'Entertainment mecca': John Barrett's vision for Cincinnati's downtown Masonic temple

Western & Southern Financial Group CEO John Barrett, a Cincinnati businessman responsible for projects like the Lytle Park Hotel, AC Marriott at The Banks and Great American Tower, is eyeing a new project near his corporate headquarters.

He wants to transform the Cincinnati Masonic Center at 317 E. Fifth St. into an "entertainment mecca" and possible hotel.

"We're committed to buy it," Barrett recently told The Enquirer's "That's So Cincinnati" podcast. He envisions the property as a destination entertainment center where people can find something to do anytime.

The project, which includes the Taft Theatre, comes as the Sundance Film Festival eyes Cincinnati as its new home beginning in 2027. Cincinnati is one of six cities under consideration to host the film festival, which requires several theaters.

Barrett and his firm, Eagle Realty Group, has had the option to buy the property since 2018. A firm commitment was made last January.

The 340,000-square-foot building's current owner, a local chapter of the Scottish Rite Masons, has wanted to vacate the building for years. The Masonic Center's executive director told The Enquirer in 2015 that the site is too big.

This summer, the group finally closed on its new home on Race Street (the former Phoenix event center).

Now, Barrett is ready to move forward with his big idea.

But the potential project is in such an early stage that there aren't any renderings available yet and the hotel concept is still being studied, said David Nevers, vice president of communications for Western & Southern Financial Group.

From Masonic temple to multi-level music hall

Built in 1928 as the Masonic Temple for the Scottish Rite Freemasonry, the property included the Taft Theatre, which was named for Charles Phelps Taft, who headed the building committee.

On the outside, the Cincinnati Masonic Center boasts a 21st-century neoclassical design: large limestone masonry at its base, ionic columns on the upper facade and an ornamental cap. There are very few windows ? and those that punctuate the exterior are narrow and small.

It's a building that's easy to miss if you're staring at the Taft Theatre's glittering marquee just west of the temple's entrance.

But the inside is a different story. The Masonic Center is nearly as big as the Heritage Bank Center in square feet but nothing like the concrete arena. Its richly designed interior features ceilings with decorative plasterwork, wood and tile, intricate wall carvings, floors covered in bright red carpet, and even more columns.

There's room for thousands of people. Among its many spaces, the Masonic Center includes one 820-person auditorium, another 300-person auditorium, a grand ballroom for 800 people, a chapel and a handful of large rooms that Barrett wants to outfit as future restaurants. There's also a hidden 500-person amphitheater on the roof, a library and a basement ballroom.

Barrett sees the whole thing as a multi-level entertainment venue that can host concerts on one floor, dining on another, and even exercise rooms. He also wants to build a hotel on top of a new parking garage he'd develop next door. So far, it isn't clear where exactly that would be constructed and Barrett said more property would need to be acquired. (There is a surface parking lot on the corner of East Fifth Street and Broadway where a garage could go.)

"That would give you another 300 rooms," he said. "We're studying that right now to see if there's a need for it."

More venues, more hotels ? Do we need them?

Cincinnati is experiencing both a hotel boom and a push to bring more concert venues here in the wake of mega-events, like Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, that spotlight the region's growing tourism scene.

Industry experts interviewed by The Enquirer say there's room for bigger venues or those fit for mid-level acts. There's also a need for more hotel rooms in Downtown. And since there aren't any historic restrictions that would prohibit physical additions to the Masonic Center, Barrett's vision for modernizing the 96-year-old space could come to fruition.

A timeframe for buying the Cincinnati Masonic Center has not been determined. According to county property records, it's estimated to be worth $3.25 million, while the Taft Theatre is worth $3.8 million.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati's Masonic temple set to transform into entertainment mecca