Where It's Located
The Vancouver British Columbia Temple is located at 20370 82nd Avenue in Langley, British Columbia, Canada.
Although it carries the name Vancouver British Columbia Temple, the temple is actually located in Langley, a community east of Vancouver in the Metro Vancouver region. Its elevated location near the Trans-Canada Highway gives it a prominent position within the surrounding landscape.
The temple property also includes the Langley meetinghouse, which houses Distribution Services, as well as the temple president's residence. A wooded area at the southern end of the property has been incorporated into the landscaped temple grounds.
The First Temple in British Columbia
The Vancouver British Columbia Temple holds an important place in Canadian Latter-day Saint history because it was the first temple built in British Columbia.
Before the temple was constructed, Latter-day Saints living in British Columbia had to travel across the U.S.-Canada border to attend the Seattle Washington Temple.
The announcement of a temple in British Columbia therefore represented a major change in temple access for members throughout the province.
The Temple Announcement
The First Presidency formally announced the Vancouver British Columbia Temple on May 25, 2006.
The announcement came after President Gordon B. Hinckley had personally visited the Lower Mainland to look at potential locations for British Columbia's first temple.
The temple would eventually become one of the most recognizable religious buildings in the Langley area.
Finding the Temple Site
One of the most interesting parts of the temple's history is the story of how its property was selected.
In 2006, President Gordon B. Hinckley and Abbotsford British Columbia Stake President Paul D. M. Christensen visited the Lower Mainland to examine possible temple properties. The available properties they initially considered did not meet their needs.
While driving east on 82nd Avenue near the Langley meetinghouse, President Hinckley noticed a beautiful piece of land and indicated that it would be a good location for a temple.
At the time, the approximately 11-acre property was hidden behind a large hedge and consisted of three separate parcels. None of the parcels was available for purchase, and one had recently been sold. The Church nevertheless eventually acquired all three properties, allowing the temple to be built on the site.
A Former Home Became Part of the Temple Site
The property acquisition created a particularly personal connection for one Canadian family.
Gerald and Linda McLean, who were living in Alberta at the time the temple was announced, discovered that one of the parcels purchased for the temple had previously been their home.
The McLeans had lived there for four years, raised children there, and welcomed two more children into their family while living on the property.
They eventually learned that the temple itself would stand on the former location of their home. The family later received invitations to attend the temple dedication.
Groundbreaking
The groundbreaking and site dedication for the Vancouver British Columbia Temple took place on August 4, 2007.
Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Presidency of the Seventy presided over the ceremony.
Members from throughout the Lower Mainland participated in the event, including a choir that provided music for the occasion. Priesthood and civic leaders also participated in the ceremonial groundbreaking.
Community Discussion Before Construction
Before construction began, the proposed temple was the subject of a public hearing in Langley.
The June 18, 2007, hearing addressed the proposed temple, meetinghouse, and residence. Some community members expressed concerns about traffic, the height of the temple's spire, nighttime lighting, and environmental effects.
Other participants explained how the temple's operations and lighting would be managed to reduce impacts on surrounding properties. The landscaped temple grounds were also described as an asset to the neighborhood, with walkways available for public use during the day and evening.
Architecture and Design
The Vancouver British Columbia Temple has a distinctive appearance that fits naturally into the Pacific Northwest setting.
The exterior is finished with Branco Siena granite from Brazil, giving the building a warm stone appearance.
Its most recognizable architectural feature is a single attached end spire topped with an angel Moroni statue. The temple rises approximately 140 feet, or 42.7 meters, above the ground.
The temple contains approximately 28,165 square feet of floor space, or 2,617 square meters.
Inside are two two-stage progressive instruction rooms, two sealing rooms, and one baptistry.
The Temple Spire and Angel Moroni
One of the major construction milestones occurred on March 10, 2009, when the temple's steeple was installed.
The gold-leafed angel Moroni statue was then placed atop the structure.
About 200 people gathered to watch the installation, making it a memorable moment for members and residents of the surrounding community.
The Temple Grounds
The Vancouver British Columbia Temple occupies approximately 11.6 acres, or 4.7 hectares.
The temple was built on an elevated property that includes carefully maintained landscaping, open grassy areas, and a wooded retreat at the southern end of the site.
The setting helps separate the temple from the surrounding development while preserving the natural character of the property.
The elevated location also gives the temple a prominent presence near the Trans-Canada Highway.
A Temple in the Pacific Northwest
The temple's location gives it a distinctly Pacific Northwest setting.
Langley is surrounded by forests, farmland, mountains, and the larger urban environment of Metro Vancouver. The temple property combines these elements, with landscaped grounds surrounding a substantial stone building.
The result is a temple that feels connected to the natural environment of British Columbia rather than isolated from it.
The Church in Langley
The history of the Vancouver British Columbia Temple is closely connected to the history of the Church in Langley.
A small branch was organized in the area during the 1950s. Early meetings were held in the home of the Mitchell family on Norris Road.
The family arranged for an old pump organ, built benches from scrap lumber, and rearranged their living room each Sunday to accommodate approximately 20 members.
Within a year, the congregation had grown to around 35 members.
The First Stake in British Columbia
The growth of the Church eventually reached another major milestone.
On November 21, 1960, the Vancouver Stake was organized as the first stake in British Columbia.
The stake included wards in Vancouver, Chilliwack, Langley, Fleetwood, New Westminster, North Shore, Richmond, and White Rock.
The organization of the stake reflected the growing presence of Latter-day Saints throughout the province and laid part of the foundation for the temple that would come decades later.
Public Open House
Before the temple was dedicated, the building was opened to the public for tours.
The public open house took place from April 9 through April 24, 2010, lasting 15 days.
The open house allowed members, neighbors, and people from throughout the region to see the interior of the temple before it became a functioning temple.
Temple Dedication
The Vancouver British Columbia Temple was dedicated on May 2, 2010, by Church President Thomas S. Monson.
The dedication formally established the building as a functioning temple and ended the need for British Columbian members to routinely cross the U.S. border to attend the Seattle Washington Temple.
Today, the Vancouver British Columbia Temple is recognized as the 131st dedicated temple in operation.
A New Temple for British Columbia
The Vancouver temple represented an important transition for Latter-day Saints in the province.
For years, members had traveled considerable distances to reach a temple outside British Columbia. The new temple brought temple worship much closer to communities throughout the Lower Mainland and surrounding areas.
Its location near major transportation routes also makes it accessible to members traveling from across the region.
Visiting the Vancouver Area
The temple is located in Langley, making it possible for visitors to combine a temple-area visit with the many attractions of Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.
The region is known for its mountains, forests, farms, waterways, and coastal scenery. Vancouver itself is one of Canada's best-known cities, while communities east of the city provide a very different atmosphere with more open countryside and smaller communities.
For travelers, the temple's location offers an opportunity to experience both the urban and natural sides of southwestern British Columbia.
Visiting the Temple Grounds
The temple itself is reserved for Latter-day Saints who meet the requirements for temple worship.
However, the landscaped property has historically included walkways that can be enjoyed by members of the public. The temple grounds provide a peaceful setting surrounded by mature landscaping and wooded areas.
There is no visitors' center, arrival center, or patron housing facility on the property. A Church distribution center is located on the site.
A Growing Temple Presence in British Columbia
The Vancouver British Columbia Temple was the first temple in the province.
Since then, the Church has continued expanding its temple presence in British Columbia. The Victoria British Columbia Temple began construction in August 2026, giving the province a second temple project.
The development of another temple in the province illustrates how the Vancouver temple was part of a longer pattern of growth in British Columbia.
From a Living Room to a Temple
One of the most remarkable aspects of the Vancouver British Columbia Temple story is how different the Church's presence in the region looked in the 1950s compared with 2010.
The early Langley branch met in a family's living room, using homemade benches and an old pump organ. Decades later, the same region had become the home of a large temple built on an elevated, landscaped property.
The story provides a tangible example of how a local congregation can develop over generations.
A Special Connection to the Property
The history of the temple site makes the building particularly memorable.
The Church had to acquire three separate parcels to assemble the property. One of those parcels had once been the home of the McLean family.
The fact that a former family home became part of the site of British Columbia's first temple adds an unusual personal connection to the temple's history.
Current Status
The Vancouver British Columbia Temple is completed and operating.
The temple was announced in 2006, groundbreaking took place in 2007, the public open house was held in April 2010, and the temple was dedicated on May 2, 2010.
The official Church temple page currently lists the temple as an operating temple and provides its schedule and closure information.
Final Thoughts
The Vancouver British Columbia Temple is much more than the first Latter-day Saint temple built in British Columbia. It represents decades of growth for the Church in a region where early members once met in private homes.
Announced in 2006, the temple was built on an 11.6-acre property in Langley after a remarkable site-selection process involving three separate parcels of land. One of those properties had previously been the home of a family whose members later received invitations to the temple's dedication.
With its Brazilian granite exterior, single attached spire, landscaped grounds, and prominent location near the Trans-Canada Highway, the temple has become a recognizable landmark in the Lower Mainland.
From a small branch meeting in a living room in the 1950s to the dedication of British Columbia's first temple in 2010, the history of the Vancouver British Columbia Temple reflects the growth and development of the Latter-day Saint community in the region.
Scott & Riah
Brough Made
broughmade.com
0 comments