Then and Now: Masonic Temple

Spokane's Masonic Temple is arguably the grandest building left from the fraternal club era that spanned the late 1900s and early 20th century in Spokane. Prominent buildings were also created for the Odd Fellows and Elks clubs, but neither matches the scale and grandeur of the neoclassical hall at 1110 W. Riverside Ave.

The tradition of Freemasonry and its symbols of the compass, square, level and plumb, date back to medieval times and the craftsmen who built the castles and cathedrals of ancient Britain. The first groups started in England and expanded to colonial America with men like George Washington and Ben Franklin. The group's values of fellowship, brotherhood and charity have made it the most enduring of the world's fraternities.

Spokane's first Freemasonry gathering in 1880 included city founder James Glover and spawned multiple chapters, called lodges. As each outgrew space around the city, a Masonic Temple Association was formed to raise money to build a central hall.

In May 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt, also a Mason, broke ground on Riverside Avenue and the cornerstone was laid in October 1904. More than $100,000 was spent on the building and land.

The building was completed in 1905 and in August the Freemasons dressed in black suits with their aprons, ceremonial sashes, chains and medallions for a processions to the new hall on Riverside Avenue. Masons from around the country came for the opening and the grand ball event.

When the building opened, membership was more than 1,200 and still growing. With the group's popularity, plans were laid for a massive expansion, which was opened in 1925 with 4,000 people in attendance. The auditoriums, banquet halls and meeting rooms would be used by generations of community groups and fraternal organizations.

The original building design came from architects John K. Dow and Loren L. Rand. The 1925 expansion was shepherded by architects Archibald Rigg and Roland Vantyne.

Freemasonry declined in membership in the late 20th century and the building was sold in 2013. The few remaining lodges in Spokane consolidated in the Spokane Masonic Center in the Selkirk Building at Second Avenue and Stevens Street in 2016.

The historic building, owned by businessman Greg Newell, is called Riverside Place and can be rented for shows and events.

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.