Video: The light and lack of shadows in the Washington D.C. Temple

As The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints prepared for the open house of the Washington D.C. Temple this month, Elder David A. Bednar gave Ed O’Keefe of CBS News an exclusive preview of the renovated edifice.

The media specialists, working to produce the special report, would normally use a number of devices to balance the lighting in a room. But in the temple, that equipment was not necessary, explained Elder Bednar.

A new Church News video, titled “Impressed by the Light,” features interviews with Elder Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Susan Bednar, and Dan Holt, the Church’s project manager for the Washington D.C. Temple renovation.

Crews filming O’Keefe’s tour of the temple didn’t need artificial lighting “because the lighting in the temple seems to permeate everything,” said Elder Bednar. “And one of the technicians just held up his hand, and he said, ‘Look, there's no shadow anywhere.’”

They were “impressed by the light,” he said.

Holt said the intention of the Washington D.C. Temple renovation project “was to put it back to how it was originally designed — only 21st century, only mid-century modern, more modern. … 

“When you walk through the building, you just feel a sense of rightness. It feels good because everything works together.” 

The public open house for the temple runs April 28 through June 11, 2022, except for Sundays. The open house will highlight the iconic temple, the grounds and the temple visitors’ center. Open house ticket information is available at dctemple.org.

Read more coverage of the Washington D.C. Temple

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