The Masonic Temple in North Hollywood is up for consideration as the city's newest cultural monument after Councilmember Paul Krekorian introduced a motion last week calling on officials to include the 64-year-old building in the city's list of Historic-Cultural Monuments.
The city's Cultural Heritage Commission will now consider the matter before sending it to the Planning and Land Use Management Committee and back to the City Council for final review.
The Masonic Temple, built in 1949 at 5122 Tujunga Ave., is "one of the few remaining examples of Exotic Revival architecture with elements of Mayan Revival and exhibits high quality of design," the Councilmember wrote in his motion, which you can see here.
"It is also a grandly scaled example of a Masonic lodge in Los Angeles, representing the prominence of the North Hollywood chapter from the immediate post-World War II era."
For some, the Masonic Temple is already a part of living history. The Museum of the San Fernando Valley includes it on its North Hollywood walking tour, which also includes stops at the Lankershim Arts Center, built in 1939, and the So. Pacific Railroad Depot, built in 1886.
If you support including the Masonic Temple on the city's registry of historic buildings, let us know by emailing councilmember.krekorian@lacity.org.
According to Martin Faulks in Britain, Brother Michael Baigent, best-selling author of Holy Blood, Holy Grail, and former Freemasonry Today editor, passed away last night. He had received a liver transplant in April 2008. RIP.
In a lawsuit filed June 11 in Genesee County Circuit Court by Nicholas Singelis II, the Clio-based Elf Khurafeh Shrine Temple, along with 11 members —commonly known as Shriners — are accused of allowing illegal sexual activities to take place during an initiation ceremony held Nov. 3, 2012, at the organization’s Circus Park facility in Vienna Township.
Singelis is a former Shriner and former employee of Elf Khurafeh Shrine Temple. According to his lawsuit, Singelis was fired in March after he reported the alleged incident to leaders of both Elf Khurafeh Shrine Temple and Shriners International, the overarching arm of the more than 140-year-old fraternal organization best known for its pediatric hospitals and circuses
The claim in the lawsuit is denied by several members and officers of the Elf Khurafeh Shrine Temple. A spokesperson for the Elf Khurafeh Shrine Temple declined to comment on the claims.
Singelis also is a defendant in a lawsuit filed March 10 in Saginaw County Circuit Court by Elf Khurafeh Shrine Temple that alleges he was involved in embezzling money from the organization. Singelis denies the claim.
Shriners International, in a statement released June 11, noted the organization is aware of both lawsuits and is investigating the claims.
Singelis, in his lawsuit, says he was terminated from his job as retaliation after he threatened to tell his story to “the appropriate governmental authorities.”
He also said in the lawsuit he was told by fellow members of the Elf Khurafeh Shrine Temple to “shut his mouth,” and that he felt threatened by members of the organization.
He said in a letter included in the lawsuit that sources told him prostitutes were hired and had sex with members of the Elf Khurafeh Shrine Temple during a Nov. 3, 2012, event.
He said he did not directly witness any acts of prostitution by the organization or its members, but said other members, as well as non-members, told him that Circus Park, where Elf Khurafeh’s offices are located, was being used for “illegal sexual activity” during a Shriner initiation ceremony.
The lawsuit states this illegal activity involved members of The Royal Order of Jesters Court No. 74 and El Hajj Tassel No. 13, two subgroups chartered by Elf Khurafeh Shrine Temple.
“I have received numerous complaints regarding these acts, from Nobles and non-members stating that not only is this unlawful; it is against Shrine Law,” Singelis says he wrote in a letter to former Elf Khurafeh Potentate Alan Basner, the organization’s leader. The letter is included in Singelis’ lawsuit.
Basner denies the claims made in Singelis’ lawsuit.
Other members also deny the claims.
“In my opinion, this is just his way of trying to make us look bad,” said Ronald Huston, an Elf Khurafeh member who is named in the lawsuit.
“It’s ridiculous. It sounds like sour grapes to me,” added Dick Bartlett, director of the Royal Order of Jesters Court No. 74, who is not named in Singelis’ lawsuit.
More Shriners respond to accusationsIn a press release issued June 11 by Clio attorney Robert L. Swartwood, general counsel to Elf Khurafeh Shrine Temple, Swartwood states that none of the members named in Singelis' lawsuit have yet been served with notice of the lawsuit.
"As nobody has been served in that matter to date, Elf Khurafeh Shriners cannot comment on it or the nature of any legal matter pending before the courts at this time," Swartwood wrote.
Former Potentate and current Recorder Clarence W. Meyer Jr., who is named in Singelis’ lawsuit, declined to respond directly to the accusations, though he did say the organization intends to pursue a slander lawsuit against the former employee.
Another longtime Jester, Donald P. Link — also named as a defendant in Singelis’ lawsuit — denied knowledge of the alleged prostitution at Royal Order of Jesters meetings or events.
“I haven’t seen any of it,” Link said.
Huston, a past director of The Royal Order of Jesters Court No. 74, said he has been a Jester for about 15 years. He referenced a 2005 FBI case, in which it was determined prostitutes were taken across the border into Canada for a Royal Order of Jesters national convention.
Huston said that incident gave Jesters a bad name, and resulted in very strict policies against such behavior for members and Courts across the country.
"We've done everything we can to make sure that doesn't happen," he said. "We won't tolerate it."
State Rep. Charles Smiley, D-Burton, also is named as a defendant in Singelis’ lawsuit. He said he was never a member of the Jesters Court, but was at one time a member of El Hajj. He said he has no knowledge of the alleged prostitution and said he was not present at the Nov. 3, 2012, event at Circus Park.
Lawsuit against SingelisThe lawsuit filed in March 2013 by the Elf Khurafeh Shrine Temple alleges that Singelis and a former potentate of the organization, Craig Hatch together embezzled and mishandle temple funds.
Singelis' alleged embezzlement, according to several current Elf Khurafeh members and leaders, was the reason his employment was terminated.
According to the lawsuit, Singelis and Hatch improperly handled hundreds of thousands of dollars in organization funds. The complaint claims Singelis used a debit card to spend thousands of dollars of Shrine funds on “products and services that appear to have no legitimate relationship to the (association’s) fraternal or charitable activities.”
Swartwood, in his press release, said Elf Khurafeh has an ongoing investigation into possible missing funds. Neither Singelis nor Hatch have been charged with any criminal wrongdoing in connection with those allegations.
"The nobility and leadership of Elf Khurafeh Shriners have identified some possible improprieties in our bookkeeping procedures resulting in the discovery of certain funds not being totally accounted for," he wrote. "Due to these circumstances, our leadership has directed complete auditing of all accounts and investigation of all matters pertaining to the security of these funds."
Saginaw County Prosecutor John McColgan said his office is investigating the embezzlement claims, but said the case might not remain with his office.
"It's so big," McColgan said. "I think we were looking at the Attorney General or even the U.S. District Attorney taking it."
Singelis’ attorney in the lawsuit filed against him in Saginaw County filed a “change of venue” motion in May, arguing that Saginaw County is not the appropriate jurisdiction for the lawsuit to be argued, a fact which is disputed by the organization’s attorney.
After a change of venue hearing on May 20, the matter was taken under advisement by Circuit Court Judge James T. Borchard. According to court records, 120 days have been afforded for discovery and a case evaluation is set to be scheduled after Oct. 6, 2013.
Singelis said he hopes, by exposing the wrongdoing he is alleging, to right any wrong he did by promoting the organization.
"I spoke for this organization for three years," he said.
Huston said he hopes the one thing that doesn't get lost in the legal battles yet to come is the good done by the organization and the philanthropic actions of many of its members.
"The majority of Shriners are dedicated individuals," he said. "We've got guys who have made hundreds of trips to Chicago taking kids to the hospital there."
The Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts and the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library have partnered to produce Curiosities of the Craft: Treasures from the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts Collection.
On July 30, 1733, Henry Price (1697-1780), appointed by the Grand Lodge of England, gathered his Masonic brothers at a Boston tavern and formed what would become known as the Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts. Over the following 280 years, the Grand Lodge withstood wars, anti-Masonic sentiment and fires. At the same time, the Grand Lodge amassed a collection of Masonic and historic objects, mementos and documents that tell not only its story, but also the story of Boston, New England and the United States.
Drawing on new research by authors Aimee E. Newell, Hilary Anderson Stelling and Catherine Compton Swanson, the book includes over 130 highlights from the Grand Lodge collection of more than 10,000 items acquired since 1733. These objects represent the rich heritage of Freemasonry in Massachusetts and tell stories of life in the fraternity, in the state and around the world. Some items were made or used by Massachusetts Masons, while others have associations with famous American Freemasons, such as George Washington (1732-1799) and Paul Revere (1734-1818).
Introduced with a history of the Grand Lodge collection, the catalog treats the themes of Traditions and Roots, Ritual and Ceremony, Gifts and Charity, Brotherhood and Community, and Memory and Commemoration. Through the treasures of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts collection, this publication explores the ordinary men, craftsmen and extraordinary leaders who built and sustained Freemasonry in Massachusetts for centuries.
To purchase the catalogue for $44.95 (plus sales tax and shipping), contact the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts at 617-426-6040 or order online at www.massfreemasonry.org.
Issue 20 of the Journal of the Masonic Society is winging its way to the printer. Articles include:by John T. Anthony Parsons
Not a member of the Masonic Society yet? Visit http://www.themasonicsociety.com and sign up for a paltry $39 a year. You'll get a membership card, lapel pin, four issues of the best Masonic magazine available, and the drop dead, coolest membership patent you've ever seen.
The Masonic Temple has paid off its back tax bill to the city of Detroit, after an anonymous donor contributed the entire outstanding total of $142,000. According to the Wayne County Treasurer’s office, the payment posted Thursday, just four days before the June 3 deadline that would have sent the world’s largest Masonic Temple to the county auction block.
“That was a blessing,” Masonic Temple Association President Roger Sobran said Thursday.
The payment had been wired much earlier in the month, according to David Szymanski, Wayne County’s chief deputy treasurer, but information identifying the parcel was missing so the payment wasn’t credited until Thursday. An earlier payment of $10,000 on the bill was made in April, Sobran said, and a Masonic lodge contributed additional money Wednesday.
The building takes up the entire 500 block of Temple Street just north of downtown. It has 1,037 rooms and multiple theater and entertainment venues. It was placed on the state’s Historic Registry in 1964 and the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Generations of Metro Detroiters have seen stage productions, concerts, graduations and other events at the facility. Construction began in 1920 and the temple was dedicated in 1926.
The temple association fell behind on its taxes after a brief partnership last year with a management company that left the association $500,000 in debt. That partnership has ended and there now is a lawsuit between the two parties, Sobran said. While the threat of a tax auction has been stayed, the partnership that prompted the Masonic’s financial difficulty has emerged as another threat to the association’s continued ownership of the temple.
A lawsuit and counter lawsuit over breach of contract and related issues pending in Wayne County Circuit Court show that the Masonic Association entered into a purchase agreement to sell the building to Halberd Holdings LLC, which was also contracted to manage the temple. But the Masons terminated the contract because the management company “failed in its mission” to operate the temple. The formal relationship between the two began in October 2011 and ended in November 2012, according to court documents.
In the suit, the association contends Halberd failed to pay bills or employees on time, stole parking lot revenue, lost deposits from clients and allowed underage drinking at the concert of DJ Pauly D, star of the “Jersey Shore” reality show. The suit also alleges a Halberd employee may have made “racially derogatory comments about African-Americans.”
The lawsuit further claims that Halberd hired a convicted sex offender, and that a worker overseeing tax and accounting services had been convicted of bank fraud.
The lawsuit states: “Halberd completely failed in its mission ... resulting in promoters refusing to do business with the Masonic Temple, vendors refusing to provide services without upfront payments.” Attorneys for the group declined comment Friday.
The counter-suit filed by Halberd says the Masonic Temple was overwhelmed with $900,000 debt when the management company stepped in and the relationship with the association quickly deteriorated.
The suit is still wending its way through court. In the meantime, the Temple has hosted a sold-out show that sold 4,200 tickets to see Sixto Rodriguez, the Detroit guitarist and singer who toiled in obscurity until he was highlighted by the recent Oscar-winning documentary of his career, “Searching for Sugar Man.”
Upcoming shows include both Engelbert Humperdinck and Adam Ant, plus the temple is used as a film location for movies and television shows, and is rented for weddings, Sobran said, including two this weekend.
“That was a blessing,” Masonic Temple Association President Roger Sobran said Thursday.
The payment had been wired much earlier in the month, according to David Szymanski, Wayne County’s chief deputy treasurer, but information identifying the parcel was missing so the payment wasn’t credited until Thursday. An earlier payment of $10,000 on the bill was made in April, Sobran said, and a Masonic lodge contributed additional money Wednesday.
The building takes up the entire 500 block of Temple Street just north of downtown. It has 1,037 rooms and multiple theater and entertainment venues. It was placed on the state’s Historic Registry in 1964 and the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Generations of Metro Detroiters have seen stage productions, concerts, graduations and other events at the facility. Construction began in 1920 and the temple was dedicated in 1926.
The temple association fell behind on its taxes after a brief partnership last year with a management company that left the association $500,000 in debt. That partnership has ended and there now is a lawsuit between the two parties, Sobran said. While the threat of a tax auction has been stayed, the partnership that prompted the Masonic’s financial difficulty has emerged as another threat to the association’s continued ownership of the temple.
A lawsuit and counter lawsuit over breach of contract and related issues pending in Wayne County Circuit Court show that the Masonic Association entered into a purchase agreement to sell the building to Halberd Holdings LLC, which was also contracted to manage the temple. But the Masons terminated the contract because the management company “failed in its mission” to operate the temple. The formal relationship between the two began in October 2011 and ended in November 2012, according to court documents.
In the suit, the association contends Halberd failed to pay bills or employees on time, stole parking lot revenue, lost deposits from clients and allowed underage drinking at the concert of DJ Pauly D, star of the “Jersey Shore” reality show. The suit also alleges a Halberd employee may have made “racially derogatory comments about African-Americans.”
The lawsuit further claims that Halberd hired a convicted sex offender, and that a worker overseeing tax and accounting services had been convicted of bank fraud.
The lawsuit states: “Halberd completely failed in its mission ... resulting in promoters refusing to do business with the Masonic Temple, vendors refusing to provide services without upfront payments.” Attorneys for the group declined comment Friday.
The counter-suit filed by Halberd says the Masonic Temple was overwhelmed with $900,000 debt when the management company stepped in and the relationship with the association quickly deteriorated.
The suit is still wending its way through court. In the meantime, the Temple has hosted a sold-out show that sold 4,200 tickets to see Sixto Rodriguez, the Detroit guitarist and singer who toiled in obscurity until he was highlighted by the recent Oscar-winning documentary of his career, “Searching for Sugar Man.”
Upcoming shows include both Engelbert Humperdinck and Adam Ant, plus the temple is used as a film location for movies and television shows, and is rented for weddings, Sobran said, including two this weekend.
The anonymous benefactor who recently paid the entire $142,000 balance in taxes to prevent Detroit’s Masonic Temple from falling into foreclosure was revealed today to be musician Jack White.
The Detroit-born White has performed on stage on several occasions at the Temple and partly grew up there when his mother served as an usher there.
In announcing Jack White’s identity as the anonymous donor, Detroit Masonic Temple Association President Roger Sobran stated: “Jack’s donation could not have come at a better time and we are eternally grateful to him for it. Jack’s magnanimous generosity and unflinching loyalty to this historic building and his Detroit roots is appreciated beyond words.”
Sobran added: “In light of Jack’s generosity and belief in the importance of a strong, vital Temple that should and will be available to future generations of Detroiters, the Masonic Temple Association will be naming, in Jack’s honor, our Cathedral Theater, the ‘Jack White Theater.’”
The Jack White Theater is a 27,878-square-foot venue with a seating capacity of 1,586.
“We could not be more humbled to bestow this honor on Jack,” Sobran said.
Now 37, White is a singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor best known as the vocalist, guitarist and pianist of The White Stripes until they split in 2011. He has collaborated with numerous other major musicians including The Rolling Stones, Alicia Keys, and Bob Dylan.
Meanwhile, a lodge or individual who wishes to make a donation can visit the Detroit Masonic Temple website athttp://www.themasonic.com where they can contribute by clicking on the “Support the Temple” tab on the far left side of the homepage.
