Scottish Rite Temple - Guthrie
- Jonathan Elmore
- Jul 22
- 2 min read
Just a short drive north of Oklahoma City is Oklahoma's first capitol, Guthrie. It's a historic town that has some incredible things to see and do. I've enjoyed shows at the Pollard Theatre, eaten lunch at some fantastic places like Simone's and Stables, and visited the overwhelmingly beautiful Scottish Rite Temple. It's so big!
The Temple is home to the Masons who maintain this huge complex. And since they have built an amazing website with their history, I will simply add a link below so you can look at how in depth it is. As for the building itself, there are so many rooms to explore and each one is decorated uniquely and named accordingly. If I was allowed to, I would just set up a bed in the library and read, eat, and sleep for about a year. HA! There is a main theatre, a small theatre, and the Legislative Hall that housed the State Capitol before it moved to Oklahoma City in 1910. There are certain places that you can feel a sense of the historical importance when you walk through them. This is one of those places.
I was lucky enough to have an inside man who took my wife and me on a grand tour of the entire building, even back stage of the amazing Main Auditorium. Being an actor for nearly 40 years, I always get wowed by a great theatre. The craftsmanship put into every detail was masterfully done by numerous artisans from all across Europe not only in the theatre bt all throughout the Temple. As the tour went on, my friend and our guide Kyle Smith gave us a show and tell session I'll never forget. He had not only the names of each room, but what it historically was used for and even some of the historic people that graced the halls of the Temple. We couldn't have asked for a better tour of such an important, historic, wonderful building.
Luckily for you, you don't need to have a friend to take you on a tour. They offer regular tours of the Temple. And believe me when I say that it's worth the trip to Guthrie to see it. Like I said before, if you're interested in the history of the building, check out their website. If you're interested in joining the Masons, they'd be more than happy to have you. Again, I'm thankful to Kyle for showing us around. He's great.
900 E Oklahoma Ave, Guthrie
405-282-1281
Jonathan Elmore ©2025
