Defining Sacredness in a Masonic Temple Can Be Defined by PARTY

This case study is focused on the Scottish Rite Cathedral. Built in 1929, it was the largest cathedral of the Scottish Rite. The building was used to house meetings and ceremonies of the Freemason Fraternity. In recent years, the building has had issues with funding, resulting in the space being opened to the public. This has caused several issues, such as misuse of the space and a misunderstanding of the building. This research explores the ways in which religious organizations are forced to change to maintain their original identity and to educate people about the impact they have when they visit. Architecture plays a key role in defining religious spaces, as such, this research will also highlight certain spots within the cathedral that are especially noteworthy. It defines identity, religious/sacred spaces, and belief using a qualitative method of inquiry: interviews, documentation, and observations. These were then analyzed to answer the following research question: What makes a place sacred? The acronym PARTY (Personal experience, Architecture, Resources, Theology, and Years) is used to describe the findings of this research. PARTY represents the general themes and categories found in correlation to the research and analysis of religious spaces. The findings reveal sacredness is created by the memories people make in space, the type of experience someone has, and the history of the building.