When the first Detroit Masonic Temple was built at Lafayette and First streets in 1895, some companies made souvenirs with pictures of the temple on them to sell to the public. It appears there were many such items and they were popular. So when the second Detroit Masonic Temple was built at 500 Temple Ave, they did it again. I have collected several such items over the years and am showing them here. They come in a large array of items. I will show the items from the old temple first.

Note: this collection of souvenirs is on loan to the Detroit Masonic Temple Library and Museum and can be viewed in person.

I have these 3 plates of the old temple. This one is 7 inches in diameter and is the most beautiful.

This plate is 5 inches in diameter.

This plate is also 5 inches in diameter.

This is a lovely silver spoon and I am not sure the picture does it justice. It is 5 inches tall. The details are great.

This is a very beautiful cup with a picture of the old temple on the front and flowers on the side. The cup is 3 1/2 inches tall and 3 inches wide at the top.

This is a delegates badge to the 1900 Grand Lodge
annual session held at the old Detroit Masonic Temple

This is the reverse side of the medal.

Coins are popular with Masons. The above coin is 2 and 1/2 inches in diameter. The picture on the right is the reverse side. President Harding (a brother Mason) was to lay the cornerstone in 1922 but at the last minute canceled due to the illness of the first lady. These coins were already made and became a collector's piece because it doesn't properly reflect the occasion. President Harding sent Secretary of the Navy, Mr. Denby, (also a Mason) to take his place. I note that the Detroit pubic schools have a high school named after Secretary Denby.

This coin is only 1 inch in diameter. The coin is two sided, with the picture of the temple on one side and the Masonic square and compasses on the other. It says Corner Stone laying, so it is from 1922, the same year of the Harding coin above.

This is a one inch one sided coin, date unknown. It could be from the 1922 cornerstone laying or from the 1926 dedication.

This is a 3 inch metal ash tray using the same coin shown
on the left as the center piece of the tray.
(Or at least I think it is an ash tray?)

This coin is similar to the second coin above but has a few differences. It is 1 3/8 inches in diameter.
(These pictures were sent to me, and this coin is not part of my collection.)

This is my newest purchase and is an oval metal tray that is 5 inches across. I really like this tray. It has great details. I think it may be from the 1922 era as the picture has a street and park layout that was never built. If you look at the post cards below, you will find the same picture. So this tray may be 86 years old.

This is a 4 inch rectangle metal tray and also appears to have been made before the temple was finished. So this is from about 1922 or at least before 1926.

This is a 3 1/2 inch tray and again appears to be pre 1926. Trays must have been popular souvenirs back in that time period. I have 3 types in my collection. Who knows if there are more?

When I was kid I collected banners where ever I went.
I think my mom spent a lot of money on my banners.
This one wasn't mine until I was in my late 50's. It is almost 9 inches long.

This is a very cute item that is only 2 inches high.
When I bought this, it was called a loving cup.
(Sorry I got flash wash out on this one. It was hard to photograph.)

I love this item because my grandparents used napkin holders. This napkin holder is only a couple of inches in size and it appears to have the same picture as many of the other items. I am thinking one company used the same picture when making several items. But that is only a guess.

This is a salt and pepper shaker set. Again, the same picture. The interesting thing about this set, is that the second shaker has a picture of the General Motors Building on it, hence I turned it around. If we knew the opening date of the General Motors building, it might help us date this set. These are 3 1/2 inches tall. Younger people should notice that none of these items are made of plastic. Plastic was not around yet and most things were made in some type of metal such as brass, bronze and silver.

This is a metal cover that slipped over a wooden match box. Lots of people smoked back then and used wooden matches in small boxes. It is 2 1/2 inches in height.

This one is a similar cover, but this goes over the match book of small paper matches. (This is not in my collection, just a picture from a friend)

This is a 4 1/2 inch tall letter opener.
Gee how would this open Email?

This is a one inch diameter button with the standard pin
on the back to stick to your shirt or suit coat.

This is a 1 1/4 inch 1928 celluloid button
from a convention held in the temple.
(this item is not in my collection, picture only.)

This is a 10 1/2 inch dinner plate from the 1964 Scottish Rite Supreme Council annual meeting held in Detroit.
It was made by Spode's in England.
As a note of interest, the back side has a US patent number on it.

This is a 3 dimensional 6 inch by 4 inch model of the temple.
It was made in 1990 when the Masonic Temple Theatre was renovated.

This is a two sided key chain with two small knives.
As you can read it was handed out at a Senior Warden's
dinner in 2000.

These last 3 items are from about 2002. They were used in our successful marketing efforts at wedding shows and other such events. There is a refrigerator magnet, a letter opener, and a coffee cup. The letter opener has our newer logo on it. In the letter "O" of Masonic you will see writing. It says "It's The place to be." We use this logo on stationery and other marketing items for our sales department. Compare this letter opener with the one from the 1920's. I think most of us like the older souvenirs but I thought I needed to include these newer items also. Someday they might show up on E-bay and amaze people 50 years from now. Who knows???

Shown here are post cards of the two Masonic Temples. It is amazing how many post cards we have found, each one just a little bit different. Some are art work and some are pictures. These first 6 postcards are of the Masonic Temple that was built at the corner of Lafayette and First streets in downtown Detroit.
It opened in 1895.

In this picture the Masonic Temple is on the right.
The light colored building is the Elks Temple next door.

When the Lafayette Temple was deemed too small, some wanted to expand it and others wanted to build a new one. This is an artist drawing of what an expanded Lafayette Temple would look like. It was never built. Thus making this picture very rare.

We now call this the
" Masonic Temple Theatre"

This is a postcard of the balcony in the Cathedral lobby. 2005