Marciano Art Foundation – Los Angeles, California - Atlas Obscura
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Marciano Art Foundation

Los Angeles, California

A long-vacant Scottish Rite temple in Hollywood has been converted into an art museum filled with Masonic relics. 

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outside new main entrance (west side of building) Avoiding Regret
outside new main entrance (west side of building) Avoiding Regret
Former main entrance (south side of building) Avoiding Regret
A Masonic symbol on the museum's elevator Courtesy of Marciano Art Foundation (Used with permission)
new entrance (from the west side of the building) Avoiding Regret
relics left behind by the masons Avoiding Regret
Double-headed eagle stained glass in former library Avoiding Regret
Original mosaic tile mural by Millard Sheets Avoiding Regret
Gold-glazed tiles embedded in Italian travertine walls Avoiding Regret
Mezzanine, with chandelier designed by architect Millard Sheets Avoiding Regret
The Marciano Art Foundation Yoshihiro Makino, courtesy of Marciano Art Foundation (Used with permission)
The Masonic archives Ike Allen (Atlas Obscura User)
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The imposing Masonic temple that has long sat vacant in Mid-Wilshire is now home to a newly public contemporary art collection, but the mysterious Masonic symbolism of the building still abounds, inside and out. 

The Scottish Rite Temple on Wilshire Boulevard was built in 1961 by architect Millard Sheets as a gathering place for an order of the Freemasons in Los Angeles. Its monumental white marble facade is adorned with mosaics, biblical passages, messages of fraternal unity, and the various distinctive symbols of the Masons, including beehives, eyes, and compasses.

Due to declining membership, it started to be used for other functions, including police funerals and to house the National Guard during the 1992 Los Angeles riots. The Masons had to put the temple up for sale in the ’90s. It stood vacant and off-limits to the public until it was purchased by Maurice and Paul Marciano, wealthy brothers who made their fortune by founding Guess? Jeans. Originally a private gallery, the brothers’ art collection is, as of 2017, open for public viewing in the former temple. 

The collection includes site-specific works by artists like Cindy Sherman and Jim Shaw, who have taken advantage of the temple’s cavernous spaces and incorporated Masonic memorabilia like embroidered tunics and powdered wigs. More of this memorabilia, including an unsettling collection of painted model human heads corresponding to visions of various races, can be found in the museum’s Masonic archives. 

Update December 2019: As of November 2019, the Marciano Art Foundation has closed indefinitely following the employee’s attempt for unionization.

Update August 2021: As of January 2021, Gagosian Gallery reached an agreement with Marciano Art Foundation and occupy the Grand Theater Gallery of the building. The gallery is still recognized as the Marciano Art Foundation. Exhibitions can be visited through appointment on the Gagosian website. Information on the current featured artist can be found through the Marciano Art Foundation’s official website or Gagosian’s official website.

Update December 2022: The Marciano Art Foundation is open to the public with their Permanent Collection on view.

masonic temples masons art museum mosaics abandoned museums and collections art architecture
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