Dallas Scottish Rite Temple
Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Dallas Scottish Rite Temple Samuel P. Cochran (1855 - 1936), a prominent Mason and community leader, headed the committee that initiated plans for this building in 1902. Masonic officials assembled for the cornerstone laying in March 1907 and for the dedication ceremony in April 1913. Herb Miller Greene and J. B. Hubble, both Lodge members, designed the Neo-classical structure. A Dallas landmark, it is a showcase of fine materials and craftsmanship. RTHH - 1978
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Plans for the Dallas Scottish Rite Temple began in 1902 under prominent Mason and civic leader Samuel P. Cochran, with the cornerstone laid in 1907 and the building dedicated in 1913. Designed in a stately Neo-classical style by lodge members Herb Miller Greene and J. B. Hubble, it became a showcase of fine materials and craftsmanship. It has stood ever since as a landmark of early-twentieth-century Dallas.
Why it matters
Grand fraternal temples like this one reflect the civic ambition and prosperity of American cities in the early 1900s, when organizations like the Masons built monuments to community standing.
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Related people
- ยท Samuel P. Cochran
Themes & tags
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