The neo-gothic architecture of Masonic Temple towers 210 feet into the Detroit skyline. 16 floors of limestone and steel are home to two grand theatres and countless mysteries. Here are a few interesting facts to tickle your inner Cliff Clavin.

  • The Masonic opened in 1926 after six years of construction at a cost of $6.5 million (about $1.1 billion in today’s dollars).
  • There are seven Lodge Rooms in the building, each with a theme. These include: Italian Renaissance, Egyptian, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, Byzantine, Gothic, and Romanesque styles
  • The cornerstone was placed at noon September 19, 1922, using the same trowel that George Washington had used to set the cornerstone of the United States Capitol in Washington D.C.
  • The theatre has hosted everyone from Duke Ellington to Snoop Dogg, including Prince & the Revolution, INXS, Nina Simone, Miles Davis, Blondie, Bob Dylan, Marshmello, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Who and the Rolling Stones.
  • Jack White of The White Stripes saved the Masonic from foreclosure in 2013. He paid the $150,000 the Masonic owed in back taxes in honor of his mother who once worked at the theatre as an usher. The 1,500 seat Scottish Rite theatre was renamed the Jack White Theater in his honor.
  • This will be the second TEDxDetroit at the Masonic. Only one other venue has hosted two TEDxDetroit events: The Fox Theatre.
  • Since 2011, the Masonic has been the home of the annual Halloween burlesque masquerade/art installation known as “Greatest Masquerade on the Earth” – Theatre Bizarre. TEDxDetroit 2018 featured a talk from Theatre Bizarre creator John Dunivant and a performance by the Theatre Bizarre Orchestra featuring 40 stunt performers, dancers, and fire-artists.
  • There is an unfinished theatre and a massive unfinished swimming pool in the Masonic. The Great Depression halted the construction of the two projects. In its heyday, the building also boasted a barbershop, shoeshine parlor, bakery, cigar store, roof-top gardens, and 15 bowling alleys.
  • The original Mason drill hall has been converted to a roller derby arena and is now home to the Detroit Roller Derby League.
  • Detroit’s Masonic Temple is the largest Masonic Temple in the world and the stage in the main theater is the second largest in the US