For several years a Masonic group had been looking for a site to build a large temple complex. The group purchased Oak Lawn in 1922 for $900,000, a significant amount of money at the time, and the property was nicknamed Temple Heights or Temple Hill for many years. Architects James R. Marshall and Frank G. Pierson were hired to design the $3,000,000 complex, which was to include a central tower, neoclassical temples, and an auditorium seating 3,000 people. Each building in the complex was meant to represent various Masonic organizations, including the Scottish Rite, Royal Arch Masonry, and Knights Templar. The Masons began a fundraising campaign that lasted until the 1929 stock market crash and start of the Great Depression. The group had announced construction was to begin on the first building in October 1929 after having raised $2,000,000. However, due to the economic downturn, the plan was canceled. The property mostly remained untouched for the next decade, except for an occasional meeting of the Order of the Eastern Star in the Oak Lawn house.