As the N-Judah turns the corner at Judah and Ninth Avenue, passengers can take an extended look at a grand, three-story building that seems out of place when compared to its less ambitious neighbors. Today, we're taking a look at the architecture and history of the Parnassus Masonic Temple.
On February 23, 1914, approximately 2,000 people gathered at the corner of Ninth Avenue and Judah Street to watch officials lay the cornerstone for San Francisco's newest Masonic Temple. The Freemasons are one of the world's oldest and largest secular fraternal organizations. At one point, there were so many Masons in San Francisco that their meeting notices were published in the daily newspaper; today, only six Masonic lodges remain in the city.
Parnassus Masonic Temple with Safeway, 1940. (Image: SFMTA Photo Archive)
According to an article in the Chronicle, Parnassus Lodge No. 388 planned to spend "more than $50,000" ($1.18 million in 2015 dollars) to create a three-story, "marble and granite structure of imposing architecture." To mark the occasion, about 1,000 Freemasons led a parade from the existing Parnassus Hall at 12th Avenue and I Street (now Irving) to the new construction site.
During the ceremony, a metal box "containing data about the new building, various Masonic documents and San Francisco daily papers" was placed in the cornerstone. (It's unclear whether this time capsule is still intact.) Unlike most buildings in the area, the temple includes a basement, which is used by retail ground-floor tenants.
The San Francisco Chronicle, 2/15/1914.
The building's second floor held the lodge room, administrative offices, a billiard room and a "ladies' parlor." The third floor held a "spacious banquet hall," reading rooms and "a completely equipped kitchen." In 1915, the lodge won a grand piano in a Chronicle contest, "of which they are very proud."
The San Francisco Chronicle, 2/24/14.
But the Parnassus Masonic Temple wasn't just a three-story man cave with secret handshakes; the lodge also hosted lectures, literary readings and musical performances that were open to the general public. Members also used the space for funerals, weddings and other events.
Early on, the ground floor was used by Safeway; before World War II, the supermarket chain had more than 60 neighborhood markets throughout San Francisco.
We weren't able to determine exactly when the Masons moved out, but the Parnassus Temple was listed in telephone directories through 1982. The street-level retail space has since been divided in two for Clean-X-Press laundry and dry cleaners, and JT Market, a grocery/liquor store. Since 1995, the second and third floors have been the home of I-Kuan Tao Zhong Shu Temple, a Taoist organization.
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