Exterior view of the First Shriners Auditorium at West Jefferson Boulevard and South Royal Street, Los Angeles, ca.1905-1915

Photograph of the exterior view of the First Shriners Auditorium, on the corner of West Jefferson Boulevard and South Royal Street, Los Angeles, ca.1905-1915. The Moorish-style (or Islamic-style) auditorium stands at about three-stories tall. Ornamental moldings decorate the walls throughout the building. The second floor has Islamic-horseshoe-arched recesses with windows. The roof has battlements shaped like arrowheads surrounding the perimeter of the roof on the center section of the auditorium. Small onion-shaped towers with Islamic horseshoe arched openings are situated at many different areas throughout the building. Lamp posts in the shape of an upside-down crescent moon line the sidewalk and the path from the sidewalk to the main entrance. In front of the auditorium is a two-story house (at left). The house features cant and dormer windows, and a covered porch with a balustrade surrounding it. Stained glass windows display the "Shriner's official emblem".; "Originally constructed in 1926, the Shrine Auditorium was built for the Shriner Organization. This organization, formed in the 1870s, had its first official meeting in 1872. The functions of the group were similar to those of today's fraternities, with various secret rituals and traditions. As the organization grew and spread across the United States, it eventually changed its name to the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine for North America. The group, now known as the Shriner Organization, still exists, with well over 720,000 "shriners," and uses the Shrine Auditorium to host events associated with the club. In addition, the Shriner Organization has become a philanthropy, operating 22 Shriner Hospitals for handicapped or severely burned children. The Shrine Auditorium consists of a theater and an exposition center, which is home to various sales, conventions, and large-scale parties." -- Rich DeMuro, Staff Writer, Daily Trojan.; "The Crescent was adopted as the Jewel of the Order. Though any materials can be used in forming the Crescent, the most valuable are the claws of a Royal Bengal Tiger, united at their base in a gold setting. In the center is the head of a sphinx, and on the back are a pyramid, an urn and a star. The Jewel bears the motto "Robur et Furor," which means "Strength and Fury." Today, the Shrine emblem includes a scimitar from which the crescent hangs, and a five-pointed star beneath the head of the sphinx." -- unknown author.