Mac Rating: 5.00 | Votes: 1 | Date: 19/06/2026 22:34:00

Rising atop Nob Hill across from Huntington Park, the building at 1111 California Street opened on 28 September 1958 as the Grand Masonic Auditorium, a memorial temple and meeting hall for the Masons of California. Designed by Bay Area architect Albert Roller and built for around six million dollars, it remains the gathering place for the Masons during their annual communication and houses the order's administrative offices, library and museum, with a multi-level public garage in the basement. For decades the midcentury-modern auditorium hosted corporate events, conventions and occasional concerts by artists such as Van Morrison and Bob Dylan, but its potential as a full-time music venue went largely untapped. That changed when Live Nation, which leases the hall from the Masons, sought to expand its concert programme, a plan that drew years of opposition from Nob Hill homeowners worried about traffic, noise and crowds. After more than five years of negotiation, brokered in part by city officials, a settlement was reached, and a multimillion-dollar interior renovation reopened the venue in 2014. The work removed the fixed main-floor seating to create a tiered, flexible space that can accommodate both general-admission and seated shows, adjusting capacity to around 3,300, and added new sound, lighting, drapery, a commercial kitchen and a VIP room overlooking the park. The settlement that allowed the upgrade also set limits that shape how the room operates, capping the number of concerts each year, restricting bar service and imposing curfews to address neighbourhood concerns. Within those bounds the venue books a steady stream of touring acts in a striking setting near the top of one of the city's most famous hills. Operated by Live Nation under the name The Masonic, the auditorium balances its dual identity as a working Masonic temple and a modern concert hall. Its combination of a flexible floor, sweeping interior and prime Nob Hill address has made it one of San Francisco's notable mid-to-large live-music rooms.