SCRANTON — A $10 million renovation of the Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple that will seal the roof and masonry walls and restore the main theater to its grandeur of 95 years ago is in process, center officials said.
The project also involves installation of a cathodic protection system to inhibit rusting of the steel frame of the structure at 420 N. Washington Ave. It is believed to be one of the first historic buildings in the state to get such a corrosion-prevention system, center General Manager John Cardoni said.
“It’s a pretty complex project,” Cardoni said about the overhaul. “At the end of the day, this project tightens and seals the envelope of the building so it eliminates the water (infiltration) problem and restores the theater to what it looked like in 1930.”
Funded by the state and other grants, the project has been in the works for years. All scheduled activities, including weddings and summer camps, will continue unimpeded.
On Monday, scaffolding began to go up inside the main theater, where water damage of the ceiling and walls needs repairs, Cardoni said. This work will involve restoration of nearly 3,000 ceiling tiles and over 1,000 plaster ornamental medallions, as well as removal of loose plaster and restoration of walls.
The interior theater renovation will restore the proscenium arch, part of which collapsed around the early 1990s and has been covered ever since, Cardoni said.
Scaffolding erected outside earlier this year is for roof and masonry repairs to prevent water leaks that have caused interior damage. The roof work is about half done, gutters are being replaced and about half of the windows have undergone stained-glass and frame repairs, Cardoni said. The largest exterior doors had repairs in recent years and others are now getting restored, he said.
The cathodic protection system involves chipping out mortar joints all the way back to the steel structure, about 15 inches below the surface of the exterior stone in about 500 spots, drilling a little metal clip into the steel and attaching a wire, cementing it in place and connecting it to other wires and a power source that provides a low-impact pulse of current that inhibits rust from forming, he said.
“The stone work on all four faces will take right through winter into spring,” Cardoni said.
Due to rising costs, the center had to forgo some interior work, Cardoni said. For example, the anti-rust system is only going into the most egregious areas, plaster erosion in offices will get quick cleanups and Shopland Hall will not be entirely restored and restenciled, he said.
“Unfortunately, the buying power of the money got eroded. This is not all of the work we hoped to do with the money,” Cardoni said. “It’s the stuff that the public doesn’t see that we decided to ax.”
Opened in 1930 as the Masonic Temple and Scottish Rite Cathedral, the 180,000-square-foot building was listed in 1997 on the National Register of Historic Places.
The building and its neo-Gothic architecture are significant as examples of the design work of Raymond Hood, a prominent American architect of the 1920s and early 1930s. Some of Hood’s other designs include Rockefeller Center and the Daily News and McGraw-Hill buildings, all in Manhattan, and the Tribune Tower in Chicago.
Along with an 1,800-seat auditorium theater, the building contains a ballroom with a balcony, a smaller theater, several Masonic lodge rooms, meeting rooms, a library, offices and support spaces.
“A lot of people don’t realize the enormity of the building. It’s got a lot of functionality,” said center board Chairman John Murray, who also is Scranton City Controller. “It’s spectacular and it’s such an economic driver for the downtown, the city, the county and the state.”
Designed with attention to detail throughout — including walls, flooring, ceilings and stairwells, chandeliers, sconces, windows and hardware — the building cost about $2.3 million to construct and fully furnish. To build such a structure today would probably cost over $250 million, although the building is considered “not replaceable,” according to archives of the Times-Tribune.
For interior renovations, workers erect scaffolding inside the main theater of the Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple in Scranton on Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
For interior renovations, workers erect scaffolding inside the main theater of the Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple in Scranton on Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
For interior renovations, workers erect scaffolding inside the main theater of the Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple in Scranton on Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
For interior renovations, workers erect scaffolding inside the main theater of the Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple in Scranton on Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
Scaffolding at the Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple in Scranton on Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
Workers build scaffolding on the stage in the theater of the Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple in Scranton Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Scaffolding surrounds the front doors leading into the Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple in Scranton Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Construction is underway at the Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple in Scranton Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Light fixtures illuminate the ceiling of the theater in the Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple in Scranton Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
The ballroom in the Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple in Scranton Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Paint is peeling on the ceiling of the theater in the Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple in Scranton Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)