Welcome to Ionic Composite Lodge no. 520, F&AM. Established in 1922, our Lodge is vital and growing, with a diverse membership from all walks of life. We have members and officers of all races, creeds, religions, and lifestyles. The Lodge is a place where everyone is welcomed and all Brothers, family and friends are able to feel safe, respected and valued. It is a place where Brotherly Love is more than just a motto — it is applied. We exercise civility towards all who walk through our doors, and we expect the same in return.
We are a lodge linked to the past, yet with a path to the future; steeped in traditions yet bold enough to start new ones, wise enough to move forward, while keeping an eye on whence we came. We look to take the best of our unique traditions and history and improve on them where possible, without taking away from what has come before.
Our Lodge meets on Monday nights. Our business or Stated Meetings are held on the first Monday of every month and begin with a dinner and often a program which is open to all. On months where the first Monday is a federal holiday (such as September, the first Monday of which is always Labor Day), the Stated Meeting is held on the second Monday by default. Any other exceptions to this rule are published in advance.
As Masons, we seek to instill in each other and all Brothers the principles of charity and service to the community in all its various facets. This is embodied in our various charitable programs, including our high level of support for the Masonic Homes and the Masonic Outreach Services, Masons 4 Mitts, First Responders, Public Education, and other community service.
Ionic Composite Lodge No. 520 is a result of consolidation of five masonic lodges. Below is the timeline of consolidation:
- 1922 Ionic №520 was established
- 1926 Composite №639 was established
- 1980 Benjamin Franklin №509 and Alexander Graham Bell №595 merged
- 1984 John Marshall №636 merged with Alexander Graham Bell-Benjamin Franklin №595 and created Tri №595
- 1992 Composite №639 merged with Tri №595 and created Composite №595
- 2000 Composite №595 merged with Ionic №520 and formed the Ionic Composite Lodge №520 as it exists today
In 2022, we sold our old Lodge building on La Cienega Blvd. and moved to the Liberal Arts Lodge building on Westwood Blvd, where we now rent meeting and office space. We also celebrated our 100th Anniversary in 2022, and while we are dedicated to the proposition of seeing our Lodge flourish in the next 100 years, we are also very proud of many of the contributions some of our more well-known members have made to their respective fields. These include the fields of Law, Industry, Television, Dining, and more. If you want to learn more about some of these unique individuals, see our new “Personal Connections” page. We’ll be adding these stories periodically on an ongoing basis. You might be surprised to find out just who some of our members were!
I promised that as Worshipful Master, I would do everything in my power to ensure that we, as Ionic Composite Lodge, would not disappear. That we would not lose ourselves, our traditions, our unique history and perspective, and that we would carry all of that with us into the future. I promised that the sale of our old building would not be the sale of our soul. … For that reason, I took it upon myself to commission for the Lodge a symbol of my promise; a lasting reminder that even when the times are darkest, there is still hope to be had, that the dawn will come anew, and that the impact of our Light on the world can and will never truly die.
– Wor. Jacob Gershbock, Master’s Speech at the 100th Gala on presenting a piece of original artwork commissioned for the Lodge (seen below)
