Dedication of the Portland Oregon Temple
A total of 314,232 people — the fifth highest in Church history to that point — toured the Portland Oregon Temple during its 22-day open house. Some 21,000 people visited on the final day, Saturday, July 8.
James Bean, vice chairman of the temple committee, said that while his work with the temple had been one of “the choicest times of my life,” it was not without challenges. “Whenever temples are built, there are challenges that come. The Saints are tested; it is almost as though the Lord wants the members to know how much they want a temple. It really isn’t easy.”
“At times, we were taking 2,500 people per hour through the temple,” said Brian L. Smith, Portland area public communications director.
Smith said that to announce the open house, 80 radio spots and 60 television spots were played by area stations. “Whenever the spots were broadcast, the phones began to ring at the temple information center,” he explained. “The last I heard, we had received more than 10,000 phone calls.”
President Gordon B. Hinckley, first counselor in the First Presidency, dedicated the Portland Oregon Temple on Aug. 19, 1989. President Hinckley delivered the dedicatory prayer during the first session and spoke at four other sessions. President Thomas S. Monson, second counselor in the First Presidency, delivered the dedicatory prayer in later sessions and spoke at six dedicatory sessions. Church President Ezra Taft Benson was also present for the first three sessions and offered brief remarks.
In a dedicatory session, President Hinckley said of the temple, “This is a house of forgiveness. This is a place of repentance. The Lord will forgive if we repent sincerely and in faith. This is a house that must be clean. That cleanliness is not particularly in the drapes, carpets and walls; that cleanliness is in the hearts of the people who come here.”
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “Bless all who shall preside and serve in this house, now and in the years to come. Give them strength according to their need. Give them faith to accomplish Thy work. Give them that love which is the essence of the gospel of Christ.”
Read the dedicatory prayer of the Portland Oregon Temple here.
Timeline of the Portland Oregon Temple
The Portland Oregon Temple was announced on April 7, 1984, and President Gordon B. Hinckley, first counselor in the First Presidency, presided at the temple groundbreaking on Sept. 20, 1986. The house of the Lord was available to tour for the public open house from June 15 to July 8, 1989. President Hinckley dedicated the temple on Aug. 19, 1989.
Architecture and Design of the Portland Oregon Temple
The Portland Oregon Temple is 80,500 square feet, with white marble exterior walls and a slate roof. The house of the Lord stands with six spires on a 7.3-acre site. Included in the temple are the baptistry, the celestial room, four instruction rooms and 14 sealing rooms.