Hollywood Masonic Temple - Los Angeles, CA
Posted by: 
saopaulo1
N 34° 06.086 W 118° 20.408
11S E 376384 N 3774213
Hollywood Masonic Temple, now known as the El Capitan Entertainment Centre, is a building on Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California that was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
Waymark Code: WM47ZQ
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 07/19/2008
Views: 93
"In 1921, the Hollywood lodge of the Masons relocated from their existing lodge on the current site of the Kodak Theater. The construction of the new three-story building was led by lodge master, Charles E. Toberman, who was responsible for the Hollywood Bowl, Grauman's Chinese Theatre, the Roosevelt Hotel and the Max Factor Building. The original building cost of $176,678, a sum of $56,421 allotted to furniture and fixtures and $36,295 for the purchase of the lot.[4] When the new temple opened, it was one of the most substantial structures in Hollywood. It had a billiard room, pipe organ, ladies parlor, ballroom and lodge rooms. One writer described the building as "unsurpassed for beauty, attractiveness and richness of equipment." The architect, John C. Austin also worked on the Shrine Auditorium, Griffith Observatory and Los Angeles City Hall.
The grand ballroom was opened in February 1923; the opening ball featured a program on “the evolution of dance” featuring dancer Lucille Means.[5] Many of Hollywood's elite over the years have been Masons, including Oliver Hardy, Harold Lloyd, Douglas Fairbanks, W.C. Fields, Cecil B. DeMille, D.W. Griffith, John Wayne, Roy Rogers and Gene Autry. There are stories, never confirmed, of a secret tunnel running from Mann's Chinese theater under Hollywood Boulevard to the Masonic Temple.
During the Great Depression, many of the Masons lost their savings, and the Masons were forced to rent the ground floor to a social club that installed an illegal slot machine. After World War II, the Masons resumed full use of the structure, and in 1948, more than 300 people crowded into the Masonic Temple to attend a memorial service for D. W. Griffith at the Masonic Temple. In 1969, longtime Mason, Harold Lloyd, was honored in a ceremony as his name was placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, in a location directly in front of the Masonic Temple."http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_Masonic_Temple
Street address:
6840 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
County / Borough / Parish: Los Angeles
Year listed: 1985
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering
Periods of significance: 1900-1924
Historic function: Social
Current function: Commerce/Trade, Work In Progress
Privately owned?: yes
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Season start / Season finish: Not listed
Hours of operation: Not listed
Secondary Website 1: Not listed
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.