The decades from 1910 through 1930 provided this fraternal order with the opportunity to expand the Beaux-Arts tradition across the whole of the country. The Des Moines Scottish Rite Temple, like many others, sits on its corner site as a distant, aloof piece of classical sculpture. It openly makes passersby aware of its presence, but it is secretive in hiding what goes on within. The base of the building is punctured by a single small door accompanied by small deep-set windows to each side. The principal facade exhibits a recessed porch with a screen of six Ionic columns two stories high.