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Scottish Rite Temple
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Scottish Rite Temple from the corner of N. Claiborne and St. Francis Streets.
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| Location: | 351 St. Francis Street Mobile, Alabama |
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| Built: | 1922 |
| Architect: | George B. Rogers |
| Architectural style: | Egyptian Revival |
| Governing body: | Private |
| NRHP Reference#: | 84000694[1] |
| Added to NRHP: | January 5, 1984 |
The Scottish Rite Temple, now known as The Temple Downtown, is a historic former masonic building in Mobile, Alabama, United States. It was built to serve as the meeting place for the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. The building was designed by George Bigelow Rogers, a local Mobile architect who was responsible for designing many of the city's buildings during this period. The cornerstone was laid on November 30, 1921, with the building completed in 1922. It is the only intact example of the Egyptian Revival style in Mobile.[2] It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 5, 1984.[1] It was sold in 1996 to a private citizen and reopened as an banqueting venue.[3]
Having been inspired by the architecture of Karnak, the building features several forms seen in Ancient Egyptian architecture.[4] The building itself is in the form of an Egyptian pylon. The monumental entrance, inspired by the Bab al-Amara Gate at Karnak, is flanked by a pair of sphinxes, by the sculptor Allen W. Barr.[5] The roof is surmounted by two protruding obelisks that originally functioned as chimneys.