The story
Ground was broken on Thanksgiving Day 1920, and the building was dedicated on Thanksgiving Day 1926. Architect George D. Mason designed the whole complex, including the Masonic Temple Theatre. The ritual building alone has 16 floors, rises 210 feet, and holds 1,037 rooms. It has been called the largest Masonic temple in the world since 1939.
In 2013 the temple was reported to be in foreclosure over $152,000 in back taxes owed to Wayne County. Musician Jack White covered $142,000 of the bill, and the association renamed its Scottish Rite cathedral the Jack White Theater.
Everything that was here
- 1926–present · still open
Detroit Masonic TempleFraternal Lodge / Event Venue
When Detroit's Masons laid this temple's cornerstone in 1922, they spread the mortar with the same trowel George Washington used on the U.S. Capitol.
See the map in 1927 →
Did you know?
Connected places
Lee Plaza
Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum
Danvers State Hospital
Explore the full web of connections on the map.
Nearby history
Little Caesars Arena
Chin Tiki
Gotham Hotel
Fox Theatre
State Theatre / The Fillmore Detroit
Cliff Bell's (Revival)
Know something about Detroit Masonic Temple? An old photo, a date, a memory of what stood here before?
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