Today, the Grand Lodge and its five entities are collectively referred to as the Masons of California. Upon their formation, the Grand Lodge assigned each new entity with a unique mission.
Throughout California Freemasonry’s history, Masons have supported their fellow members and family members in need. In 1898, the Grand Lodge opened its first residential community to provide a home to and care for needy orphans and senior California Masons, as well as their wives or widows. In 1919, the Grand Lodge established the Masonic Homes of California to manage this new community.
Today, the Masonic Homes operates senior retirement communities on two campuses. The first, is a thriving community for the elderly, located on 305 acres in the hills of Union City overlooking the San Francisco Bay; and the second, an expansive, beautiful campus in Covina, just east of Los Angeles.
The Masonic Homes of California also provide a wide range of social services and care options to those living outside the residential campuses through its Masonic Outreach Services division. Additionally, the Masonic Center for Youth and Families provides mental health and wellness care to youth and their families, regardless of their Masonic affiliation, through their centers in San Francisco and Covina.
The California Masonic Foundation was formed in 1969 to advance the Grand Lodge’s charitable mission. The Foundation raises money from the fraternity for the benefit of the Masonic Homes of California, and public education. The Foundation’s philanthropic programs concentrate on youth and education, including support of public-school literacy programs and college scholarships. The Foundation has strong partnerships with the charitable foundations of four Major League Baseball teams in California, as well as the national literacy nonprofit Raising A Reader and several college success organizations. As of October 31, 2022, the California Masonic Foundation has a $38 million endowment.
The Acacia Creek Retirement Community opened in 2010 as a new independent- and assisted-living community on the Masonic Homes’ Union City campus to serve both Masons and the general public. Acacia Creek is comprised of 150 apartments and four cottage homes, and provides its residents with exceptional services and levels of care based on Masonic values and successful-aging principles.
The California Masonic Memorial Temple, or CMMT, is the headquarters of Freemasonry in California and also the name of the nonprofit that holds the title to the building and land on which it sits. The CMMT, located at 1111 California Street on San Francisco’s Nob Hill, opened in 1958 and stands as an icon of midcentury architecture. Designed by Albert Roller, the building includes an exterior frieze and 48-by-38-foot “endomosaic” mural by the artist Emile Norman. The temple includes a 3,000-seat auditorium (managed by the national concert promoters Live Nation); the Henry Wilson Coil Museum and Library of Freemasonry; Freemasons’ Hall, a meeting space for lodges; a five-level parking garage and the offices of the Grand Lodge of California. Learn more about the CMMT and its history here.
The Nob Hill Masonic Center leases the five-story parking garage at 1111 California Street. It also leases the two-story parking garage at Grace Cathedral, located across the street at 1051 Taylor Street. The NHMC operates these two garages indirectly through a parking management agreement with SP Plus, a national parking garage operator.
Our secret isn’t ancient rituals or secret ceremonies. It’s our members. Meet some of them here. Our members come from all backgrounds and all walks of life. The average age of new members is about 36..
While the Masons of California represents the largest Masonic organization in the state, it isn’t the only one.
