Silent Donor Covers Masonic Taxes

Detroit’s historic Masonic Temple has paid off back taxes that had put it at risk of foreclosure.

The Detroit News reports an anonymous donor contributed the entire outstanding total of $142,000. Wayne County says the payment was posted Thursday, just days before a deadline that could have sent the 14-story building to auction.

Masonic Temple Association President Roger Sobran says it was “a blessing.” An earlier payment of $10,000 was made in April toward the unpaid taxes from 2010 and 2012.

The building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, takes up an entire block and has more than 1,000 rooms. It houses the Masonic Theater, a concert site that for decades hosted some of the biggest acts in music, including The Who and the Rolling Stones.