The cornerstone was laid in 1928. The building was dedicated on May 24, 1930. The cost was $2.225 million — an enormous sum for a Masonic Temple in a mid-size city, but the Rochester Freemasons of that era were not building a meeting hall. They were building a monument. The West Herr Auditorium Theatre, the performance space at the heart of the complex, is a 2,464-seat Art Deco room with original 1930 light fixtures, dramatically molded ornamental plaster, a filigreed proscenium arch, and a domed ceiling decorated with what might be the most unexpected motif in American theater design: squirrels.
Yes, squirrels. The dome’s ornamental plasterwork features intricate squirrel motifs — a detail that has become one of the theater’s signature oddities and a reliable conversation starter during intermission. It is the kind of thing that makes you look up and realize you are in a building with a personality.
From Masonic Temple to Performing Arts Center
The building’s journey from fraternal hall to premier concert venue spans decades. The Masonic organization sold the property to private owners in 1989, and it became the Auditorium Center — a mixed-use facility with offices, meeting rooms, banquet space, and the theater. In 2004, the Rochester Broadway Theatre League (RBTL), a nonprofit founded in 1957, purchased the theater portion and established it as a dedicated live entertainment venue.
The transformation accelerated in 2023 when RBTL acquired the full Auditorium Center and partnered with West Herr Automotive Group to rename the complex the West Herr Performing Arts Center. The theater became the West Herr Auditorium Theatre. Locals still call it the Auditorium Theatre, the Aud, or just the Masonic Temple. Whatever name you use, you end up in the same Art Deco room with the squirrels on the ceiling.
The Wurlitzer
Hidden behind the proscenium sits a Wurlitzer 4/23 theatre organ — Opus 1951 — rescued from the RKO Palace Theater in the mid-1960s and installed on January 21, 1967. The instrument has 1,619 pipes and is maintained by the Rochester Theater Organ Society (RTOS), which hosts annual organ concerts in the auditorium. Hearing a Wurlitzer in its intended setting — a large theater built for unamplified performance — is an experience that headphones and recordings cannot replicate.
The $65 Million Restoration
PROJECT RESTOURATION, RBTL’s ambitious restoration campaign, aims to bring the full complex back to its 1930 glory by the building’s centennial in 2030. The total budget is $65 million, with $19.5 million raised by late 2025. Phase One, completed in early 2026, included new sidewalks, steps, and railings, a reconstructed east parking lot, restoration of all three main entrances, a new rear entrance with accessible parking, and the restoration of fourth-floor Cathedral Hall for small theater use.
Upcoming phases will address the stage and rigging, add a new elevator to the upper floors, and incorporate original 1928 flooring and bass elevator doors as design elements in a new bar space. The building is being restored and reimagined simultaneously — honoring the original Art Deco craftsmanship while building a modern performing arts center around it.
Who Has Played Here
Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band played the Auditorium Theatre on February 8, 1977, during the Lawsuit Tour. Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders performed here on November 17, 1974. Bob Dylan played on October 24, 2023. The Broadway touring season — the RBTL’s bread and butter — brings productions like “Beetlejuice,” “Waitress,” and “Hamilton” through regularly. The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra performs here, and Jerry Seinfeld has worked the room for comedy. The booking leans toward Broadway, comedy, and orchestral, but the rock and roots bookings that do happen carry the weight of the room’s history.
Getting There and Parking
The theater sits at 885 East Main Street in Rochester’s Neighborhood of the Arts. RBTL operates five parking lots in the immediate area, with rates typically ranging from $5 to $10 for events. The East Main Street and Gibbs Street lots are the closest. Street parking is available on surrounding blocks, and downtown Rochester’s parking infrastructure is generally accommodating for evening events.
The Neighborhood
The Neighborhood of the Arts location puts several strong restaurants within walking distance. Polizzi’s, about three blocks away, does Italian food at a 4.9 rating — calamari and pork tenderloin are the calls. Brown Hound Downtown handles American cuisine with excellent brunch and cocktails. Lento is the farm-to-table option with duck and salmon specialties. Char Steak & Lounge serves the steakhouse crowd about four blocks out.
Why This Theater Matters
Rochester has newer venues. It has bigger ones. But it does not have another room like this — a 94-year-old Art Deco theater built with the ambition and craftsmanship of an era that treated buildings as permanent cultural statements. The $65 million restoration is not sentimentality. It is a bet that the building’s best years are still ahead, and that a room where Bruce Springsteen played in 1977 and Bob Dylan played in 2023 has something left to offer. Look up at the squirrels on the dome and try to disagree.
Insider Tips
- Look up at the dome. The squirrel motifs are real, they are everywhere, and they are delightful. Budget a minute of ceiling-gazing before the lights go down.
- Center orchestra rows 8-15 are the sweet spot for both sound and sightlines.
- Check for RTOS organ concerts. Hearing the 1,619-pipe Wurlitzer in this room is a singular experience.
- RBTL lots fill on Broadway nights. Arrive 30 minutes early or plan to use street parking on surrounding blocks.
- Polizzi’s is the dinner sleeper pick. Three blocks away, 4.9 rating, Italian food that punches above its neighborhood.
Parking
- RBTL-operated lots — 5 lots near the venue, $5-$10 for events
- East Main Street lot and Gibbs Street lot are closest
- Street parking available on surrounding blocks
Nearby
- Polizzi’s (3 blocks) — Italian, 4.9-rated. Calamari and pork tenderloin. The sleeper pick.
- Brown Hound Downtown (2 blocks) — American, excellent brunch and cocktails.
- Lento (2 blocks) — Farm-to-table, duck and salmon specialties.
