Houston Texas Temple

The Houston Texas Temple is a temple temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in Klein, Texas, a suburb of Houston. The intent to build the temple was announced on September 30, 1997, by church president Gordon B. Hinckley, during general conference. It was the second built in Texas, following Dallas, and is the church's 97th operating temple. The temple has a single spire with a gold statue of the angel Moroni on its top, and was designed by the Spencer Partnership, using a classic modern style combined with traditional Latter-day Saint design.

A groundbreaking ceremony, marking the commencement of construction, was held on June 13, 1998, and was presided over by Lynn A. Mickelsen of the Seventy. The temple was dedicated on August 26, 2000, by Hinckley in three sessions. The structure is 33,970 square feet and includes two ordinance rooms, three sealing rooms, and a baptistry.

In 2017, significant flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey severely damaged parts of the temple, leading to a major renovation project. The temple was closed for repairs, and after extensive restoration work, it was rededicated by M. Russell Ballard on April 22, 2018. During the renovation, 54 new pieces of artwork were added to enhance the spiritual atmosphere of the temple.

The temple serves over forty-four thousand Latter-day Saints in east Texas, and a few congregations in southwest Louisiana.^{[citation needed]}

After the September 1997 announcement that the LDS Church would build a temple in Houston, the search began for an appropriate site. The site chosen formerly belonged to a developer unwilling to sell. Years earlier, however, the developer had gone through difficult financial times and had made a promise to God that if God would help him avoid financial ruin, he would someday "pay God back". When the developer learned what was proposed to be built on his land, he decided to sell the land as his way of paying God back.

The Houston Texas Temple was modeled after the old Washington Chapel, a historic building dedicated by church president Heber J. Grant at 2810 16th Street NW in downtown in downtown Washington D.C., on November 5, 1933. As the most visible symbol of the Church's presence in the national capital until the dedication of the Washington D.C. Temple in 1974, the Washington Chapel featured the angel Moroni on top of its spire—a symbol typically reserved for temples. In 1977, the Washington Chapel was sold to Columbia Road Recording Studios, who then sold it to the Unification Church. The angel Moroni statue was removed before the property transferred hands. The chapel was sold 20 years before the Houston Texas Temple was announced.

Following completion of construction, a public open house, held from August 5 through August 22, 2000, drew approximately 27,800 visitors. Church president Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the Houston Texas Temple on August 26, 2000. In 2017, Hurricane Harvey caused significant flood damage. While the temple had not been in use since August, the church formally announced its closure for renovations in October 2017. Following completion of the renovations, the temple was rededicated by M. Russell Ballard on April 22, 2018.

In 2020, like all the church's others, the Houston Texas Temple was closed for a time in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.