House of the Temple

Headquarters for the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Southern Jurisdiction, the House of the Temple was designed by John Russell Pope who planned many of the most famous monuments in Washington, DC. He modeled it after the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, and its classical form was widely praised as one of the best public buildings when completed. The temple still impresses and continues to be used as it was intended, beautifying its neighborhood and anchoring the community.