{"nrhp_refnum":"01000488","name":"Sacramento Masonic Temple","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1131 J St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Sacramento","county":"Sacramento County","state":"CA","lat":38.58185824700007,"lon":-121.49182646399998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2001-05-17","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A five-story concrete Masonic temple at 1131 J Street, on the northwest corner of J and 12th Streets in downtown Sacramento, California, built between 1918 and 1920 and designed by architect Rudolph Herold.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is significant under Criterion C for architecture. It is described as the most carefully designed and most intact fraternal organization building in the Sacramento region. It blends Beaux Arts, Arts and Crafts, Chicago/Prairie, Mediterranean and Art Nouveau motifs, with outstanding terra cotta, wood and cast-metal craftsmanship. It is also the best remaining example of Herold's work in Sacramento.","narrative":"Rising five stories at the corner of J and 12th Streets near downtown Sacramento, this concrete building was constructed between 1918 and 1920 to house Masonic lodges, and it still serves that purpose. Architect Rudolph Herold combined Beaux Arts, Arts and Crafts, Chicago/Prairie School and Mediterranean elements. Two full-size terra cotta Knights Templar flank the entrance, and glazed terra cotta appears on the facade, stairways, balcony brackets and floors. Inside are four ornate second-floor meeting rooms with coffered ceilings, stencilwork, gilding and oak paneling, plus a third-floor auditorium seating 1,200. The original Otis elevator, custom light fixtures and boilers remain in service. Few alterations have been made, so the interior and exterior largely survive as built. The nomination ranks it as the most intact fraternal building in the Sacramento region and the best surviving work of Herold, who also designed Sacramento City Hall. It was dedicated on May 7, 1920.","period_of_significance":"1920","architect_builder":"Herold, Rudolph","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Beaux Arts, Italian Renaissance; Late 19th and early 20th Century American Movements: Craftsman, Chicago","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Still used as a Masonic facility, with commercial space on the ground floor; described as essentially unaltered, though some small rooms on the top floor are vacant.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:27.742215-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/01000488.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/01000488/0f9ced218f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/01000488/0f9ced218f-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Publichall","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Masonic_Temple,_Sacramento,_CA.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Publichall</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Masonic_Temple,_Sacramento,_CA.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123860660","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacramento_Masonic_Temple","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7396995"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/sacramento-county/sacramento-masonic-temple-01000488/"}