42°20′29.11″N83°3′36.56″W / 42.3414194°N 83.0601556°W /42.3414194; -83.0601556
| Detroit Masonic Temple | |
|---|---|
 Exterior view of the Ritualistic Tower seen from Cass Park (c. 2007) | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| Location | 500 Temple St Detroit,MI,Cass Park Historic District,Midtown |
| Groundbreaking | November 25, 1920 (1920-11-25) |
| Opened | February 22, 1926 (1926-02-22) |
| Inaugurated | November 25, 1926 (1926-11-25) |
| Cost | $6.5 million ($102 million in 2024 dollars[1]) |
| Owner | Detroit MTA, Detroit Lodge No. 2 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 14 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | George D. Mason |
| Other information | |
| Seating capacity | 4,650(Masonic Theater) 1,586(Jack White Theater) 1,080(Fountain Ballroom) 550(Crystal Ballroom) 400(The Chapel) |
| Number of rooms | 1,037 |
| Website | |
themasonic | |
| NRHP reference No. | 80001920 |
| MSHS No. | P25067 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | November 11, 1980 |
| Designated MSHS | January 24, 1964 |
TheDetroit Masonic Temple is the world's largestMasonic Temple.[2] Located in theCass Corridor neighborhood ofDetroit,Michigan, at 500 Temple Street, the building serves as a home to variousmasonic organizations including theYork Rite Sovereign College ofNorth America.[3] The building has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1980.[4]
The Detroit Masonic Temple contains a variety of public spaces, including three theaters, three ballrooms and banquet halls, and a 160-by-100-foot (49 m × 30 m) clear-span drill hall.[5] Recreational facilities include aswimming pool, ahandball court, a gymnasium, abowling alley, and apool hall. The building also features numerouslodge rooms, offices, and dining spaces.
ArchitectGeorge D. Mason designed the whole structure as well as the Masonic Temple Theatre, a venue for concerts,Broadway shows, and other special events in theDetroit Theater District. It contains a 55-by-100-foot (17 m × 30 m) stage, one of the largest in the country.[not verified in body]
The Detroit Masonic Temple was designed in theneo-gothic architectural style, using a great deal oflimestone. The ritual building features 16 floors, stands 210 feet (64 m) tall, with 1,037 rooms. It dominates the skyline in an area known asCass Corridor, across Temple Street fromCass Park, andCass Technical High School. It is within walking distance of theLittle Caesars Arena and theMotorCity Casino Hotel.[not verified in body]
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The Masonic Temple Association was incorporated in Detroit in 1894. It moved into its first temple, on Lafayette Boulevard at First Street, in 1896. Outgrowing these quarters, the Association purchased land on Bagg Street (now Temple Avenue) to build a new temple that would also include a public theater. Fund-raising for construction of the building raised $2.5 million (equivalent to $39.24 million in 2024), and ground-breaking took place on Thanksgiving Day, 1920.[6]
The cornerstone was placed on September 19, 1922, using the same trowel thatGeorge Washington had used to set the cornerstone of theUnited States Capitol inWashington D.C. The building was dedicated onThanksgiving Day, 1926.[citation needed]
The original Masonic tenants following the dedication in 1926 included: Army & Navy Lodge No. 512, F&AM; Friendship Lodge No. 417, F&AM; Kilwinning Lodge No. 297, F&AM; Oriental Lodge No. 240, F&AM; Union Lodge of Strict Observance No. 3, F&AM;Zion Lodge No. 1, F&AM; and Monroe Chapter No. 1, RAM; Peninsular Chapter No. 16, RAM. The first lodge to be constituted, consecrated, and dedicated in the new Masonic Temple was Archives Lodge No. 456 on 28 June 1927, because it was the first to receive a dispensation on 10 Jan 1927.[7]
The horseshoe-shaped auditorium originally had a capacity of 5,000. Due to poor sight lines along the sides of the stage, nearly 600 seats were removed (or never used), reducing maximum seating to 4,404.[citation needed]
It was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places in 1980,[8] and is part of theCass Park Historic District, which was established in 2005.[9]
In April 2013, the building was reported to be in foreclosure over $152,000 in back taxes owed to Wayne County.[10] The debt was paid off in May 2013, and in June 2013, it was revealed that $142,000 of the bill was footed by singer-songwriterJack White, a Detroit native known for his work withThe White Stripes. He wanted to help the temple in its time of need as they had helped his mother in a time of need: the temple gave her a job as an usher in the theater when she was struggling to find work. In response, the Detroit Masonic Temple Association renamed its Scottish Rite cathedral the Jack White Theater. In April 2022, after performing, White proposed to his partnerOlivia Jean at the temple and later married her.[11][12][13]
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The Detroit Masonic Temple has been the largestMasonic Temple in the world since 1939, when theChicago Masonic Temple was demolished. The stage of the auditorium is the second largest in the United States, having a width between walls of 100 feet (30 m) and a depth from the curtain line of 55 feet (17 m).[citation needed]
The large complex includes a 16-story 210-foot (64 m) ritual building connected to a 10-story wing for the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, now known asShriners International, by the 7-story Auditorium Building. In between these areas are a 1,586-seatScottish Rite Cathedral, and a 17,500-square-foot (1,630 m2) drill hall used for trade shows and conventions. The drill hall is also home toDetroit Roller Derby.[14] The drill hall has afloating floor, where the entire floor is laid on felt cushions. This type of construction, also known as asprung floor, provides 'give' to the floor which tends to relieve the marchers.[citation needed]
The building houses twoballrooms: the Crystal Ballroom; and the Fountain Ballroom, the latter of which measures 17,264 square feet (1,603.9 m2) and accommodates up to 1,000 people. An unfinished theatre located in the top floor of the tower would have seated about 700.[citation needed].Ford Motor Company founderHenry Ford would also visit the Masonic Temple for panoramic photographs on his 75th birthday on July 30, 1938.[15]
Seven "Craft Lodge Rooms" all have different decorative treatments, the motifs of decoration being taken from the Egyptian, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, Italian Renaissance, Byzantine, Gothic, and Romanesque styles. All of the artwork throughout the building, especially the decorated ceilings, was done under the direction of Italian artists. The building includes Royal Arch room, as well as a Commandery Asylum for theKnights Templar.[citation needed]
The Scottish Rite Cathedral has aseating capacity of 1600. Its stage is 64-feet (19.5 m) wide from wall to wall, with a depth of 37 feet (11 m) from the foot lights.[citation needed]
ArchitectGeorge D. Mason designed the theatre, which contains a 55-foot-by-100-foot (17 x 30 m) stage. Detroit Masonic Temple was designed in theneo-gothic architectural style, and is faced withIndiana limestone.[6] Although few Masonic buildings are in the Gothic style, the architect believed that Gothic best exemplified Masonic traditions.[6]
Much of the stone, plaster, and metal work in the interior of the building was designed and executed byarchitectural sculptorCorrado Parducci. The three figures over the main entrance were byLeo Friedlander, while the rest of the considerable architectural sculpture on the exterior was by Bill Gehrke.[citation needed]
Unless otherwise noted, all DDG home events will take place at the Masonic Temple – Detroit
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