Society Adventures: Trap Doors and Hellish Landscapes at the Regency Masonic Building

Last Monday, the San Francisco Obscura Society chapter headed out to the Regency Masonic Building in San Francisco.

Built as a Scottish Rite Masonic Lodge, theater, and meeting place in the wake of the 1906 earthquake, the building is historic, grand, and full of strange crawlspaces and mysterious tiny rooms. We met up after dark for a private look at its secrets.

We were greeted by a mosaic of the double headed eagle, symbol of the Scottish Rite. 

We saw many hidden things in the building including some of the original Masonic theater backdrops corresponding the Scottish Rite’s 32 degrees. Shown here is a depiction of Hell. The backdrops are located in the main ceremony room upstairs where the Masons used to perform all of their right of passage ceremonies.

Also located in this lodge is the original working Austin pipe organ from 1909.  We got to hear it in action, played by our tour guide Justin.

The building is known to be haunted, and it is made a lot spookier by thing like this trap door in the floor in the back of the lodge on the floor behind the pipe organ.

DO IT YOURSELF

The building is not usually open for tours, however the Regency will soon be transformed and will take full advantage of the multiple ballrooms for the magnificent annual Edwardian Ball, coming up January 20-21. 

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THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO JOINED US!

The Obscura Society is the real-world exploration arm of Atlas Obscura We seek out secret histories, unusual access, and opportunities for our community to explore strange and overlooked places hidden all around us. Join us on our next adventure!

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