| Moolah Temple of the Mystic Shrine | |
| Location: | 3821 Lindell Boulevard, St. Louis, Missouri |
| Built: | 1912-1914 |
The Moolah Temple of the Mystic Shrine is a historic building located at 3821 Lindell, in St. Louis, Missouri. It was built in 1912 for use as a meeting place, and is "a brick and tile building in the Moorish style.[1]
It was built by the Moolah Shriners as the 28th Shrine Temple to be chartered. Moolah Temple as a name also refers to the organization, which met in the late 19th century at various Freemasons buildings. In 1912 the organization took steps towards forming its own building. The Lindell Boulevard location was chosen and Ernest Helfensteller, Jr., of Helfensteller, Hirsch and Watson, was chosen as architect. The building was used by the Moolah Temple until 1988, when it relocated to a renovated junior high school on Fee Fee Road.[2] The building is now a movie theater, after a $17.2 million renovation in 2004.[3][4]
It is a contributing building in St. Louis's Midtown Historic District, listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The district's NRHP nomination describes the building's architecture as "colorful": "Near Eastern/Arabic forms and symbols parade and dance across the front elevation. The center bay makes the statement for the structure.... Gold terra cotta outlines the foundation and covers arches, cornice, moldings and columns; door and window frames are painted bright blue; decorative terra cotta in blue, green and gold emphasize round arch forms and articulate corners and peaks."[5]
The building faces on Kenrick Garden, a city park established in 1896.[1]