Atlanta's Historic Prince Hall Temple Reopens After $14 Million Renovation

Photo: W.C. Thomas Lodge 112 Facebook Page

by Christopher Hodapp

The Atlanta Prince Hall Masonic Temple, a center of African American Freemasonry and civil rights history, just reopened on February 11th after a whopping $14 million renovation.

The Atlanta temple was built between 1937 and 1941 under the guidance of John Wesley Dobbs, a powerhouse civic leader who was basically the unofficial mayor of Atlanta’s Sweet Auburn neighborhood. This place wasn't just a lodge hall; it was a buzzing hub for Black enterprise and activism.

In its heyday, the building housed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) starting in 1957—their very first headquarters. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had his only known office there, a windowless little spot where he plotted strategy and dreamed big. The National Parks Service has made the Temple part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park, and, using photos of King's office as a guide, will eventually restore the room to appear as it did in the 1960s.

Upstairs, you'd find WERD, the nation's first Black-owned radio station, where DJs like "Jockey Jack" Gibson spun records and dropped civil rights updates. And there was Madam C.J. Walker's Beauty Shoppe—an enterprise of America's first self-made female millionaire (whose company was based in my own hometown of Indianapolis). During the 1960s, when segregation battles made safe gathering spots scarce, this temple was where black leaders could meet without looking over their shoulders. Legends say King even did radio interviews by dangling a phone out the window to the station below. 

The restored ballroom

But like so many historic gems, the temple fell on hard times as Sweet Auburn faced disinvestment and urban decay. It landed on the National Trust for Historic Preservation's "11 Most Endangered Places" list back in the '90s, and by the 2010s, it needed serious attention. Enter a powerhouse partnership: The Trust for Public Land teamed up with the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Georgia, Invest Atlanta, the National Park Service, and generous donors like the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation and the Georgia Pacific Foundation. Starting in 2022, they poured in the cash—$10 million for the core reno, plus a fresh $1.4 million grant from billionaire philanthropist Robert Smith to jazz it up with immersive exhibits.

I'm presuming this is for a new Prince Hall Grand lodge of Georgia office area?
Photo: W.C. Thomas Lodge 112 Facebook Page 

The result is a 16,000-square-foot space that's been lovingly restored to blend old-school charm with modern flair. They matched paint colors to vintage photos, reinstalled the iconic WERD sign, replaced its deteriorated green window frames, and restored the neon Prince Hall Masons sign out front to beckon visitors. The Masons get to keep the top floor for their meetings and events. The rest is now primed for public tours, education, and interpretation as part of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, which it officially joined in 2018. With over a million visitors flocking to the park each year, this addition is set to shine a light on the intertwined stories of Freemasonry, civil rights, and black community resilience.

Photo: W.C. Thomas Lodge 112 Facebook Page 

At the ribbon-cutting, heavy hitters like Prince Hall Grand Master Primus James, Invest Atlanta CEO Dr. Eloisa Klementich. Atlanta historian Reverend Dr. Herman “Skip” Mason, Dr. Kevin James, President of Morris Brown College and Arthur Clement, who is one of PGM John Wesley Dobbs’ grandsons, were there. And Martin Luther King III and Park Superintendent Reggie Chapple both weighed in on why this matters. King III put it best: Preserving places like this helps "institutionalize the dream" of his parents and avoid repeating history's mistakes.

Speaking of history’s mistakes, in a world where historic Masonic buildings sometimes get sold off, bulldozed for parking lots, or just ignored to death and left to crumble (I'm looking at you, way too many jurisdictions), it's refreshing to see one get the royal treatment it deserves occasionally.

If you're in Atlanta or planning a Masonic road trip, add this to your list. It's not just a building—it's a testament to how Freemasonry has been a quiet force for progress, especially in communities that needed it most.

Maybe it'll inspire a few more lodges to dust off their own histories before we let them fade away.

(Thanks to Br. Dave Gillarm at the Prince Hall Think Tank podcast for alerting me on this story.)