A Beaux-Arts palace in Moorish drag, this complex of stucco over brick has decorative tile trim and roofing and, along with seven other window types, ogee arches. An open observation deck under an octagonal cupola crowns the square, balustraded tower. Inside the three-story building, the decor is even more exotic: murals and mosaics adorn the ballroom and an auditorium guarded by two plaster lions.
El Jebel was founded in 1887 by Mortimer J. Lawrence. A Denver chapter opened in 1888 for this “brave, fun loving, adventuresome band of men,” still noted for sponsoring hospitals for crippled children. The Shriners left their 1906 home at 18th and Sherman ( DV090) in 1929 for this exotic, $225,000 replacement and the adjacent 193-acre golf course. During the Great Depression, El Jebel sold the golf course to the city of Denver.