WHEELING, W.Va (WTRF) – After almost three years, the Scottish Rite Masonry Members of Wheeling are proud to announce they now have their cathedral on 14th Street back under ownership.  

To say the members of the Scottish Rite Masonry are excited to have their 107-year-old cathedral back is an understatement.  

This historic building holds so many memories for masonry members and the city of Wheeling.  

With a lot of tender love and care, they are working hard to open it back up for public use.  

7News took a tour of the building on Wednesday with the organization to learn more about its history.

“It’s one of those things where you don’t realize what you had until you lost it. And so, when I came up with this idea to try to save the building, there was a lot of excitement.” 

Rich Brown | Personal Representative to the Sovereign Grand Inspector General

Wheeling Scottish Rite Members sold their cathedral a few years ago because it was too expensive to keep it.  

However, they were awarded the building back after a bankruptcy foreclosure situation as of June 16.  

Members had to wait 30 days before they could get to work on renovations, but now it’s full steam ahead getting everything up to code.  

“It was built in 1916. There were close to 10,000 members in its heyday. This is the only building in the state of West Virginia that was built specifically for Scottish masonry. So, we’re pretty proud of that.” 

Rich Brown | Personal Representative to the Sovereign Grand Inspector General

The Scottish Rite Cathedral, like many other places in the Friendly City, is home to a lot of history.  

The five-story building houses a ballroom, a theatre and a library.  

  • Ballroom located on 2nd Floor.
  • Theatre located on 5th Floor. The theatre seats a little under 500 people.
  • The Library, located on the 1st floor.

“Most of this marble came from Italy. It was hand laid. The floors were just little small pieces that were individually hand laid. So, there was a lot of work that went into making this building what it is.” 

Rich Brown | Personal Representative to the Sovereign Grand Inspector General

Once renovated, members plan to host weddings, conferences and other events in the space.  

To stay up to date with renovations and other details about the cathedral, follow the Scottish Rite Cathedral Facebook page.

Members will be posting lots of pictures as well as pricing for using the space for events in the near future.

Brown says they want everyone to see and enjoy its beauty, making memories with their loved ones for generations to come.  

Brown says they are confident in their ability to open the Cathedral back up for public use by October 2023.