City Editor Shea here. When I first set foot in Indianapolis one fateful day in 2020, I was awestruck by the city’s amazing architecture, but one building in particular really captured my imagination: Old National Centre. How did this mysterious, ornate building end up in the crossroads of the Midwest?
In case you, too, have some unanswered questions, here’s everything I managed to find about the history of Old National Centre.
The origin story
First, some quick semantics. We’ve probably all heard of Freemasons, but who is familiar with Shriners? The simple breakdown is that Shriners International is a spin-off of Freemasonry, the oldest fraternity in the world.
In 1884, five Freemasons established Indianapolis’ first Shrine organization. By the end of their first year, the group had expanded to 100+ members. The need for their own temple became clear, as they were currently leasing space from Scottish Rite, another local Freemason sect.
Enter the Murat Temple, designed by local Shrine member Oscar D. Bohlen and built in 1909 by the William P. Jungclaus Company. The building was constructed in just under a year, reportedly at a cost of $200,000 — which is almost $7 million in 2025 currency.
Francophiles will recognize the name “Murat” as being of French origin, while the architecture is clearly Middle Eastern- and Egyptian-inspired... so, why?
The name comes from the Bir Murat oasis in the Nubian Desert, which was named after a prominent general in Napoleon’s Bonaparte’s Egyptian campaign — thus explaining the mixed inspirations. It also makes the Murat the only Shrine temple in the world with a name of French origin.
This is what the entrance to the Egyptian Room looked like in 1922.
Photo by Indiana Historical Society
Impact on Indianapolis
In the organization’s long history, the Murat Shriners have had a massive impact on Indianapolis. The group established the world-famous 500 Festival Parade in 1957 and fittingly gifted the Indianapolis Zoo its first camel.
Its theater was the home of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra until 1963 and, as the oldest theater in the city, has hosted everything from Broadway plays to a 1932 speech by Winston Churchill.
The Murat Shriners of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine still own the Murat today, with Live Nation acting as operator of the facility. The building was renamed Old National Centre in 2014 after striking a three-year deal with Old National Bank in 2010 that has since been extended.
Who knows, maybe we’ll see another name change in the future. But for now, one thing remains certain: Mass Ave’s most iconic building has had an indelible impact on the Circle City, and it shows no signs of slowing down.
