This place has a great event setting, huge rooms, auditorium massive and cute lounges and restrooms. Its a fancy huge place with great views of the lake. The only complain was the AC in the 3rd floor was not working so it was really hot and sweaty. We were at a company offsite of 700 people so it got unbearable in that floor after a while. The place has 4 floors, or at least we had access to 4 floors. The auditorium was the biggest win in my experience. It can hold more than 700 people I think... the chairs are little tight but the view from all spaces is clear and great. read more

Oakland Scottish Rite Center - Women's lounge area - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Oakland, California

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I came here many years ago for a play that my uncle was in. It was good, and a bonus? I ran into a friend of mine from college. He dropped out for his acting dream. I tried to keep in touch and he was closeted so that didn't happen. But the first floor was beautiful. My school had graduations there and we went up to the fourth floor where there was a "smaller" stage and less room for the audience. I say smaller because it is smaller than the bottom floor, but it's not tiny. Again, it was very nice. The issue? The parking lot is abysmal. It's so small so I arrived a few hours early to get a space because street parking is a joke. Someone else I know parked in a lot and carpooled it in. Another issue? I'm not fat, I'm heavier than I was in high school and college when I was underweight. But I'm a normal sized person and the seats are so tiny that it's uncomfortable to sit in them. I had to be on the floor, I forget why and when told that I could sit in the teacher section, I said, "That's OK. I can sit down here with the students." Why did I say that? Well, it's because I was in a folding chair and there were no sides to rub against or crush my sides. I know that I'm not the only person experiencing that. I'm surprised that they didn't have a standing room only section for people too big to sit in the seats. I don't know how they plan to work on this, but that's no my problem. I'm with a K-8 school this year. But it's sad that whenever someone mentions that something will take place in the Scottish Rite Center my first thought will be of the discomfort of sitting in their seats, rather than the beauty of the auditorium in which I'll be sitting. read more

Oakland Scottish Rite Center - Ceiling from the 4th floor. - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Oakland, California

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Attended an event here for UC Berkeley Labor Center. Built in 1927 overlooking Lake Merritt, this facility is owned and managed by the Scottish Rite of Freemasons. A huge location to host several type of events from small receptions to large conventions of a few hundred. A historic building with classic architecture makes for great photos. read more

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We decided to go to the Saturday 8pm showing of Dolores. Our seats were at the very top so you do have to climb several flights of stairs. The usher helps you point where your section and they offer you cushion pillows. Now the seats are the most uncomfortable we have felt in our life time and I rather sit at the high school bleachers which are uncomfortable than here. Plus you are squish to the person next to which gives you no room to move to one or the other side. I would feel if I was on the plump size, how would of been able to sit knowing the arm rest doesn't go up. It was hot and stuffy especially climbing those stairs. The place is beautiful but desperately needs to put better chairs and an AC. Shoot even the cinema down the road has comfortable seating and nice breeze coming down for the 2 hours you are going to be there. It was unfortunate we had to leave at the intermission as we thought it was a play not a boasting high pitch singing. They kept repeating the same thing and kept dragging. read more

Oakland Scottish Rite Center - Avoid the upper deck at all cost as you will not be able to move, lean, stretch and will probably be stiff upon getting up. No bueno - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Oakland, California

This happened a while ago (2017), but it was still annoying enough to write about, especially seeing similar circumstances. I didn't know that I had to be a 19° degree Scottish Rite Mason to get basic information from the Events Manager. At the time, I was spec'ing venues for a conference proposal and the OSRC was one of the venues that covered most of the conference needs: Ex., easy access, close proximity to freeway and hotels (at the time), A/V, capacity, etc. I'd been there previously for other events and was already familiar with the layout. I emailed the Events Manager with a short outline of what I was looking for. The response --when they did finally respond-- was a curt suggestion to setup a time to visit the space. I responded that I'd been there previously and would eventually setup a visit, but first I needed them to be able to answer my questions because I was assessing feasibility and I had other venues in the queue, as well. Never heard a peep after. I called and left a vm. No response. I'm not sure why an Events Manager wouldn't have a readily available list of fees/services or not be able to answer very specific questions, but here we are. As I'm reading the other reviews, they're definitely filling in the blanks I had at that time. read more

Always drove through here never really knew what it was. But wow this place is beautiful. Is a little old but the ceilings and whole set up is so nice in general the whole architecture of the building is gorgeous. And the balcony wow amazing view. I checked out a Muay Thai event and the set up was great. Matches in mats were down stairs while the main event was set up in the 4th floor. Multiple gyms that were participating had their small merch sections and even had a section where they sold Thai food. Had a great time here looking forward for more events at this center. read more

A very nice facility. Well maintained and clean. I love Oakland, and I would recommend this historic stucture for your planned events. It has a beautiful auditorium and elaborate dining area. read more

I'm in love with this building. I've been to many events here: an opera performance, dinners and meetings. The architecture has so much eye candy for people who enjoy 1920's buildings. Solid wood doors and paneling, decorative ceilings, vintage tile floors, expansive spaces. The women's lounge on the first floor brings me back to a by-gone era of "let's freshen our lipstick and powder our nose." If you have an opportunity to go to an event here, take it. read more

The Oakland Scottish Rite Center, I used to remember it was called the Scottish Rite Temple in my youth, has been around since the 1920s. Situated across from the beautiful (except when you're breathing when jogging and or walking around the lake) Lake Merritt and near the Lake Chalet (Boathouse), the center is an art-deco throw-back to the post depression 20s. Beautiful interior while exterior is a bit bland. The center is perfect for galas, High School proms, special events, etc. walk in through the large sets of double doors, into a lobby, through another set of double doors, and you enter a large ballroom with a stage opposite the doors. Perfect symmetry as the ballroom has large side rooms on both the left and right. Wooden floor and 30 foot (?) ornate ceiling are impressive. Beautiful venue, parking in a back lot while there are two-hour spaces on the Lake Merritt side. read more

Oakland Scottish Rite Center - Interior with high ceiling and a stage for a band or speakers. - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Oakland, California

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It's quite a lovely interior...BUT...they have disabled parking spaces in the rear of the building but no accessible entrance to the Center. The sign for a wheelchair ramp from the parking lot includes about 6 steps. That's insane. On the other side of the building is a ramp for a vehicle but the grade is far too steep and even if you aren't in a wheelchair but have mobility challenges, there's no railing. I attended a Facebook event. I know Kaiser has events there too. It is definitely not an ADA-accessible venue. read more

Beautiful venue! I had not come to an event here in years but previously we had our church Thanksgiving banquets here every year back over 20 years ago and also attended a few school fairs here. This is our first wedding here and I noticed they have remodeled some of the building inside. The wedding we attended had over 350 guests so it was held in the Grand Ballroom and was catered by one of the in-house caterers. Parking can be a problem but if you are willing to walk 1-2 blocks, you can find parking near the Main Library. Just be safe as the area can be alittle seedy at night. The ladies lounge on the first floor is humongous like the old style powder rooms with large mirrors, with a big sitting room with sofas so it was perfect for the bride and her bridesmaids to have a place to relax and change or spruce up their makeup. The service was good and food was buffet style. There was plenty of food for seconds and we had a variety: salad, garlic bread, beef, chicken, salmon, grilled vegetables, mashed potatoes, rice, fruit, coffee and tea, water and iced tea. All in all, food was average, beef was tender, chicken was a bit dry, and salmon, slightly under-cooked. But we were here to celebrate and it was good fun. read more

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Super cool historic place! Checked it out see if I can host one of my work meetings and John gave my colleague and I an awesome your. Check out the pics! read more

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Stunning venue to have any type of even. It is breathtaking in so many ways- you and your guests will not be disappointed. Came here to watch my brother in law graduate with the rest of the 173rd OPD Academy and i couLdnt have been more surprised by it's beauty. The thought of OakLand doesn't normaLLy conjure up postitive images due to aLL the negative aspects that surround this city but I stood corrected. Scottish Rite Center has a massive auditorium- pLenty of seating (coliseum styLe), gorgeous high ceiLing, and a grand center stage. They aLso have a banquet dining room perfect for any type of reception and can easiLy seat guests in the hundreds. I AM A FAN!!! HopefuLLy there will be another reason for me to return soon. read more

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Second time at the Scottish Rite in Oakland, the place seemed even more beautiful the second time around! This Scottish Rite Center is not only located in prime location by Lake Merritt, it is also a building that hold so much history. The ceilings have amazing detailing, the mens room has a barber set up, the ladies room has a vanity setup, they decorated the place beautifully for Christmas and in the dance hall you could feel the elegance of such a throwback building! They do not have many parking spaces but BART is a five minute walk away! Lake Merritt and 12th Street stations are nearby. Oakland has many great buildings and the Scottish Rite Center is on that list, a must see if your into the old architecture of Oakland and San Francisco, especially if you know about the Masons who built it! PS: the coolest vault is upstairs! (exclusive access) read more

Oakland Scottish Rite Center - Beautiful details - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Oakland, California

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A nice location directly across the street from Lake Merritt with ample street parking, however, the seats are made for very small people. There is no real width to them nor is there any leg room. If you are not small, the theater will be extremely uncomfortable. It is also on the 4th floor. The person downstairs told us to go to the fourth floor and we would still have to go up another flight of stairs. Baffling, since the elevator actually does go to the 5th floor, but we took her instructions and decided that the next flight of stairs maybe was between floors four and five. Nope, when we arrived at the top of the stairs we were right at the elevator letting out all the people we had just been in there with who had correctly taken it to the fifth floor. And yet there is still yet another flight of stairs to go up. Not ADA accessible at all. We won't be back to this venue. read more

The theater on the top floor is impressive and has historical character to it. We saw a ballet performance here and the atmosphere was quite magical. read more

REVIEWER # 39 Oakland seems to surprise me every time I find a new gem! I came to Oakland Scottish Rite Center for the 1st annual Paso Robles Wine tasting event that consisted of over 20+ vendors in this amazing venue! Located right across from the lake Merritt and front of Lake Chalet this place is beautiful once you actually walk inside and take it all in. The 1st floor consists of a wonderful ladies room and "ladies lounge area"! I was totally shocked to walk in and see the room! It was like it could have been my bedroom area! Also located on the 1st floor is the Grand Ballroom where the event took place. The room is usually used for special events such as weddings but this time it was used for the Wine event that consisted of about 300 people and fit each one of us very comfortably. The 3rd floor is also a beautiful view! The 3rd floor consists of the Men's Cigar Room. I have to admit that even if you aren't a man you have to witness how unique this room is! In the men's room they also have a Barber shop! Yes, barbers shop!! Incredible! The 4th floor consists of the balcony which has fantastic views of Lake Merritt. You have to witness it to believe it. There's also a Media Room, Foyer, Red Room and Gold room that is also located on the 4th floor. NOW ON TO THE WINE EVENT, SHALL WE: The event was well organized. I was with a meet-up group that introduced me to this and I have to admit this was a very unique event. The wine event featured 26 wineries and more than 120wines from Paso Robles Wine Country. I was excited to try these wines because visiting wines in Sonoma and Napa can get pretty old so it was nice to experience some different wine! It gives me a reason to want to visit this area! Some of the wines that were there are: -Adelaida Cellers -Ancient Peaks Winery -Cass Vineyards & Winery -Chronic Cellers -Daou Vineyards -Eberle Winery Jennifer and Christopher are the directors of this event and did a wonderful job setting this event up! BIG Thanks to them! The vendors gave great pours so half way into the event my eyes were rolling to the back of my head! I had a wonderful time and look forward to having another event like this close to my area! Great venue and located! Review 96/196 read more

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This is a very gorgeous venue to hold an event. I attended a small trade show in the auditorium. The room is large enough to fit tables for eating, setting up a buffet lunch, and more tables for business people to conduct business. I don't know if they have their own in house caterer or if the group who put on our event hired someone else. That bring said the food was good. We had a choice of beef or chicken with a mixed green salad. I had the beef, with was good. I didn't try the chicken. The dessert spread was fabulous! I don't judge people, I judge desserts. There's another aspect that makes this place classically beautiful. The women's bathroom had the grandest sitting room. It's as big as a two bedroom house in there. Giant velvet stuffed chairs and mirrors with subtle lighting. I could picture Elizabeth Taylor sitting there talking trash about Richard Burton and putting on mascara. They also have their own parking lot. Parking is at a premium in this area of Oakland. It's a must for holding a large event. I hope we have another event here again. read more

If you want to know all the details (yeah, there's more than what is described here), message me and I'll gladly send you a copy of the letter I sent the venue listing my grievances. - Spent over $10K for my event, only to have a horribly stressful and frustrating customer service experience in the months leading up to it. - My event went as scheduled but only because the venue scrambled to do damage control and caused our rehearsal to be delayed by over an hour. It was the definition of a rough start. - Found out the morning of my event that the event planner handling my booking was fired--it happened the week before. Also found out that morning the AV guy called in sick--after I'd heard from him just the day before. - Sent a letter of complaint requesting my money back due to the awful customer service leading up to the event (I did give credit to those that were there the day of that put everything together), only to be told that the event planner and AV guy were fired because they were found to be scamming money from clients by overcharging and pocketing the difference. They would not give me my money back because they took care of the issue (firing the 2 employees) and because my event was successful. - I emailed back stating how disappointed I was that they didn't even have the courtesy of refunding my deposit. You don't pay $10K+ for just the event to happen the day of...you pay that kind of money for a competent and positive customer service experience from the start, which I did not have. Firing the employees doesn't change my experience, nor does claiming I don't deserve anything back because "my event was reported as successful." We clearly have different opinions on what "successful" means. - I got a check in the mail for $300. That's the cleaning deposit. The actual deposit was $1,000. And they made the check out to the wrong person. They may have fired those shady individuals but given that they can't even get a check made out to the right person shows that these guys have a lot more to be worried about than not knowing that their own employees are ripping off paying customers who are spending a small fortune for the venue. I will never do business with this venue again or step foot in it as a guest. read more

Oh... just indulge me for a second as I let spill my perorations... Resplendent and anchored in its historical roots.. Built in 1883, this subset of Freemasons have been assisting in helping children with language disorders. Philanthropy is a plus in my book. I finally got to step foot inside to watch OSA's production of Les Mis, and to ascend to the 4/5th floors last night (ground floor is a ballroom, being guarded by security guard). Those solid Gothic columns and majestic chandeliers...the sway and space and grandeur... The sitting parlor of the women's bathrooms... larger than some folks' little homes. I have jogged/walked/driven by the SRC over the years, and have always wondered... the inside of that puppy has *got* to be prettier than the rather plain exterior?! Nestled on Lakeside just across from the Lake Chalet, with peekaboo views of the rather romantic lake at dusk, bejeweled with those little lights...SRC boasts of a ballroom on its ground floor and a large, European-esque upper theater!! A lovely testament to history, standing strong! read more

Beautiful venue! The ballroom ceiling is something you do not see too often anymore--look up! Attended a Christmas party at this location. Apparently there are 2 sections: lower is a huge ballroom--think accommodating 300+sit down table rounds, stage for band, dance floor, band or DJ, bars and buffet area. There is also a large foyer area that is separate. Upstairs I "heard" is a full theater (movie like). Food I "heard" was provided by one of their preferred vendors and was surprisingly good --given it was buffet style. Parking on the street is free, but typical city parking--a challenge. There is a parking garage nearby ( not free) and there was a free shuttle available for the event I attended, but am NOT sure is this is always available or a standard service. read more

My babysitter 8th grade graduation hair Warriors 2018 parade in the streets before I self building so much traffic that I got to the facility late but my baby did graduate 8th grade I did get some good video and pictures but felt like I missed a lot as well the parking lot due to the Warriors parade so my daughter had to walk three blocks to her graduation because we were not allowed to go down the street but other than that the building is beautiful read more

Oakland Scottish Rite Center - View from my seat - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Oakland, California

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I went to this place to check out the Revel's holiday show with my gf and her family. The show itself was great - there singing was amazing and the performances were awesome. A lot of dancing and a lot of crowd participation - it definitely put me in the Christmas spirit! Humbug. I'll probably go back and check it out next year. I will also be keeping up with other shows going on at this theater as long as the price is reasonable, because it is really beautiful and we didn't have any problems viewing the stage. I was sitting off to the side in what would be considered a "bad" seat, but the view that we had was great. The center has very high ceilings and a floor seating, although most (80%) of the seats in the theater can be considered balcony. The food wasn't anything to brag about, and it was pretty expensive, but in this part of Oakland you can step outside and go to a nice reasonably priced restaurant after/before the show. On the ground floor there was a large auditorium where people were practicing dancing or some show - which makes me believe that people can reserve spaces in the hall. I don't know anything about this, but the center is very comfortable and beautiful - and if I needed to put on an event in the Oakland area this place would be at the top of the list. read more

Oakland Scottish Rite Center - Revels tree - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Oakland, California

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The Scottish Rite Center looks like a museum or an old government building from the outside but is really a 4 story venue for plays, events and most importantly my wedding!! I can't say how much I loved this place as soon as I stepped foot in it. The 1st floor yields a large ballroom that can seat up to 800 people (in round tables) with a large sized stage in the middle. The ceiling is adorned with painted design. A large changing room with mirrors is adjacent to the main ballroom. The 2nd floor serves as a balcony for to look down at the folks on the 1st floor. The 3rd floor has 2 large rooms. This is where we had our cocktail hour. Each room is big enough to have at least a hundred people in it. The 4th floor boasts the theater area. Our wedding took place here. There is capacity for 1300 people in the theater style seating area. The floor is pretty big as well for regular fold-up seats to be placed. The stage is quite large with red carpeting and curtains. Lighting in this area can be changed to suit your needs. The ceiling is round and also adorns an old Scottish style theme. Each floor is accessible via elevator. There are changing rooms and bathrooms located on each floor, except the balcony area. To top it off, the Scottish Rite sits right next to Lake Merritt. The views are spectacular from the 4th floor. This place is amazing. The staff is great and I'm so grateful to have the biggest day of my life here. read more

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This venue is really stunning and a very decent size. Visited recently to see the Les Mis production by the Oakland High School for the Arts. It was performed in the theater and the setting was really special. And those kids put on an incredible show! My only complaint is that the seats are a very tight fit and pretty uncomfortable--at least by modern standards. If you are lucky, as I was, the performance you are watching will make you forget the discomfort. read more

An incredibly complex and multidimensional venue, the Oakland Scottish Rite building wows from the first flour to the fourth. I love going to events here, especially if I have time to have lunch or dinner at Lake Chalet across the street. Their main ballroom and the auditorium are huge, and while the building seems to have maintained its history, I love the updates they have made, especially with the lighting and sound systems. Very cool place for a wedding too, and it is large enough to accomodate a significant amount of people. Would love to book this place for a New Years party. read more

Oakland Scottish Rite Center - The amazing auditorium and dance floor, all lit up! - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Oakland, California

The building is very nice and has solar panels, which is great. So going to an event here is fine. But DO NOT PLAN AN EVENT HERE!!! DON'T DO IT. I had so many problems with doing a large event. The staff and Entree by the Bay, their in house caters, are dishonest, rude and shady in their business dealings. When you are about to sign contracts, they are super nice and helpful. The minute you sign on the dotted line, things change, they stop returning calls, they start adding new questionable rules that you never knew about. They also refused to return our security deposit because we requested it after 90 days or some ridiculous made up rule that was never written down. The catering is absolutely awful. They did a sample tasting for us, which was great. Then the food that they actually provided on the day of the event wasn't even close to what we tasted and approved. It was downright gross. I had a very important luncheon at Scottish Rite, and a large number of people complained about the bad food. Also, the caterers promised organic food and didn't deliver on it. They actually outright lied about it. They refused to give us any refunds and were so rude and impossible to deal with I just gave up. I had such a terrible experience, and the professional team I hired to plan and produce the event (and they work on large corporate meetings & events about 50 times a year and many different venues!) was treated so poorly that they wouldn't ever work at Scottish Rite again either. It is an event planner's worst nightmare. Stay away. read more

Love the decor excellent place to have an event etc. Plenty of room too! Love the woman bathroom area. It has an old world charm. My Church has been meeting here and I love it. read more

Oakland Scottish Rite Center - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Oakland, California

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i visit the wedding venue and it was big and beautiful. Its a bit pricey but i guess thats what you have to pay with Lake Merrit in front of it. Its a big ballroom. Theres two grand stairway up to the second floor. and theres a stage upstairs where you can have your ceremony in. but its additonal fee. I dont know how people in wheel chairs get in...(i guess i probably should have asked) but theres stairs everywhere. The parking lot is a bit scary to look at but you have to hire at least 2 security guards on the night of the event. I think 60 per hr. per guard but street parking is open and free after 6pm as usual. the event coordinator is William and he was nice to talk to...he raved about his own daughters beautiful wedding at the location and used it as a example. you need alot to decorate the hall but Williams has connections to lighting and fountains and plants and trees to rent out...of course thats extra 2000 to add to the budget. You need to rent everything from the scottish rite center...tables, chairs, linens and dishes. Their catering is very afforable...but you cant taste the food unless you pay for a tasting or book the venue for your event. "Dont judge a book by its cover" Go Look inside, it really nice. read more

This review is a bit overdue. I came here for a Superbowl party that they were throwing a few years back. I was an invited guest along with a good amount of our friends to come watch the game here instead of somewhere else. The food was free, they had multiple large screens, and plenty of space to sit. What could be so bad, right? First, they probably make up for all the goodies by charging an exorbitant amount for the alcohol. Second, all of us that were invited guests were questions by every single member there, with questions like: "who are you?", "who invited you?", "what are you doing here?". I mean, we were undergraduate student veterans, and we were invited guests, why were we being questioned like criminals? Next, the people here are pretty uptight and pretentious. It's probably because of the lore that surrounds the group, but they honestly do talk and walk around like they secretly run the world. If this post gets deleted, or I am assassinated, or both, then I will know the truth. If not, then I will know the truth. haha It gets 3 stars because the facility is actually really nice, and I've thought about renting it for other functions. The food was decent as well, with a multitude of variety. Unfortunately, the people who are associated with this place and the bad impression I got while I was there, would not have me ever returning. "On second thought, let's not go to Camelot. Tis a silly place." read more

I've been here for two weddings now and I absolutely love this venue for weddings. I live how open it is, the ceiling once your inside, the lake across the street. Beautiful! Parking: small lot behind the building and street parking can be hard to find. read more

Oakland Scottish Rite Center - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Oakland, California

The Oakland Scottish Rite is "as good as it gets" ! Perfect for conferences, concerts, proms, anything you can think of.. even president Obama had an event there. No kidding! 135,000 square feet of mind blowing beauty, a ball room, an 1100 seat theater with the best audio system and light show money can buy.. multiple dining rooms, multiple kitchens , and a whole lot more. built in 1926, this historic building is fully restored and continues to be owned and run by the same organization who designed and built it originally. If you want the best , the Oakland Scottish Rite is a stunning building rite on Lake Merritt with private parking. Easy to find, easy to access. The memories you make there will last for a lifetime. Philip L. read more

I love the Scottish Rite Center... I've been to many events here staring way back in high school (1996) up through this last weekend (2009). The place is just the same as always... I always feel like I'm stepping back in time to a grander era or fantastic parties and perfect decor. I've never been the planner of events at this venue... so I can't comment, but being in attendance at various functions at the SRC I have to say I've always left pleased. You've got to check out their ladies bathroom... it's so cool... a little outdated decorations but I love the sitting room and vanities perfect for touching up your makeup! read more

SUCH A BEAUTIFUL VENUE. The room was able to fit like 500. My neighbors had their reception here yesterday and it made me want my reception here too. read more

The Scottish Rite main room doesn't seem like the best place for a wedding ceremony, the coliseum style seating seems awkward for such an intimate venue, but the banquet room feels like a good spot for a large reception. read more

Oakland Scottish Rite Center - Oakland Police Academy Graduation - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Oakland, California

This is a grandiose place to hold any conference, wedding, or party with 4 levels of space and an authentic historical feel. The tapestries, ceilings, and intricate decor is well preserved and makes you want to go through a ritual here. read more

I really don't know how the venue could have been any better. It is located right on Lake Merritt. There was plenty of parking. The place was spotless and gorgeous. We had 250 guests for a fundraiser. I definitely recommend checking this place out if you need a venue in Oakland. read more

I visit this facility multiple times a year for Gaskell's Ball (http://www.yelp.com/biz/gaskells-ball-oakland), California Revels (http://www.yelp.com/biz/california-revels-oakland), a wedding, and other events. I can honestly say I've been here more than 20 times (bit didn't think to check in until last night, go figure). Overall the building needs some love, the main ball room is in fairly good shape and the large auditorium has seen some repair in the last few years but someone really needs to take this place under its wing and do a renovation. I have not been in the Scottish Right rooms, those are restricted to members, but I was in one of the Masonic lodge rooms about 6 years ago and I could be surprised if it were in use (a real pity because it showed the marks of being a beautiful room once). The good things: The security guards working the building during every event I've attended have been friendly, the kind of people you want to say hello and good night to and not just walk by. The building is stately, and you can feel the history when you visit. The auditorium has good acoustics which helps the enjoyment of performances no matter where you sit. The ball room is large with two wings on the short ends giving a place for people to congregate and relax even when the main room is full of people whirling about. This place could easily be 5 stars, it just needs someone to get a grant or something and work it over top to bottom. Don't let 3 stars fool you though, as a venue it is still well worth the use. read more

This was my first time to visit the Scottish Rite Center - for the occasion of my son's graduation from the Oakland Police Academy. The setting, across from Lake Merritt, in Oakland, is really lovely. I think parking can be a bit difficult if it is a crowded venue but we lucked into a street parking space only two blocks away. The facility is large ...somewhat cavernous... though, frankly, I didn't really look around. We sat in an upper balcony and could see quite well. We chose not to stay for refreshments but went out to take photographs along the lake. read more

What a great place to hold an event. The recently restored Oakland Scottish Rite temple is an awesome place to behold. A recent change in organization has dramatically upgraded the facility to the highest 2st century expectations while maintaining a very cool connection to the original theme and design.. There are numerous large banquet rooms that will accommodate any sized event from small clubs, to private events with thousands of guests. There are numerous restroom facilities as well as a secured parking lot. The amphitheater has to been seen in person to behold the size and grandeur. It is breathtaking. Located right on Lake Merritt the Oakland Scottish Rite is the perfect place for all private events your organization can dream off. Check it out. read more

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