SACRAMENTO MASONIC TEMPLE
A Landmark Luxury Since 1918
The Masonic Temple, built between 1913 and 1918, is considered one of the most intact architectural period pieces in Sacramento, and has been the location of choice for hundreds of weddings, parties, corporate meetings and seminars, political and charity fund raisers and banquets. The 8000+ square foot room can comfortably accommodate anywhere up to 500 guests for a sit-down meal. In 2001, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
It is a uniquely handsome building and an outstanding representative of fine craftsmanship and rich design for its era. Its unusual design draws from several architectural style and design motifs to create a varied and rich, if unusual, combination of images.
The building also possesses a renaissance quality that suits the Knight Templar figures guarding the entry, as well as the origins of the organization the building represents. The temple is unique, with its original Lodge rooms and elaborate ornament; functioning original Otis elevator; light fixtures designed specifically for the building; oak paneling an oak doors with inlaid wood; stained glass windows; marble-faced stairs and restrooms; cast bronze balustrades; highly unusual terra cotta design features; and grand auditorium space.
It has experienced very few alterations, and has even retained a number of pieces of its original furniture, including three massive oak and slate pool tables, large double-sided Arts and Crafts Style couch and a number of rustic and well used leather and wood chairs. The building is the most thoughtfully detailed and best designed example of a fraternal organization building remaining in the Sacramento region.
Why are some Masonic buildings called temples?
Masonic lodges are the organizational groups of Freemasons, and the buildings that house their meeting rooms are called Masonic Halls, or Masonic Temples. Freemasons call a building a “temple” in the same sense that Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes called the Supreme Court a "Temple of Justice."