In an earlier post, we mentioned that the Lakeside Drive location was not the first for the Oakland Scottish Rite. Masonic lodges were operating in Oakland during the early 1850s, and the Oakland Scottish Rite was constituted in 1883. As Oakland grew, so did the organization; its members were some of the most well-known names in the Town’s early years. Names such as George Cooper Pardee, Mayor of Oakland (1893–1895), and later the governor of California (1903–1907) grace the membership rosters.
Below are photographs of the Oakland Scottish Rite’s first meeting places, all concentrated near downtown and on the western bank of Lake Merritt. These buildings are memorials to the wisdom, strength, and beauty that assisted humankind with constructing wondrous works of state and religious art. Whether or not Freemasonry exerted any historical influence on these endeavors is immaterial; the Craft employs these mythological and historical periods to teach, learn, and socialize. Few secular organizations possess these qualities, and, as such, our temples and halls represent a valid and unique contribution to the development of civic space and the cultivation of the social and intellectual graces. We are stewards of this honorable heritage–especially here in Oakland, where we have enjoyed three official Scottish Rite temples!
Oakland Masonic Temple, corner of Washington and 12th Streets (in this photo, the camera is looking west from Broadway). When the Oakland Scottish Rite was established in the town in 1883, it first met here. Photo: Arthur H. Andersen and Leon O. Whitsell, California’s First Century of Scottish Rite Masonry (Washington, DC: Supreme Council, A&ASR, SJ, 1963), 49.
Oakland Masonic Temple, corner of Washington and 12th Streets. When the Oakland Scottish Rite was established in the town in 1883, it first met here. 2022 All Rights Reserved. Oakland Scottish Rite/Harry Yetter Masonic Research Library.
The first official Scottish Rite temple at 305 Fourteenth Street, near Harrison, c.1896. Photo: Arthur H. Andersen and Leon O. Whitsell, California’s First Century of Scottish Rite Masonry (Washington, DC: Supreme Council, A&ASR, SJ, 1963), 55.
Interior of the Fourteenth Street temple: “DeMolay Hall.” Photo: Arthur H. Andersen and Leon O. Whitsell, California’s First Century of Scottish Rite Masonry (Washington, DC: Supreme Council, A&ASR, SJ, 1963), 59.
The Oakland Scottish Rite’s second temple at 1433 Madison, which is just down the street from the current meeting place (in fact, this photograph was taken from the current temple’s parking lot). It was completed in 1909. 2022 All Rights Reserved: Oakland Scottish Rite/Harry Yetter Masonic Research Library.
1909 opening day program featuring the splendid rooms within the Madison Street Oakland Scottish Rite Temple. 2022 All Rights Reserved: Oakland Scottish Rite/Harry Yetter Masonic Research Library.
1909 opening day program featuring the splendid rooms within the Madison Street Oakland Scottish Rite Temple. 2022 All Rights Reserved: Oakland Scottish Rite/Harry Yetter Masonic Research Library.
Dedication program for the opening day ceremonies of the Oakland Scottish Rite Temple on Lakeside Drive (then still a part of Oak Avenue), 1927. 2022 All Rights Reserved: Oakland Scottish Rite/Harry Yetter Masonic Research Library.