Scottish Rite Temple

The Scottish Rite Masons fraternal organization was established in Kansas City, Kansas on October 31, 1898. The first organization was known as the Lafayette Lodge of Perfection. Acting on behalf of the Scottish Rite Masons, Henry F. Wulf purchased the former church of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) congregation, located at the corner of Seventh and Ann Streets, in 1902. The building cost $12,343, and more money was put into extensive renovations. Unfortunately, on October 20, 1906, a fire broke out at a street festival along Ann Street, taking out several city blocks and reducing the Scottish Rite Temple to a shell. The Kansas Trust Company granted a $75,000 loan to the Scottish Rite Masonic Association to construct a new building. William Warren Rose, a notable local architect, former mayor, and Scottish Rite Mason himself, was chosen to design it. [1]

The new Scottish Rite Temple was completed in 1909. For fifteen years, it was the largest gathering place in Kansas City, Kansas (until the construction of the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall) and was used by other statewide fraternal organizations and for business conferences. During World War I, it was used as the headquarters for the Red Cross efforts in the area. It also housed relief operations during the disastrous flood of 1951. [1] In 1996, the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma purchased the building, with intentions on making it into a casino, but was met with resistance in the local community. After several litigation battles, it finally opened in 2008 as the 7th Street Casino. The building went through a $20 million renovation project. [2]

The Scottish Rite Temple building consists of three stories of brick and limestone construction. It is done in a Gothic Revival style. Wide steps lead up to the three main entrance doors. The doors and windows feature elaborate leaded and stained glass designs. A large central Gothic window extends between the second and third floors on the front of the building. The roof has unique crenelated parapets, highlighted with limestone and giving the impression of a medieval castle along the top of the building. Inside, the original temple had a large lobby with meeting rooms on the main floor. The upper floor had a two-story auditorium with a capacity of 800, often used for rites of initiation. The raised basement had a kitchen and banquet room that can hold 500. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. [1]

1.      Cawthon, Richard J. “National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Scottish Rite Temple.” Kansas State Historical Society Website. Form prepared June 24, 1985. Accessed October 29, 2019. https://khri.kansasgis.org/index.cfm?in=209-2820-00103.

2.      “Wyandotte Tribe opens casino in Kansas City.” Miami News-Record Online. January 11, 2008. Accessed October 29, 2019. https://www.miamiok.com/article/20080111/NEWS/301119896.