The Detroit Masonic Temple is the largest Masonic Temple in the world. It is located in the Cass Corridor neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan, at 500 Temple Street. The building houses several Masonic groups, including the York Rite Sovereign College of North America. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1980.

The building includes many public spaces, such as three theaters, three ballrooms and banquet halls, and a large drill hall that is 160 feet by 100 feet (49 meters by 30 meters). Recreational areas include a swimming pool, a handball court, a gymnasium, a bowling alley, and a pool hall. The building also has many lodge rooms, offices, and dining areas.

Architect George D. Mason designed the entire structure, as well as the Masonic Temple Theatre, a venue for concerts, Broadway shows, and other events in the Detroit Theater District. The theatre has a stage that is 55 feet by 100 feet (17 meters by 30 meters), one of the largest in the country.

The Detroit Masonic Temple was built in the neo-gothic architectural style and uses a lot of limestone. The building has 16 floors, stands 210 feet (64 meters) tall, and contains 1,037 rooms. It is a prominent building in the Cass Corridor area, located across Temple Street from Cass Park and Cass Technical High School. It is also near the Little Caesars Arena and the MotorCity Casino Hotel.

History

The Masonic Temple Association was officially created in Detroit in 1894. It moved into its first building, located on Lafayette Boulevard at First Street, in 1896. As the group grew larger, it bought land on Bagg Street (now called Temple Avenue) to build a new temple that also included a public theater. To fund the construction, the association raised $2.5 million (equivalent to $40.18 million in 2025). The groundbreaking ceremony took place on Thanksgiving Day, 1920.

The cornerstone of the building was placed on September 19, 1922, using the same trowel George Washington had used to lay the cornerstone of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. The building was officially dedicated on Thanksgiving Day, 1926.

After the dedication in 1926, the original Masonic groups using the temple 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; Monroe Chapter No. 1, RAM; and Peninsular Chapter No. 16, RAM. The first lodge to be established in the new Masonic Temple was Archives Lodge No. 456 on June 28, 1927, because it received its first approval on January 10, 1927.

The horseshoe-shaped auditorium originally held 5,000 people. However, because of poor sightlines along the sides of the stage, about 600 seats were removed or never used, reducing the maximum seating to 4,404.

The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 and is part of the Cass Park Historic District, which was created in 2005.

In April 2013, the building was reported to be in foreclosure due to $152,000 in unpaid taxes owed to Wayne County. The debt was paid in May 2013, and in June 2013, it was announced that $142,000 of the payment came from singer-songwriter Jack White, a native of Detroit known for his work with The White Stripes. He wanted to help the temple, which had previously helped his mother by giving her a job as an usher in the theater when she needed work. In recognition of this support, the Detroit Masonic Temple Association renamed its Scottish Rite cathedral the Jack White Theater. In April 2022, after a performance, White proposed to his partner, Olivia Jean, at the temple and later married her.

Architecture

Since 1939, the Detroit Masonic Temple has been the largest Masonic Temple in the world. This was after the Chicago Masonic Temple was demolished. The stage in the auditorium is the second largest in the United States. It is 100 feet (30 meters) wide between walls and 55 feet (17 meters) deep from the curtain line.

The building includes a large complex with a 16-story, 210-foot (64-meter) ritual building connected to a 10-story wing for the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, now known as Shriners International. These buildings are linked by a 7-story Auditorium Building. Between these areas are a 1,586-seat Scottish Rite Cathedral and a 17,500-square-foot (1,630-square-meter) drill hall. The drill hall is used for trade shows, conventions, and is also home to Detroit Roller Derby. The drill hall has a floating floor, which is made of felt cushions. This type of floor, called a sprung floor, gives the floor flexibility to help marchers.

The building has two ballrooms: the Crystal Ballroom and the Fountain Ballroom. The Fountain Ballroom is 17,264 square feet (1,603.9 square meters) and can hold up to 1,000 people. An unfinished theatre on the top floor of the tower would have seated about 700 people. Henry Ford, the founder of Ford Motor Company, visited the Masonic Temple for panoramic photographs on his 75th birthday on July 30, 1938.

There are seven "Craft Lodge Rooms," each decorated with different styles inspired by Egyptian, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, Italian Renaissance, Byzantine, Gothic, and Romanesque designs. All artwork, especially the decorated ceilings, was created by Italian artists. The building also includes a Royal Arch room and a Commandery Asylum for the Knights Templar.

The Scottish Rite Cathedral has a seating capacity of 1,600. Its stage is 64 feet (19.5 meters) wide from wall to wall and 37 feet (11 meters) deep from the footlights.

Architect George D. Mason designed the theatre, which has a 55-foot-by-100-foot (17 by 30-meter) stage. The Detroit Masonic Temple was built in the neo-Gothic architectural style and is covered with Indiana limestone. Although few Masonic buildings use the Gothic style, the architect believed Gothic design best represented Masonic traditions.

Much of the stone, plaster, and metalwork inside the building was designed and made by architectural sculptor Corrado Parducci. The three figures above the main entrance were created by Leo Friedlander. The rest of the exterior sculptures were made by Bill Gehrke.