A performing arts religious group is closing in on a deal for the Scottish Rite Center, the nearly century-old Masonic landmark overlooking Lake Merritt, with the sale now in escrow after roughly a year on the market. The four-story, 85,000-square-foot building at 1547 Lakeside Dr. has drawn interest from symphony organizations, religious groups, and performing arts outfits since it was first listed, and the identity of the buyer along with the purchase price remain undisclosed.
The escrow status was reported by Sid Ewing of brokerage firm Colliers, according to The Mercury News. Ewing described the property as “a jewel box of a building” and called it iconic, per the same report, which also notes the sale would include not just the historic structure but the large surface parking lot behind it. That lot could be redeveloped once the purchase is finalized, the outlet reports.
The building's path to market reflects a broader shift within the fraternal organization that has called it home. According to California Freemason Magazine, the Oakland Scottish Rite Valley put the temple up for sale due to decades of unsustainable maintenance costs, as membership dropped from a historic target of 4,000 to 8,000 members down to just over 700, with most now living outside Oakland in suburbs like Union City and Martinez.
A Greek Temple That Couldn't Survive the Lake Air
The temple's architectural story is almost as dramatic as its sale. It was built in 1927 with a Greek neoclassical façade, per the Mercury News account, but that original design proved poorly suited to its setting near the water. California Freemason Magazine reports that the façade rapidly deteriorated due to salt air from Lake Merritt, forcing a major redesign in the late 1930s that gave the building its current Greek-influenced Art Deco look, according to the Oakland Scottish Rite Historical Foundation. Historical records cited by the magazine credit architect Carl Werner with the original 1927 design and architect William Corlett with the subsequent overhaul, which replaced Ionic columns with Doric columns flanking cast-bronze doors decorated with Masonic iconography.
Inside, the building holds an unusual mix of grand and functional spaces. The ground floor includes a grand ballroom seating 800 people with a small stage, while a second-level mezzanine leads to a third floor containing a banquet hall, billiards room, library and lounge, per the Mercury News. The auditorium occupies the fourth floor and, according to the Oakland Wiki website, contains a full-sized stage, hundreds of backdrops and a pipe organ. The property received a $1.2 million renovation in 2014, the outlet notes.
Zoning Could Reshape the Parking Lot
The 1.5-acre parcel's future hinges partly on what happens to its surface parking lot, which could be redeveloped once the purchase is finalized. The main 85,000-square-foot building, however, holds protected trophy asset status, according to California Freemason Magazine, meaning it cannot be demolished or subjected to major exterior alterations by any new owner.
That protection matters because the building has long doubled as a cultural anchor for Oakland beyond its Masonic roots. Its second floor houses the Childhood Language Center, a non-profit speech clinic for children, and its roof carries a 100-kilowatt solar array, according to LocalWiki documentation of the venue. West Edge Opera designated the Scottish Rite Center as its primary summer festival venue starting in 2022, drawn by its 1,400-seat auditorium and acoustics, as reported by OperaWire. The Paramount Theatre hosted “In the Name of Love,” Oakland's musical tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., produced by Living Jazz, according to Alameda Magazine.
A Regional Landmark With Political Roots
The Scottish Rite Valley's presence in Oakland dates back further than the building itself. The local fraternal chapter was founded in 1883 by Albert Pike and Edwin Sherman, and its 1927 structure was recognized as the first dedicated Scottish Rite temple built west of the Rocky Mountains, according to the Oakland Scottish Rite Historical Foundation. Archival records from the foundation show past members included former U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice and California Governor Earl Warren, former California Governor George Pardee, and former U.S. Representative Joseph Knowland, who also published the Oakland Tribune.
Hoodline reported on the property's historic market debut after Colliers listed it in 2025, marking the first time in nearly 100 years the building had been publicly offered for sale, according to SFGATE. Ewing described the listing as a generational opportunity for an investor, per the Mercury News, and with escrow now underway, the century-old jewel box near Lake Merritt appears set for its next chapter.
