TempleLive Abruptly Closes; Operated Former Masonic Temples in Four Cities

by Christopher Hodapp

A bold vision to try and save historic Masonic temples has tragically failed, apparently. Or at least struck a sizeable reef. News sources in Cleveland, Ohio reported last week that TempleLive, the company operating the Cleveland Masonic Temple and several other landmark Masonic theater venues, seems to have folded. Shows have been canceled, performers have been unable to get responses, and the company isn't answering phone calls. The company website is also down. 

If they really have folded, it's a sad setback for the historic Masonic temples in Cleveland, and Columbus, Ohio, along with Wichita in Kansas, and Ft. Smith in Arkansas, all recently renovated by TempleLive to the tune of tens of millions of dollars. But TempleLive wasn't owned or affiliated with the two or three mega-promotion companies that monopolize the concert business in the U.S. Squeezed out of the most lucrative acts in show business, they have fallen into the economic reality of trying to do things independently.

Cleveland Masonic Temple

The company was started several years ago by Lance Beaty's Beaty Capital Group and Rob Thomas, who had two goals for their venture. One was to preserve, renovate and operate theaters, specifically in endangered Masonic halls. Like so many of us, they realized these incredible, one of a kind temples built by our brethren a century or more ago needed to find new life in order to be saved from the wrecking ball. Their secondary notion was to serve smaller towns outside of the usual lineup of big cities for touring music, theater, comedy and other entertainment acts. Their first purchase was the 1928 Fort Smith Masonic Temple, and all of the venues they took over had large stages and auditoriums built originally for fraternal productions. Our forefathers also intended for these beautiful theaters to be used by their communities, not just a couple of annual events for Masons only.

Fort Smith Masonic Temple

An extended story in Crain's Cleveland Business on Monday quoted an Arkansas interview with the company's founder, Lance Beaty, who placed a lot of blame on being in independent concert promotor in a world dominated by a few massive, monopolistic corporations who control the business:

BCG CEO Lance Beaty told Arkansas news outlet Talk Business & Politics (TB&P) over the weekend that TempleLive operations are being shuttered in short order. This follows Beaty previously indicating just a few days prior that owners were looking at ways to keep the concert promoter going.

“We determined it was best to be definitive so the decision was made to pull down the remaining shows,” Beaty told the outlet.
Beaty cast blame on a mix of factors for TempleLive’s apparent struggles, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and a ticketing system that can put independent promoters at a disadvantage. 

“We are simply an outsider in an insider’s business,” Beaty told TB&P. “No matter how much money you throw at it or how creative you think you are, if you’re not on the inside, you’re not in.”

The Columbus Athenaeum was built in 1899 as a Masonic temple. 

After an expansion in 1913, it was claimed to be the largest specifically-Masonic building in America (a mantle that was soon surpassed in the fraternal building craze of the 1920s).

Wichita Scottish Rite

The article continued:

According to the 2025 State of Live report from the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), 64% of indie venues did not turn a profit in 2024.
“Their survival is threatened by inflation, monopolistic pressures, and predatory ticket resale practices,” NIVA writes. “Yet their economic footprint is vast, their community impact is undeniable, and their importance to the national economy is backed by hard data.”

A debt collection complaint has been filed against BCG by Arkansas’ Partners Bank for an alleged default on a $1.5 million line of credit, according to Phillips County Circuit Court records. That related promissory note was signed in October 2023 and matured on May 2, 2025.

BCG established its TempleLive subsidiary upon acquiring and renovating a Masonic temple in Fort Smith, Arkansas, in 2017. This set a blueprint for TempleLive for purchasing similar Masonic auditoriums in other markets, improving them and opening them as concert and event venues.

As it expanded, TempleLive’s footprint grew to include additional venues in Cleveland and Columbus as well as Peoria, Illinois and Wichita, Kansas.
The Masonic Auditorium at 3669 Euclid Ave. in Cleveland was purchased by TempleLive in March 2017 for $725,000, according to county property records. In the years since, upwards of $14 million has been pumped into renovating the space over at least a couple of phases of redevelopment. Plans at the site also at one time included a vision for a massive adjacent hotel, the project for which was estimated to be around at least $60 million.

Cincinnati Masonic Center Sold, But the Phoenix Rises

(Google Maps)

by Christopher Hodapp

The Scottish Rite Valley of Cincinnati has just sold their 1928 downtown Masonic Center and Taft Theater to real estate development firm Western & Southern. The new owners are currently in the research phase of just how to renovate and develop the historic 30,000 square foot complex and are working with the city to determine their future plans.

But the Valley has amazingly bucked the usual trend of Masonic organizations over the last half century of shucking their magnificent early-20th century temples and moving into generic, bland and un-remarkable buildings.  Instead of fleeing to the suburbs and erecting a metal pole barn, or moving into an abandoned strip mall big box storefront, they purchased another historic downtown Queen City landmark—the Phoenix Event Center at 812 Race Street (photo above).

The Phoenix was bought by the Valley a year ago for $2.2 million and is officially their sixth home since their formation. Originally built as The Phoenix Club in 1893, the building was constructed by the first Jewish businessmen’s organization in this part of the country. In 1911, the place was bought by the Cincinnati Club and converted to a gymnasium and sporting club, with a lap pool and bowling alley in the basement. 

The building became a restaurant and public event center in 1983. Over the years it was a popular venue for weddings, receptions, private business meetings, and more—its long, Italianate, white marble Grand Staircase has popped up in countless wedding photos, and the building is decorated with impressive Tiffany glass, imported from West Germany in the early 1880’s. The 3rd floor Grand Ballroom has a 32-foot ceiling with unique 'Romeo and Juliet" balconies, and there are two other large ballrooms, along with several smaller rooms that were used as dining rooms.

Here are a few images from the Phoenix's former website:

The Valley hasn't officially released plans or architectural renderings of what they have in mind for the Phoenix' remodeling, but they've obviously wrestled with the reality of their membership falling from more than 6,000 ten years ago to just over 2,000 today. But they've contributed to their city's heritage by moving to a home that's as storied as the one they're leaving. 

As the new owners take possession, here's a last look at the beautiful Cincinnati Masonic Center, just shy of its 100 years of service to the fraternity.

Franklin, Tennessee's Historic Hiram Lodge No. 7

by Christopher Hodapp

Historic Hiram Lodge No. 7 in Franklin, Tennessee is undergoing a multi-million dollar restoration campaign to preserve the oldest continuously operating Masonic hall in the state. WKRN-TV in Nashville aired a short report yesterday about the lodge, featuring several shots inside of the main lodge room and the York Rite meeting room upstairs.

Aside from being the first three-story building constructed in Tennessee, the temple is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is where President Andrew Jackson met with Chickasaw leaders in 1830 and the Native Americans signed a treaty giving up their lands. It was the beginning of the Indian Removal Act which led to the infamous Trail of Tears forced migration of the "Five Civilized Nations" of the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole tribes to Oklahoma between 1830-50.

Hiram Lodge was originally chartered as a North Carolina lodge in 1808, before Tennessee's grand lodge had been established. It was one of the original eight founding lodges when the Grand Lodge of Tennessee was formed in 1813. When their Franklin lodge hall was completed in 1823, it was the tallest building west of the Allegheny Mountains. Hiram member Andrew Jackson became the fifth Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Tennessee (1822-23), and the seventh President of the United States between 1829-37.

Country music signer-songwriter Brad Paisley has been a member here for many years. 

The lapse of time and the devastations of war have pockmarked the structure over the last two centuries. A cannonball struck the building during the Civil War, and the top floor was condemned by inspectors a decade ago because of its unsound condition. 

To donate to the lodge's preservation fund, CLICK HERE.

San Antonio Scottish Rite Forms Partnership With City's Philharmonic Orchestra To Preserve Cathedral

Article and photos by Christopher Hodapp

On Saturday, September 7th, the San Antonio (Texas) Philharmonic Orchestra and the San Antonio Valley of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite (SJ) announced the formation of a new 501(c)3 partnership to preserve and modernize the city's beautiful downtown Scottish Rite Cathedral. Under the terms of the agreement, the two organizations will share ownership of the 100-year-old Cathedral, providing the orchestra with a magnificent (and permanent) new home, and the Scottish Rite the opportunity to raise sorely needed money for improving and preserving their landmark Cathedral.

The two organizations took the opportunity to announce their fundraising goal of $50 million.

 

According to the Valley's website:

Several Masonic lodges, the Scottish Rite Masonic Bodies, all major York Rite Masonic Bodies, the Grotto, Eastern Star; Job's Daughters, Order of Rainbow for Girls, the Order of DeMolay, and other associated Masonic fraternal organizations meet in the Cathedral. The magnificent auditorium is acclaimed by experts as one of the most acoustically perfect rooms of its size in the world. Constructed as a Greek amphitheater it produces the effect of an open-air theater, the ceiling being equipped with twinkling stars and blazing planets, creating the atmosphere of a clear summer sky. The proscenium, or opening to the stage, is 60 feet wide and 32 feet high. The auditorium seats 2,062.

I had the opportunity to tour the Cathedral many years ago, and this announcement is an outstanding case of Masons thinking outside of our narrow little boxes when it comes to protecting these irreplaceable temples. All too often Masons get overwhelmed by maintenance costs of these massive buildings, supported by an ever-shrinking membership base. Time after time, they deteriorate while their trustees throw their hands up in despair. We don't seem to believe that the communities around us might see value in preserving them and making them into venues enjoyed by the public.

Minnesota's Mankato Lodge 12 Complete's Major Remodeling

by Christopher Hodapp

Mankato Lodge 12 in Mankato, Minnesota has just completed a major remodeling project, funded partially with a $25,000 grant from the city, plus matching funds from the building's tenant organizations. The local Masons wanted to improve their own spaces in the building, but also make their historic Masonic Hall attractive as a venue for local weddings, social and business meetings, and other events. They've officially rechristened the temple as Historic Masonic Hall. 

Built in 1856, it is reported to be the oldest standing building in Mankato.

According to an article in The Free Press by Michael Lagerquist, the lodge currently has 110 members. They share their temple with an Order of the Eastern Star chapter and a Job's Daughters chapter.

The hand-painted cloud image over the lodge room had long been in deteriorating condition. Because of roof leaks over the years, the dome had to be repaired first. Artist Wendy Waszut-Barrett from Historic Stage Services was brought in to touch up the mural in spots affected by the repairs. She specializes in the restoration and recreation of scenery for historic theaters, and has been hired by several Scottish Rite valleys all over the country to repair or restore their many elaborate stage backdrops used in their many degrees.

Mankato Lodge 12 was chartered in 1856, two years before Minnesota statehood was achieved.

Historic Building Maintenance Online Resource

by Christopher Hodapp

About a dozen years ago, I encountered an incredible online resource with advice for the care and feeding of historic old buildings. Building preservation and restoration is not confined to any single type of structure.

The website was actually part of the People of Scotland Churches Trust, and the Maintain Your Church section was packed with articles, online toolkits, tutorials, glossaries and more, covering everything from retrofitting stone buildings for HVAC systems to repairing copper gutters. Very little of this knowledge is church-specific and can be applied to our older Masonic temples and halls, all over the world.

The shame is that the original website's Maintenance section got mangled and became almost impossible to negotiate about six years ago. But thanks to the Internet Archive, most of the original version lives on here:

https://web.archive.org/web/20151011100512/https://www.scotlandschurchestrust.org.uk/maintain-your-church/

UPDATE: Who Would Want An Old Masonic Lodge?

UPDATE 11/13/2019: 
I first posted this story a year ago, and just checked it today out of curiosity. This former lodge in Alexandria, Indiana did not sell, and is still on the market currently marked down to $64,000. Just in case you have a hankering to own one of your own. 

Who Would Want An Old Masonic Lodge?  
11/13/2018

Got a deep-rooted desire to live in a former Masonic lodge? Twenty years ago, I might have jumped at this.

The former home of Alexandria Lodge No. 235 in Alexandria, Indiana is up for sale for the bargain basement price of just $69,000 (CLICK HERE). The lodge itself was absorbed by nearby Frankton Lodge 607 in 2015, but their former Temple was unique. 

The 11,000 square foot building started life as a private home, and its most recent owners essentially restored the front portion to that original use. 

It has been modernized with five bedrooms and a serviceable kitchen, but its truly magnificent woodwork from the original house is throughout the living areas. Looks like the bathrooms could use a major overhaul, and I see lots of ceiling fans and no outdoor compressor, which make me wonder about air conditioning.

But then walk to the back of the house and you will find the whole lodge room intact and virtually untouched and unaltered, added in what appears to have been the 1920s or so.

If the Hodapps didn't want to downsize our current living arrangements, I'd have snapped it up before telling the rest of you about it. In fact, I'd have snapped it up before telling Alice about it. Then we would have had have plenty of space in which she could refuse to speak to me over it for the next 20 years.

It's located at 414 North Harrison Street in the little town of Alexandria. 

Of course, this isn't the only private residence in a former Masonic temple around here. This one is a manageable size, but a California couple and their three kids decided to take on a much more gargantuan temple to make into a home. 

Huntington, Indiana Masonic Temple now a private home

Theresa and Atom Cannizzaro were originally just looking for a Midwest farmhouse surrounded by a couple hundred acres of land. Then the San Diego couple fell in love with the beautiful former Huntington, Indiana Masonic temple that was originally the home of Amity Lodge 483. They took possession of the building in October 2016, and they've been rehabbing it ever since. 

According to a newspaper article from last year, the Cannizzaros bought most of the original furniture along with the building. 

Amity Lodge moved to a smaller building on the edge of town.

The lodge left behind an entire library of books, paperwork including materials from the building’s 1927 dedication, and other bits and pieces of Masonic history. 

The old lodge room.

The dining hall features a small theater stage at the opposite end. The Cannizzaro kids think of it as the world biggest playroom.

1927 newspaper announcing the Temple's dedication.
Freemasons were front page news then.

The family foresees eventually opening a business in the basement, possibly a brewery. They're in no hurry to finish, and it's truly a labor of love. You can follow their story and their projects at www.freemasontomansion.com.

I just find it fascinating that time after time, private individuals manage to buy, renovate and save the very buildings that entire lodges filled with members claim are too expensive or difficult to maintain. Others seem perfectly happy to keep forking hay at our "white elephants." Why do so many Masons seem so willing to cast them off?