Community Development

YORK RITE MASONIC TEMPLE

835 Locust Ave. GOOGLE
Located at 835 Locust Avenue in the City of Long Beach and constructed in 1927, the Masonic Temple was the headquarters of a major social institution, whose members included many prominent citizens of Long Beach. The building served as the headquarters for an important fraternal order and was used by many other service clubs of Long Beach as well. The Greek Revival architectural style was one of a number of period revival styles popular during the 1920s. The severe Greek classical temple facade of this building invokes memories of classical antiquity. The building contains a number of large assembly halls typical of a fraternal social order. In this building, each hail is decorated in a different exotic revival style: Egyptian, Roman, etc. The building also contains a fully equipped theater. The architects, Parker O. Wright and Francis H. Gentry, had distinguished careers in the City of Long Beach. They designed the Scottish Rite Temple, the First Methodist Church at Third and Linden, thirteen (13) Long Beach schools and twenty-five (25) schools in Southern California, and many residences and businesses. Due to its scale and its imposing architectural features, it stands out in its community as a unique and monumental building, and as such represents an established and familiar visual feature of its neighborhood.