One hundred years have passed since the world’s largest masonic temple first opened its doors to the public.
A centennial later, the Masonic Temple Detroit is enjoying a new era of success.
It started when Jack White, one of Detroit’s biggest rock stars, paid the temple’s back taxes 13 years ago. Since then, a stabilizing partnership has brought a consistent wave of marquee concerts to its stages and contributed millions to renovations.
Now, the Masons who run the 14-story, 1,000-room facility want you to see it.
In 2025, this behemoth piece of Gothic architecture welcomed about 248,000 people for concerts, weddings, corporate events, and high school proms. That’s according to Ryan Groat, the general manager and executive director of the Masonic for the past four years, who oversees about 200 employees.
He’s not focused on important-sounding titles, though.
“My job depends on the day,” says Groat, a Freemason for 18 years. “Sometimes I’m the dishwasher.”
People in charge always make it sound like they’re not above any job, so I pressed him: When was the last time he’d actually washed dishes? “Last Friday for a 400-person wedding,” he laughs. “There is no job here that any of my people do that I wouldn’t do myself.”
There’s always been an ebb and flow to the Masonic’s success and failures, Groat says. But since White saved the building from foreclosure, things have been on the upswing.
Millions of dollars have gone into taking care of the guts of the building and restoring spaces like the Fountain Ballroom, Groat says. As for events like those like high school proms?
“Those young people? They fall in love and they come back for their weddings,” Groat says. “They become endeared to the building. It’s just as important to them as it is with any of the Freemasons in Detroit.”
Such was the case for White himself, who famously proposed to and married his girlfriend, Olivia Jean, during a 2022 concert at the Masonic (although they have since divorced).
One of the largest concert promoters, AEG, signed an exclusive operating and booking agreement to consistently bring concerts to the Masonic’s two concert venues: the Masonic Temple Theatre and the Jack White Theatre.
“You name it; they’ve played our stages,” Groat says. Back in the day, that meant names like Frank Sinatra, Nina Simone, and Judy Garland. The Detroit Symphony Orchestra was the first to perform there in 1926. Today, more contemporary acts like Lorde and LCD Soundsystem headline.
“Outside of that, after 100 years, I’m surprised at how much of an unknown it is with all of our other spaces,” Groat says.
The Masonic Temple is slated to celebrate its centennial with a gala on Oct. 17. The ticketed, red-carpet event is open to the public and billed as a night of “dinner, dancing, and live music” celebrating the venue’s past and “unlocking the door to [its] future.”
To Groat, that future involves making the Masonic more accessible to the public. He envisions a cocktail lounge with its own entrance, plus extended hours so patrons can hang out before or after a concert.
“Currently, you either have to buy a ticket or have an invitation or be a Freemason” to come to the Masonic, Groat says. “There’s nothing that’s publicly accessible daily. My goal is to make a space that invites the public in on any day of the week and experience the Masonic, soothing some of the intrigue that our castle facade puts out there.”
One hundred years on, the Masonic’s never been more intriguing inside and out.
Ryan Patrick Hooper is the host of In the Groove on 101.9 WDET Detroit Public Radio (weekdays from noon to 3 p.m.).
|
|
|
|
|
|
