Hollywood Masonic Temple
Encyclopedia
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. The building was designed by architect John C. Austin
, also noted as the lead architect of the Griffith Observatory
. In 2002, the Los Angeles Times
described the building this way:
In 1921, the Hollywood lodge of the Masons
relocated from their existing lodge on the current site of the Kodak Theatre
. 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.
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. 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
. Stories of a secret tunnel running from Grauman's Chinese theater under Hollywood Boulevard to the Masonic Temple have been confirmed by current ABC employees (specifically employees of the Jimmy Kimmel Live show), however the tunnel has been sealed off and cannot be accessed anymore. It's said that the tunnel served as a means of transporting illegal liquor to and from both establishments during prohibition. This tunnel would have been demolished for the construction of the subway line under Hollywood Boulevard.
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
. 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.
The building's life with LaBello's opera and theater company was short-lived, and in 1987 the building was renovated and reopened with much fanfare as the Hollywood Live Entertainment Pavilions. Detroit developer, James Hoseyni, invested $1.5 million to convert the building into a versatile entertainment center including a cabaret, jazz club, and an 800-person dance club. The lavish interiors of the original Blue and Red Halls were restored and adapted to accommodate a disc jockey's podium, special electronic and lighting equipment and bars.
." In 1998, Disney purchased the building. In 2002, after extensive renovation, Disney reopened the building as the El Capitan Entertainment Centre. Disney restored original fixtures, including backlighted stone filigree
, wrought iron torchiere
s, Batchelder
tiles and old post boxes once used by Masonic officers. As of 2008, ABC's
late-night
talk show
Jimmy Kimmel Live! originates from a studio in the building.
Hollywood Boulevard
-Revitalization:In recent years successful efforts have been made at cleaning up Hollywood Blvd., as the street had gained a reputation for crime and seediness. Central to these efforts was the construction of the Hollywood and Highland shopping center and adjacent Kodak Theatre in 2001...
in Hollywood, California that was listed in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1985. The building was designed by architect John C. Austin
John C. Austin
John Corneby Wilson Austin was an architect and civic leader who participated in the design of several landmark buildings in Southern California, including the Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles City Hall, and the Shrine Auditorium.- Life :Born in Bodicote, Oxfordshire, England, Austin was an...
, also noted as the lead architect of the Griffith Observatory
Griffith Observatory
Griffith Observatory is in Los Angeles, California, United States. Sitting on the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood in L.A.'s Griffith Park, it commands a view of the Los Angeles Basin, including downtown Los Angeles to the southeast, Hollywood to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest...
. In 2002, the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
described the building this way:
"It's an impassive presence that seems to transcend the ebb and flow of Tinseltown glamour—a somber NeoclassicalNeoclassical architectureNeoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
temple that stands in stark contrast to the evolving parade of movers, shakers, panhandlers and paparazzi that have passed before it."
The Masonic Temple
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
relocated from their existing lodge on the current site of the Kodak Theatre
Kodak Theatre
The Kodak Theatre is a live theatre in the Hollywood and Highland shopping mall and entertainment complex on Hollywood Boulevard and North Highland Avenue in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles...
. The construction of the new three-story building was led by lodge master, Charles E. Toberman
Charles E. Toberman
Charles E. Toberman was a real estate developer who was known as "Mr. Hollywood" and the "Father of Hollywood" for his role in developing Hollywood and many of its landmarks, including the Hollywood Bowl, Grauman's Chinese Theater, El Capitan Theatre, the Roosevelt Hotel, the Grauman's Egyptian...
, who was responsible for the Hollywood Bowl
Hollywood Bowl
The Hollywood Bowl is a modern amphitheater in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, California, United States that is used primarily for music performances...
, Grauman's Chinese Theatre
Grauman's Chinese Theatre
Grauman's Chinese Theatre is a movie theater at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood. It is on the historic Hollywood Walk of Fame.The Chinese Theatre was commissioned following the success of the nearby Grauman's Egyptian Theatre which opened in 1922...
, the Roosevelt Hotel and the Max Factor
Max Factor
Max Factor & Company is a cosmetics company, founded during 1909 by Maksymilian Faktorowicz , Max Factor, a Polish-Jewish cosmetician. Max Factor & Company was a related, two-family, multi-generational international cosmetics company before its sale in 1973 for $500 million dollars...
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.
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
Shrine Auditorium
The Shrine Auditorium is a landmark large-event venue, in Los Angeles, California, USA. It is also the headquarters of the Al Malaikah Temple, a division of the Shriners.-History:...
, Griffith Observatory and Los Angeles City Hall
Los Angeles City Hall
Los Angeles City Hall, completed 1928, is the center of the government of the city of Los Angeles, California, and houses the mayor's office and the meeting chambers and offices of the Los Angeles City Council...
.
The grand ballroom was opened in February 1923; the opening ball featured a program on “the evolution of dance” featuring dancer Lucille Means. Many of Hollywood's elite over the years have been Masons, including Oliver Hardy
Oliver Hardy
Oliver Hardy was an American comic actor famous as one half of Laurel and Hardy, the classic double act that began in the era of silent films and lasted nearly 30 years, from 1927 to 1955.-Early life:...
, Harold Lloyd
Harold Lloyd
Harold Clayton Lloyd, Sr. was an American film actor and producer, most famous for his silent comedies....
, Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films such as The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Mark of Zorro....
, W.C. Fields, Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil Blount DeMille was an American film director and Academy Award-winning film producer in both silent and sound films. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies...
, D.W. Griffith, John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
, Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers, born Leonard Franklin Slye , was an American singer and cowboy actor, one of the most heavily marketed and merchandised stars of his era, as well as being the namesake of the Roy Rogers Restaurants franchised chain...
and Gene Autry
Gene Autry
Orvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...
. Stories of a secret tunnel running from Grauman's Chinese theater under Hollywood Boulevard to the Masonic Temple have been confirmed by current ABC employees (specifically employees of the Jimmy Kimmel Live show), however the tunnel has been sealed off and cannot be accessed anymore. It's said that the tunnel served as a means of transporting illegal liquor to and from both establishments during prohibition. This tunnel would have been demolished for the construction of the subway line under Hollywood Boulevard.
During the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, 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
Slot machine
A slot machine , informally fruit machine , the slots , poker machine or "pokies" or simply slot is a casino gambling machine with three or more reels which spin when a button is pushed...
. 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
D. W. Griffith
David Llewelyn Wark Griffith was a premier pioneering American film director. He is best known as the director of the controversial and groundbreaking 1915 film The Birth of a Nation and the subsequent film Intolerance .Griffith's film The Birth of a Nation made pioneering use of advanced camera...
. In 1969, longtime Mason, Harold Lloyd
Harold Lloyd
Harold Clayton Lloyd, Sr. was an American film actor and producer, most famous for his silent comedies....
, was honored in a ceremony as his name was placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
, in a location directly in front of the Masonic Temple.
Opera theater and nightclub
By the late 1970s, Masonic membership had declined, and the Masons rented out ground-floor space to a restaurant. By 1982, the Masons were no longer using the building, and Hollywood Boulevard was becoming an eyesore. The Masons sold the building to singer Rosita LaBello who converted the structure into the Hollywood Opera & Theater Company.The building's life with LaBello's opera and theater company was short-lived, and in 1987 the building was renovated and reopened with much fanfare as the Hollywood Live Entertainment Pavilions. Detroit developer, James Hoseyni, invested $1.5 million to convert the building into a versatile entertainment center including a cabaret, jazz club, and an 800-person dance club. The lavish interiors of the original Blue and Red Halls were restored and adapted to accommodate a disc jockey's podium, special electronic and lighting equipment and bars.
Renovation by Disney and Jimmy Kimmel Live
With the renovation of the El Capitan Theater next door in the early 1990s, Disney began leasing the building for special events, including its use as a "toy box" for the 1995 premiere of "Toy StoryToy Story
Toy Story is a 1995 American computer-animated film released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is Pixar's first feature film as well as the first ever feature film to be made entirely with CGI. The film was directed by John Lasseter and featuring the voices of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen...
." In 1998, Disney purchased the building. In 2002, after extensive renovation, Disney reopened the building as the El Capitan Entertainment Centre. Disney restored original fixtures, including backlighted stone filigree
Filigree
Filigree is a delicate kind of jewellery metalwork made with twisted threads usually of gold and silver or stitching of the same curving motifs. It often suggests lace, and in recent centuries remains popular in Indian and other Asian metalwork, and French from 1660 to the late 19th century...
, wrought iron torchiere
Torchiere
A torchiere , or torch lamp, is a lamp with a tall stand of wood or metal. Originally, torchieres were candelabra, usually with two or three lights...
s, Batchelder
Ernest A. Batchelder
Ernest A. Batchelder was an artist and educator who made Southern California his home in the early 20th century. He is famous as a maker of art tiles and as a leader in the American Arts and Crafts Movement....
tiles and old post boxes once used by Masonic officers. As of 2008, ABC's
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
late-night
Late night television
Late night television in the United States is the block of television programming airing after 11:00 pm and usually through 2:00 am. Traditionally, this type of programming airs after the late local news and is most notable for being the daypart used for a particular genre of programming that falls...
talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
Jimmy Kimmel Live! originates from a studio in the building.