ZEMBO SHRINE HISTORY

ZEMBO SHRINE, constituted on Wednesday, October 12, 1904 at the old Lyceum Theatre on Locust Street, Harrisburg, was the 93rd Shrine Temple to be chartered by Imperial Council AAONMS. Its original jurisdiction, which still stands to this day, consists of the counties of Dauphin, Cumberland, York, Adams, Franklin, Perry and Juniata and concurrent jurisdiction with Rajah Shrine of Reading in Lancaster and Lebanon counties.

The Chestnut Street Hall and the City Grays Armory were meeting places of Zembo throughout its early life.

Zembo's first Potentate was Col. William F. Richardson, an officer in the Pennsylvania National Guard.

ZEMBO SHRINE BUILDING, built during the years 1928 and 1929, was dedicated on Monday, May 19, 1930. Previously, its cornerstone was laid on April 4, 1929 by Grand Master J. Wilson Smith of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania.

Designed by a prominent Harrisburg architect, C. Howard Lloyd, the Mosque is fashioned after North African architecture and is unique in its design in all of Central Pennsylvania.

The estimated cost at building was one million dollars. Today its value exceeds seven and a half million.