Off White

Inside a Mormon temple, the American Dream clings to life.

What furtive spectacle did I expect to find here, inside the Washington, DC, Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints? This Cinderella Castle on the Belt- way loomed large in my childhood memory of weekend shopping expeditions; I’d crane my neck to catch a glimpse of the hovering mass from the backseat of my parents’ car. Never did I imagine venturing inside.

Since its consecration in 1974, the temple complex has been closed to all but adherents, and only those with up-to-date records of tithing and participation. Much-needed repairs—some to address damage from a 2011 earthquake—led, in 2018, to the site’s temporary deconsecration. Before reconsecration this past August, the church briefly held open-house tours of the building, giving non-Mormons in the area their best chance to see the interior in their lifetimes.

It was the first week in May, and I was home visiting my mother. She thought a tour of the temple would appeal to my recreational interest in LDS culture. For a long time, I’d been curious about Mormonism, particularly its syncretic sour…

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