{"nrhp_refnum":"97001259","name":"Masonic Temple and Scottish Rite Cathedral","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"416-420 N. Washington Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Scranton","county":"Lackawanna County","state":"PA","lat":41.410730261000026,"lon":-75.66003990499996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1997-11-07","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 1930 temple-cathedral of the Masonic order in downtown Scranton, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, clad in Indiana limestone on a structural steel frame. It contains an auditorium, ballroom, lodge halls and a library, and was designed by Raymond M. Hood.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is significant as a work of Raymond M. Hood, a prominent 1920s skyscraper architect, and as an example of Neo-Gothic and Romanesque design. It also cites its role as a public performance and social venue in Scranton, where nationally known performers and speakers appeared.","narrative":"Completed in December 1929 and opened in May 1930, the Masonic Temple and Scottish Rite Cathedral in downtown Scranton is a limestone building designed by Raymond M. Hood after he won a competition held by the Masonic Temple and Scottish Rite Cathedral Association. Its five-story central and southern sections and three-story northern section have a tripartite front, with round-arched entries, carved buttresses, niches and pinnacles, and Masonic symbols in incised bands. The building includes an auditorium, a ballroom and upper-floor ceremonial halls named Flemish, Norman and Tuscan. Its leaded-glass windows and interior of terrazzo, carved wood and ornamental plaster follow a mix of Gothic and Romanesque forms. The building was used by the public as well as by Masons, hosting stage shows, concerts and speakers. Its listing rests on its architectural design rather than its later use, with the nomination describing Hood's Gothic work as the main reason for its importance.","period_of_significance":"1927-1930","architect_builder":"Hood, Raymond M. (architect)","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals; Late Gothic Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":null,"vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:37.662188-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/97001259.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97001259/d735494611-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97001259/d735494611-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Tomdobb","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Front_Sign_Scranton_Cultural_Center_at_Masonic_Temple.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Tomdobb</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:Front_Sign_Scranton_Cultural_Center_at_Masonic_Temple.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71998089","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scranton_Cultural_Center","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7438742"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/lackawanna-county/masonic-temple-and-scottish-rite-cathedral-97001259/"}