Red hot trend alert: Repurposing Masonic temples and lodges.

Why you ask? Because there are fewer active freemasons, shriners and Elks so the organizations can’t afford the upkeep on their buildings. At the same time, there is very high demand for unique historic buildings that can be adaptively re-used.

• A fabulous example is the Marciano Art Foundation in Los Angeles (pic above lower left).  At 100,000 sq ft. this was one of the largest Masonic temples on the West Coast.
• Also, just learned that Detroit’s Masonic Temple, the largest in the world (over 1,000 rooms), has started a $3.7 million renovation with the ultimate goal of redeveloping the space into offices, a boutique hotel or residential. Detroit-born musician, Jack White saved the day back in 2013 when he paid the temple’s back taxes.

Read on below for more examples from around the country.

 

The Hollywood Masonic Temple

Completed in 1921 by architect John C. Austin (who also designed Griffith Observatory). Currently owned by the Walt Disney Company, which produces Jimmy Kimmel Live there.

 

The Glendale Masonic Temple

In 2015, mega-developer Rick Caruso purchased the property and converted it into creative office space. Today, real estate firm CBRE is the main tenant.

 

• This 24,000-square-foot Gensler-designed space serves as a temple to both modern architectural design and workplace practices.
• The top floor is two-stories tall with stadium-seating and exposed concrete and structural steel elements from the original building.

 

The Lodge Room (LA), a small theater and restaurant mixed-use venture, opened November 2017 in the former Highland Park Masonic Temple with interiors by Design, Bitches

 

Milwaukee’s historic Freemason building to be redeveloped as a boutique hotel

 

• The Humphrey Scottish Rite Masonic Center, built in 1889, was once the base for 8,000 local Freemasons, but today that group is under 700, with even fewer active members.
• It is expected that the project will cost the developer (Ascendant) roughly $60 million to complete, with a goal of opening in the next two years.

 

Maine: Downtown Ellsworth former Masonic temple just hit the market

The Federal-style building built in 1934 is on the market at $1.1 million.

 

• Locally known as the “Maine Grind” building because of a popular coffeehouse located there at one time.

 

Bottom Line.

Historically interesting and beautiful old buildings are all the rage. They allow a company to make a creative statement in a sea of sameness.

If real estate is your thing, and if you run into any temple or lodge buildings, snap them up. The way things are going with co-working, private social clubs, boutique hotels and food halls, someone from WeWork, Soho House, the Sydell Group or Jamestown will be knocking on your door sooner or later.