The Experience
The interior architecture of the Masonic Temple is both amazing and varied.
Completed in 1873, the Masonic Temple took five years and $1.6 million to build.
Oriental Hall, for instance, replicates part of the Alhambra, with its Moorish grille-like features. Gothic Hall has royal high-backed 19th-century hand-carved oak chairs and is a grand homage to the European Knights Templar.
The grand staircases are lined with stately paintings of former Masonic Grand Masters and the hallways are lined with many painted wood sculptures by William Rush, considered the father of American sculpture.
The library/museum has artifacts like George Washington’s Masonic apron, which is thought to be a gift from the Marquis de Lafayette.
Don’t Miss
When tour guides dim the interior lights in the center of the building, visitors can better see the backlit stars etched in glass in the ceiling above.
