Highland Park Masonic Temple
Encyclopedia
The Highland Park Masonic Temple, also known as The Mason Building or The Highlands is an historic three-story brick building on Figueroa Street
in the Highland Park
section of Los Angeles, California
. Completed in 1923, the Commercial
/Renaissance-style building with Mediterranean
detailing served as Lodge 382 of the Free and Accepted Masons
for sixty years. The original structure included retail shops on the ground floor with the lodge and banquet hall on the second floor. In 1983, the Masons were forced to vacate the structure when they were unable to afford the cost of retrofitting the building to meet seismic safety requirements. The building was purchased by private developers, and the second floor was converted into a banquet facility. The original Lodge Room, with its cherry wood paneling, anaglypta
wall coverings, and other details has been restored and preserved and remains in use as a banquet facility.
The most impressive room in the building is the Lodge Room on the second floor. The Lodge Room has an 18 feet (5.5 m) ceiling and rich cherry wood paneling, original embossed cotton anaglypta, and paintings at both ends of the hall depicting Egyptian scenes, including a sphinx and pyramid. There was originally a second story arched balcony/arcade connecting the Lodge Room with the Banquet Hall.
Other significant architectural features include a beautiful frieze
featuring Masonic symbols running along the exterior roofline of the building along Figueroa Street
and Avenue 56. From the exterior, the most impressive feature is the Figueroa Street facade with its the columns and balcony at the eastern edge of the Banquet Hall.
The renovated building opened in January 1990, with the second floor converted into a community meeting place and banquet hall. The Lodge Room was preserved much as it was in 1923. However, the chandeliers in the Lodge Room were replaced in the 1950s or 1960s with green light fixtures; the new owners installed antique light fixtures in the room as part of their restoration project. The Banquet Hall (in the front of the building along Figueroa) has been converted into a wood-floored multi-purpose room. The two large second floor rooms are now rented to the public for wedding receptions, anniversaries, quinceañera
s, and other functions.
The third floor was converted to office space, rented initially to Operation Headstart. In order to make room for offices on the third floor, an interior balcony overlooking the Lodge Room and Banquet Hall had to be removed -- one of the few sacrifices made to preservation.
in 1990.
Figueroa Street
Figueroa Street is a street in Los Angeles County, California named for General José Figueroa , governor of Alta California from 1833 to 1835, who oversaw the secularization of the missions of California...
in the Highland Park
Highland Park, Los Angeles, California
Highland Park is a neighborhood in Northeast Los Angeles.-Geography:Highland Park is located along the Arroyo Seco. It is situated within what was once Rancho San Rafael of the Spanish / Mexican era...
section of Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. Completed in 1923, the Commercial
Chicago school (architecture)
Chicago's architecture is famous throughout the world and one style is referred to as the Chicago School. The style is also known as Commercial style. In the history of architecture, the Chicago School was a school of architects active in Chicago at the turn of the 20th century...
/Renaissance-style building with Mediterranean
Mediterranean Revival Style architecture
The Mediterranean Revival was an eclectic design style that was first introduced in the United States about the end of the nineteenth century, and became popular during the 1920s and 1930s...
detailing served as Lodge 382 of the Free and Accepted Masons
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
for sixty years. The original structure included retail shops on the ground floor with the lodge and banquet hall on the second floor. In 1983, the Masons were forced to vacate the structure when they were unable to afford the cost of retrofitting the building to meet seismic safety requirements. The building was purchased by private developers, and the second floor was converted into a banquet facility. The original Lodge Room, with its cherry wood paneling, anaglypta
Anaglypta
Lincrusta was invented in 1877 by Frederick Walton. It became an instant success because it was the first washable wallcovering and appealed to the Victorians because of its sanitary properties as well as its durability and ornate effects. Originally made on a linen backing, it was however, quite...
wall coverings, and other details has been restored and preserved and remains in use as a banquet facility.
Construction and architecture
The 25000 square feet (2,322.6 m²) Highland Park Masonic Temple was built from 1922–1923 and opened in July 1923. The three-story structure was built for use by the Free and Accepted Masons as the site for Lodge 382. The Masons occupied the second and third floors, and the first floor was retail space, providing an income source for the lodge. The building was designed by Elmore Robinson Jeffrey in the Commercial/Renaissance Revival style, a style that was popular in Los Angeles during the 1920s. Much of the architectural detailing is in a Mediterranean style.The most impressive room in the building is the Lodge Room on the second floor. The Lodge Room has an 18 feet (5.5 m) ceiling and rich cherry wood paneling, original embossed cotton anaglypta, and paintings at both ends of the hall depicting Egyptian scenes, including a sphinx and pyramid. There was originally a second story arched balcony/arcade connecting the Lodge Room with the Banquet Hall.
Other significant architectural features include a beautiful frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
featuring Masonic symbols running along the exterior roofline of the building along Figueroa Street
Figueroa Street
Figueroa Street is a street in Los Angeles County, California named for General José Figueroa , governor of Alta California from 1833 to 1835, who oversaw the secularization of the missions of California...
and Avenue 56. From the exterior, the most impressive feature is the Figueroa Street facade with its the columns and balcony at the eastern edge of the Banquet Hall.
Masonic Lodge 382
The Masons used the building as Lodge 382 and several other lodges for 60 years from 1923 to 1983. However, in 1983, the owners were cited for failure to bring the building up to modern seismic safety standards. The local Masonic unit lacked the funds to undertake the expensive seismic work and were forced to vacate and sell the building.Renovation as a mixed use and banquet facility
In 1983, Allen Golden, along with partners Jerry Sullivan and Jerry Manpearl, purchased the building. They undertook extensive renovation of the building between 1985 and 1989, including upgrade work to enable the structure to meet modern seismic safety requirements. As part of the renovation work, the owners replaced awnings that had been part of the original design, and leaded glass that had been covered was exposed. Additionally, during the seismic retrofit, care was taken to preserve numerous period details, including doorknobs embossed with Masonic symbols, the cherry wood paneling and the anaglypta wall covering.The renovated building opened in January 1990, with the second floor converted into a community meeting place and banquet hall. The Lodge Room was preserved much as it was in 1923. However, the chandeliers in the Lodge Room were replaced in the 1950s or 1960s with green light fixtures; the new owners installed antique light fixtures in the room as part of their restoration project. The Banquet Hall (in the front of the building along Figueroa) has been converted into a wood-floored multi-purpose room. The two large second floor rooms are now rented to the public for wedding receptions, anniversaries, quinceañera
Quinceañera
Quinceañera , sometimes called "Fiesta de quince años", "Fiesta de Quinceañera", "Quince años" or simply "quince", is the celebration of a girl's fifteenth birthday in parts of Latin America and elsewhere in communities of immigrants from Latin America...
s, and other functions.
The third floor was converted to office space, rented initially to Operation Headstart. In order to make room for offices on the third floor, an interior balcony overlooking the Lodge Room and Banquet Hall had to be removed -- one of the few sacrifices made to preservation.
Historic designation
The building was declared a Historic Cultural Landmark in 1984 (HCM #282), and added to the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1990.