Thursday, temple visitors included Martin Luther King Jr. III, former Atlanta Braves player Dale Murphy and former NFL quarterback Steve Young.
Being inside the temple “makes an indelible impression on your mind, heart and spirit,” said Murphy, who lives in Utah.
“This was a great opportunity to be able to see the temple and understand the traditions of the faith,” said Tom Wilson, a visitor from Woodstock who is not Mormon.
Worldwide, the Mormon church counts 14 million members. The Georgia temple was the 21st temple built by the church worldwide and the first in the Southeast, and the state counts 77,000 members. The Mormon church 134 operating temples globally with two dozen more either announced or under construction.
If you go: Atlanta Georgia Temple, 6450 Barfield Road. Public tours are available on Mondays, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Tuesdays through Saturdays, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets are required but the tours are free. For tickets go to lds.org/reservations or call 1-866-537-8457.
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