Built in 1920-21 as the headquarters of the Algeria Shrine, this remarkable Moorish Revival style building, with its towering minaret, has long been a popular postcard and snapshot subject.
Note: This building is smilar to Masjid ( Mosque) but it was not a Masjid. It was a Shriners Temple (wikipedia.: Shriners and abbreviated A.A.O.N.M.S., established in 1870, is an appendant body to Freemasonry, based in the United States.) The Shriners are an old voluntary organization of American men, and they incorporate a lot of Islamic/Turkish/Arabic imagery. They have built a number of hospitals as well. They used to be a lot more popular, which explains why they probably had to sell their temple in Helena. You can read more about them at the following links: wikipedia – helenahistory – montanahistory
