Lost house of worship, Detroit, 1895 to 1936
Masonic Temple (old)
Demolished in 1936
- Opened
- 1895
- Style
- Romanesque Revival
- Torn down
- 1936
Designed by George D. Mason and Mason & Rice
Masonic Temple (old) stood in Detroit from 1895 until 1936. Here is what it was, who made it and where to find the spot today.
Then and now
What stands there now
Today
Comerica Bank Center
9 stories, Commercial building
Detroit's Masonic Temple, designed by George D. Mason and Mason & Rice, stood on this corner for 41 years. Today the Comerica Bank Center stands in its place: 9 stories.
- 1895 Opens Masonic Temple (old)
- 1935 Closes Masonic Temple (old)
- 1936 Comes down Masonic Temple (old)
- 2026 Today Comerica Bank Center
How we know what stands there
- OpenStreetMap Comerica Bank Center, commercial building at the map point
Checked October 25, 2026. We never guess: a site no source speaks for shows no answer.
What is there now
Comerica Bank Center
- Today 9 stories, commercial building Source: OpenStreetMap
- Masonic Temple (old) came down Source: Historic Detroit
We checked Wikidata, Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Rebuild Detroit's landmark records and the county parcel records on October 25, 2026.
The story
Masonic Temple (old) went up in 1895, as Detroit's lumber, stove and shipbuilding money went into brick and stone.
Credit the design to George D. Mason and Mason & Rice, in the Romanesque Revival style.
It is gone now, demolished in 1936, and the map pin below marks where it stood.
Timeline
- 1895 Built Designed by George D. Mason and Mason & Rice
- 1935 Closed
- 1936 Demolished
- 2026 Today 90 years since it came down
Where it is
Lafayette Boulevard and First Street
On this map
- 1 Masonic Temple (old) This place
- 2 Comerica Bank Center 160 ft
- 3 Fort Shelby Hotel 230 ft
- 4 Mercier Building 250 ft
- 5 American Legion Hall 290 ft
- 6 Grace Protestant Episcopal Church 360 ft
- 7 Polk Directory Building 370 ft
- 8 Detroit Club 470 ft
- 9 Free Press Building 500 ft
Street map from OpenStreetMap contributors
Who made it
Architect
George D. MasonAmerican architect, 1856 to 1948. Designed the Lincoln Motor Company Plant (1917) and 39 more in Metro Detroit
Also by George D. Mason
- Ransom Gillis House 1876
- Cass Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church 1883
- Marine City City Hall 1884
- Thompson Home 1884
- Engine House No. 18 1892
- Trinity Episcopal Church 1893
Thompson Home, by Mason & Rice. Photo: Andrew Jameson at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Architect
Mason & RiceArchitecture firm. Designed Trinity Episcopal Church (1893) and 11 more in Metro Detroit
Also by Mason & Rice
- Peninsular Stove Co. 1882
- Thompson Home 1884
- Bowles Building 1887
- Gilbert W. Lee House 1888
- Ecumenical Theological Seminary 1891
- Alexander Blain Hospital 1892
More from Detroit in the 1890s
-
Harmonie Club
Building, built 1895, Beaux Arts, by Richard E. Raseman
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Coronado Apartments
Building, built 1894, Romanesque Revival, by William S. Joy
Photo: Andrew Jameson at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Hurlbut Memorial Gate
Monument, built 1894, Beaux Arts
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Majestic Building
Building, built 1896, Beaux Arts, by Daniel H. Burnham, demolished 1961
Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress
-
![Belle Isle Pavilion, [Pavilion, Belle Isle Park, Detroit, Mich.]](https://rebuilddetroit.com/wp-content/uploads/rd-photos/landmarks/landmark-4294-2180-thumb-512916ec9d.jpg)
Belle Isle Pavilion
Building, built 1893, by Spier & Rohns, demolished 1950
Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress
-
![Floral Clock at Water Works Park, Floral clock, Water [Works] Park, Detroit, Mich.](https://rebuilddetroit.com/wp-content/uploads/rd-photos/landmarks/landmark-4470-2305-thumb-1a3e4ef4e0.jpg)
Floral Clock at Water Works Park
Monument, built 1893
Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress
Around the block
- Comerica Bank Center Building, built 1971, by Louis G. Redstone & Associates 160 ft
-
Fort Shelby Hotel
Hotel, built 1918, Neoclassical, by Albert Kahn
Photo: Mikerussell at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
230 ft
- Mercier Building Building, built 1928 250 ft
- American Legion Hall Building, built 1917, by Van Leyen & Schilling, demolished 1964 290 ft
- Grace Protestant Episcopal Church House of worship, built 1870, by Gordon W. Lloyd, demolished 360 ft
- Polk Directory Building Building, built 1924, by Richard H. Marr, demolished 1994 370 ft
-
Detroit Club
Building, built 1891, Richardsonian Romanesque, by Wilson Eyre
Photo: Mikerussell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
470 ft
-
Free Press Building
Building, built 1925, Art Deco, by Albert Kahn
Photo: w_lemay, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
500 ft
Sources
Facts only, gathered from these sources. The story above is written by Rebuild Detroit. Every photo names its author and license where it appears.