Audubon Masonic Temple

The Highland Theater era

The structure that is known today as the Audubon Masonic temple has stood for well over 100 years, being built in the early 1900's. It was originally known as the Highland theater, then renamed to the "New" Highland theater in the mid 30's.

Highlands theater and neighbors - early 1900's	Highlands Theater early 1900's	Highlands Theater early 1900's
Highlands Theater early 1900's	Highlands Theater early 1900's

1952: Construction of the Temple

1952 Construction of the Temple

The New Highland Theater closed down and then became the new home of Audubon Lodge. In 1952, the brothers of the lodge began construction on the theater to convert it into a Masonic temple. Much of the original architecture including fixtures can still be found in the building today. For example, we still use the old theater lightning in our ceremonies!

The hallway to the candidate preparation room	Renovated restrooms	A view of the completed "West" of the lodge room from the "East"
A view of the temple including altar, sidelines from the balcony	Renovated restrooms with the doors open	Reconstruction of the basement which will become the kitchen and eating area
Brothers laying the sub floor in the main theater room. The original floor was angled toward the old screen so decking needed to be laid which you can still see under to this day in one of the closets in the temple	Brothers working in the main theater room	More work in the main room
Brothers posing for a photo during construction of the downstairs	Construction of the lodge room continues	Entrance to the lodge room being finished
Brothers pausing their labors for refreshment downstairs	More time for camaraderie and refreshment in our downstairs eating area	Deconstruction of the original theater seats and screen to begin to build the lodge room
Meal time with brothers and workmen	Reconstruction of the upstairs balcony and parts of the lodge room	Reconstruction o the lodge room, taking down the old screen
Craftsmans room	Brothers building out our downstairs
Renovation of the front lobby. The stairs on the right in the background are no longer there and has been replaced with a cloak room.

The Temple Today

The Temple Today

While not much has changed since the transformation from Highland theater to Audubon Masonic temple in 1952, the future is still yet to be written. The temple currently hosts other lodges and appendant bodies, and as we continue to open our doors to the public, we anticipate many more renovations in the future. While we have grandiose plans for renovations and improvements in the future, those come with a significant cost being such an old building.

If you would like to make a donation to our building restoration fund, please let us know on our Contact form or speaking with one of our members during an event. If you are a Mason and would like to contribute, please consider buying one of our custom designed shirts in our online store where all proceeds go to the lodge