Highland Park Masonic Temple
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Highland Park Masonic Temple
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Highland Park Masonic Temple, 2008
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| Location | 104 N. Avenue 56, Highland Park, Los Angeles, California |
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| Coordinates | 34°6′33″N 118°11′40.2″W / 34.10917°N 118.194500°WCoordinates: 34°6′33″N 118°11′40.2″W / 34.10917°N 118.194500°W |
| Built | 1922–1923 |
| Architect | Jeffrey,Elmore Robinson |
| Architectural style | Renaissance Revival, Mediterranean Revival, Other |
| NRHP Reference # | 89002268 |
| LAHCM # | 282 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | January 18, 1990 |
| Designated LAHCM | August 29, 1984 |
The Highland Park Masonic Temple, also known as The Mason Building or The Highlands, is a historic three-story brick building on Figueroa Street in the Highland Park district of northeast Los Angeles, California.
Completed in 1923, the 'Commercial/Renaissance Revival' style building 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 building was designed by Elmore Robinson Jeffrey in the Renaissance Revival style with much of the architectural detailing in the Mediterranean Revival style. The 'Commercial/Renaissance Revival' style was popular in Los Angeles during the 1920s.
The 25,000-square-foot (2,300 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 most impressive room in the building is the Lodge Room on the second floor. The Lodge Room has an 18-foot (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 columns and balcony at the eastern edge of the Banquet Hall.
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