OAKLAND — A performing arts religious group is close to acquiring the historic Scottish Rite Center in downtown Oakland in a deal that could breathe new life into the nearly century-old building.
Currently in escrow, according to Colliers commercial real estate executive Sid Ewing, the Oakland Scottish Rite Center at 1547 Lakeside Dr. has been on the market since 2025. The terms of the purchase, including the name of the buyer, weren’t disclosed.
Once finalized, the purchase would include the building and a 0.6-acre surface parking lot behind it, Ewing said.
“The parking lot presents a rare, buildable footprint for a future commercial or mixed-use development,” a Colliers marketing brochure states.
Near the Lake Merritt shoreline, the four-story building totals 85,000 square feet on a 1.5-acre parcel.
When first built in 1927 for fraternal purposes, it featured a Beaux-Arts neoclassical facade. Salty air from nearby Lake Merritt caused the building’s front to deteriorate, which prompted a redesign and remodel from 1936 through 1939.
The auditorium of of the Scottish Rite Temple glows in patriotic colors in Oakland, Calif. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
The building was redesigned in a Greek-influenced Art Deco style, according to the Oakland Scottish Rite Historical Foundation. A $1.2 million renovation was completed in 2014.
“It’s a jewel box of a building,” said Ewing, a senior vice president for Colliers who is marketing the property with Colliers executive Paul O’Drobinak. “It’s an iconic property.”
The property’s current owner is Scottish Rite Temple Association Oakland, a database of Alameda County properties shows.
Over the decades, the site was routinely rented out to the general public for special events such as concerts, weddings, banquets, high school graduations and business conferences. After the pandemic-linked business shutdowns that began in early 2020, meeting and event activity dwindled, according to Ewing. Some events continue but not to prior levels.
The building features a ground-floor grand ballroom and an auditorium that seats 1,400 people on the fourth floor. The ballroom seats 800 and includes a small stage.
“The auditorium was designed for presenting the ceremonies of the Scottish Rite in grand form,” according to the Oakland Local Wiki website. “It has a full-sized stage with hundreds of backdrops and a pipe organ.”
The third floor includes a banquet hall, billiards room, library and lounge. The building also contains a second-level mezzanine.
“It’s more of a meeting and a performance arts center,” Ewing said.
An array of organizations emerged as potential buyers since the Scottish Rite Center went up for sale.
“We have talked to everyone,” Ewing said. “Symphony organizations, religious groups, performing arts groups. This building is a generational opportunity for an investor.”
The main auditorium is seen at the Scottish Rite Temple on Lakeside Drive in Oakland, Calif. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Grand ballroom on the first floor of the Scottish Rite Center at 1547 Lakeside Drive in downtown Oakland. (Colliers)
Stairway and second-level mezzanine area of Scottish Rite Center at 1547 Lakeside Drive in downtown Oakland. (Colliers)
File photo of the elegant ladies lounge at the Scottish Rite Temple on Lakeside Drive in Oakland, Calif. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
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The main auditorium is seen at the Scottish Rite Temple on Lakeside Drive in Oakland, Calif. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)