The Almas Temple is a

Masonic Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

building facing Franklin Square at 1315 K St NW in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

It houses Almas Shrine, a sub-group for Shriner's International whose headquarters is located in Tampa, Florida. The

edifice A building or edifice is an enclosed structure with a roof, walls and windows, usually standing permanently in one place, such as a house or factory. Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and functions, and have been adapted throughout ...

is in the

Moorish The term Moor is an exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a single, distinct or self-defi ...

architectural style and features an elaborate, multicolored

terra-cotta Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based non-vitreous ceramicOED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used for earthenware object ...

façade. It was constructed in 1929 by Allen H. Potts, a member of the temple. The building is five stories in height. It was renovated and relocated about 100 feet westward to its current location in 1987 to make way for a new office complex,

One Franklin Square One Franklin Square is a high-rise building at 1301 K Street NW, in Downtown Washington, D.C., United States. Description The , 12- story building was completed in 1990, and is the tallest commercial building and fifth-tallest building in ...

In literature

The Almas Temple is one of the settings in

Dan Brown Daniel Gerhard Brown (born June 22, 1964) is an American author best known for his Thriller (genre), thriller novels, including the Robert Langdon (book series), Robert Langdon novels ''Angels & Demons'' (2000), ''The Da Vinci Code'' (2003), '' ...

's 2009 novel, ''

The Lost Symbol ''The Lost Symbol'' is a 2009 novel written by American writer Dan Brown. It is a thriller set in Washington, D.C., after the events of ''The Da Vinci Code'', and relies on Freemasonry for both its recurring theme and its major characters. Relea ...

''.

References

External links

Almas Temple
at the Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine Website {{WashingtonDC-struct-stub Masonic buildings in Washington, D.C. Moorish Revival architecture in Washington, D.C. Shriners Masonic buildings completed in 1929 Relocated buildings and structures in Washington, D.C.