HISTORY
In 1903 a prominent group of civic leaders and businessmen petitioned the Grand Lodge of California for the right to form a Masonic Lodge in Ocean Park, CA (Now Venice and Santa Monica). Among them, was Abbot Kinney, who founded the City of Venice, along with the owner of Adohr Farms (one of the west coast's largest dairies). In a short time, a dispensation was granted and Ocean Park Lodge U.D. (Under Dispensation) was founded. At the 1905 Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge the charter was issued. Ocean Park became the 369th Lodge chartered under the Grand Jurisdiction of California.
Our original Masonic Temple was located on Marine Street. Due to city boundary lines of the times, only eighty five percent of the building was in the city of Ocean Park. The remainder was in the city of Venice. While Lodges are symbolically laid out from “West” to “East”, geographically, the original Lodge room ran North and South. The chair in the lodge where the Master sat, referred to as the “East”, was situated in the South end of the room in the City of Venice. A popular joke at the time was, “If the joint was ever raided” the membership could “make their escape to the East” where they would be out of the jurisdiction of the Ocean Park authorities.
In the early 1920’s a disagreement lead to some members breaking off to form Triangle Lodge in Venice. The differences between the two factions dissolved and in a short time they were holding joint activities and attended the functions and programs put on by the “rival” Lodge.
MASTER
Matt Abshire
SENIOR WARDEN
Tom Gelo
JUNIOR WARDEN
Rouman Ebrahim
Treasurer
Gustavo Ramirez
