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California Freemason Magazine: The Temple Issue

Read the new issue at californiafreemason.org

It was 1957 when Grand Master Leo Anderson stood on the corner of California and Taylor streets, at the top of Nob Hill, and looked out over the nearly complete California Masonic Memorial Temple. It had taken more than a decade to get to this point—ten years of planning, false starts, relentless fundraising, and even tragedy. But at long last, the temple was rounding into form.

“Hardly a day has passed since construction was started that I have not gone to the top of Nob Hill to watch the workmen at their labors,” Anderson wrote. “I saw it as a mighty steel frame, showing the strength and mighty sinews of California Freemasonry. Then they poured the cement that united the structure into a common mass. And finally, as you will now see it, they adorned the Temple with beauty by applying the white Vermont marble slabs that face the building.… Brethren, a part of that building is mine. And even in its unfinished state it is among my most treasured possessions, because it is not something I have bought, but something I have given. I hope every California Master Mason will be able to look upon the California Masonic Memorial Temple with the same pride and sense of ownership.

In this issue of California Freemason Magazine, we’re casting our gaze anew at our fraternal home. The fact is, the building has only grown more important since those words were written. It’s the meeting place, staff offices, and general headquarters of the Masons of California, yes. But it’s so much more. It’s an architectural treasure, a city landmark, and a thriving arts and music venue. It isn’t just Masons who can look at the building with a sense of pride and ownership; it’s the entire community.

Now, the building is entering a new phase in its evolution—one that will begin to fuse its dual purposes. This October, as thousands of Masons and their family members gather at the CMMT, they’ll see a series of QR codes posted around the building, linking visitors from within the fraternity and outside of it to information about the building’s history, its uses, and its significance to Freemasonry. They’ll also find information about the wonderful Emile Norman endomosaic window, the newly built Freemasons’ Hall, and a primer on what Freemasonry is all about.

Sixty-five years ago, Anderson was bowled over by the significance of the California Masonic Memorial Temple. It’s safe to say it’s lived up to his hopes for it—and then some. We think he’d be awful proud.

Read the new issue at californiafreemason.org