The building’s exterior restoration offers a nice parallel to the revitalization happening within. And it underscores just how important the physical characteristics of many Masonic lodges are to the sense of community and place—not to mention intrigue—they inspire. Whereas many other lodges of Santa Barbara’s vintage decamped from their stately downtown halls in favor of large suburban centers with ample parking, those that remained in place retain a powerful connection to their town’s history. Says lodge secretary Jeff Matson, who also serves as the head of the Rose Croix chapter of the Santa Barbara Scottish Rite, it was the building’s architecture that first drew him in. After first laying eyes on its mysterious ornamentation, “I didn’t know what any of it meant, but I knew I had to join,” he says.

Today, the temple still seems to beckon to people. Standing out among the sea of Spanish-style structures in downtown Santa Barbara, the building was one of the few in town to survive the massive earthquake of 1925, which struck just weeks after the temple’s completion. In addition to Seraphim’s recent work, plans call for adding a memorial plaque to the ground-floor façade later this year, near where the lunchtime crowd hangs out. The lodge also hosts frequent movie and game nights and degree rehearsals for each of the several bodies that call it home, including chapters of the York and Scottish Rite. That’s created a sense of momentum for the lodge, which recently celebrated its sesquicentennial. “It feels like we’re being rediscovered by a new generation,” Matson says. “We’re seeing more younger guys coming in, in their twenties and thirties.” 

More work is underway inside, too: A second-floor reading library is being renovated, where researchers will be able to tap into the lodge’s extensive history. (The charter for Santa Barbara № 192 is from 1868; two other since-consolidated lodges that met there, La Cumbre № 642 and Magnolia № 242, date from 1875 and 1926, respectively.) In addition to the Scottish Rite’s RiteCenter language program offices on the fourth floor, other parts of the byzantine temple include a large costume and changing room, lodge halls for the blue lodge and Scottish Rite chapters, additional offices, meeting spaces, a dining hall, and commercial kitchen. Plans are also forming to commemorate the building’s centennial in 2025. 

For Matson and others, the hope is that the TLC shown for the historic temple will continue to serve as the lodge’s most visible advertisement for Freemasonry generally. At a minimum, it helped bring one new member into the fold. In fact, just a few months after beginning work on the building’s façade, Seraphim submitted his petition to join. Today, he’s a Master Mason with the lodge.