Highland Park Masonic Temple

The Lodge Room, 104 N. Avenue 56

THEN: The Highland Park Masonic Temple is a three-story brick building designed in the Renaissance Revival style by Elmore Robinson Jeff. It was completed in 1923 and was home to Highland Park № 382. Jeff was a member and later master of this lodge.

NOW: The building was sold in the 1980s and eventually repurposed into a popular music venue called The Lodge Room. Today a variety of rock, punk, hip-hop, and legacy bands play there, and you can still see “Highland Park F&AM” inscribed above the entrance (left).

Lodge room bar at the Highland Masonic Temple.
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A mural on the south side of the temple by Millard Sheets depicts temple builders through history.
The stairwell of the former temple is now home to four-story artwork by Nicolas Party.
The stairwell of the former temple is now home to four-story artwork by Nicolas Party.

Scottish Rite Masonic Temple

Marciano Art Foundation, 4357 Wilshire Blvd.

THEN: The 100,000-square-foot Scottish Rite Masonic Temple was designed by acclaimed artist Millard Sheets, and included a 2,000-seat auditorium, 1,500-seat dining room, and library. The exterior of the temple is marble and features 14-foot travertine statues of historic Masons. A massive mosaic by Sheets depicts the entire history of Freemasonry (left) on the exterior of its eastern wall.

NOW: The Maurice and Paul Marciano Art Foundation bought the building in July 2013 and repurposed it as a contemporary art space. It opened in spring 2017, and presents innovative exhibitions and public programs, welcoming more than 150,000 visitors a year. As part of the foundation’s commitment to equitable arts access, entry is always free.

Hollywood Masonic Temple

El Capitan Entertainment Centre, 6840 Hollywood Blvd.

THEN: Completed in 1921, the 34,000- square-foot, granite-clad Hollywood Masonic Temple was designed in the Greek Revival style by Mason and architect John C. Austin. In 1948, the building hosted the memorial service for film legend D. W. Griffith, also a Mason and widely considered the father of American cinema.

NOW: The building was sold in 1982 and eventually acquired by the Walt Disney Company. Today it’s the home of ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live, where thousands of viewers each year file in to enjoy the show.

The former Sawtelle Masonic Temple later became a transcendental meditation hub and today houses the legendary village recording studios.

Sawtelle Masonic Temple

The Village Studios, 1616 Butler Ave.

THEN: The Sawtelle Masonic Temple was a vibrant center of Masonic life in West Los Angeles from its inception in 1926 until 1945, when the building wassold to the Moody Bible Institute. It later became a center for Transcendental Meditation and was converted into a recording studio in 1968.

NOW: The recording studio has since become iconic, hosting the likes of Fleetwood Mac, the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, B.B. King, Bob Dylan, Lady Gaga, Dr. Dre, and Coldplay.

Photography and Image Courtesies by:
Shutterstock
Village Recording Studio
Laure Joliet/Courtesy of Design, Bitches
Matthew Reamer
Mathew Scott
Yael Nov
Marciano Art Foundation