What you need to know about Tacoma’s historic Temple Theatre
A fire on the roof of the Temple Theatre sent smoke billowing over the Stadium District on Tuesday afternoon.
The building holds quite a history. A century to be exact.
The Temple Theatre was designed by the architect Ambrose J. Russell, the man behind other iconic Tacoma buildings like the Tacoma Armory and the William Ross Rust House, according to the National Registry of Historic Places.
Built in 1926 by the firm Biehn and Chalmers, its design was inspired by the Egyptian revival movement that boomed in the early 20th century.
Its original purpose was to house the Masonic’s Grand Lodge of Washington, the center describes on its webpage. The venue has gone by many names, including the Masonic Temple Building, Helig’s Theater and John Hamrick’s Temple Theatre.
It opened on October 18, 1927, rising 10 stories above Broadway Avenue, according to its register of historic places nomination form.
It’s 15,000-square-foot theater seats over 1,600 people, according to the theater’s website. The building also includes 10 historical ballrooms, including a Rooftop Garden Ballroom with views of Commencement Bay and Mount Rainier.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993 and underwent restoration in 1999.
Notable acts who’ve performed at the venue include Lucille Ball, The Strokes, Hall & Oates and Blue Öyster Cult.
Today, the building is also known as Tacoma’s Landmark Catering & Convention Center, hosting events like weddings, parties, school dances, fundraising events and more.
It still shows touring acts as well, with two upcoming shows hitting its stage this summer.
On July 9, the Ukrainian metalcore band Jinjer will perform an all-ages show at 7:00 p.m. as part of their Duel North America 2026 tour.
Killswitch Engage, an American metalcore group, is set to perform an ages 18 and up show on Sept. 29 at 6:30 p.m.
This story was originally published May 12, 2026 at 6:33 PM.
