Hindus Lose Battle to Make Former Masonic Temple into Cultural Center

January 15, 2000

Source: The San Francisco Chronicle

On January 15, 2000, The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the East Bay Hindu organization will have to look elsewhere to find a home for a cultural center after an attempt to move into a former Masonic Temple in Concord, California failed. Concord city staffers denied the cultural center's application to move into the building because new zoning regulations for that neighborhood specify that the building be used for tax-generating purposes. The building's owner submitted a proposal to move a radio station into the former Temple that will probably be approved. Narender Taneja, president of the East Bay Hindu organization, stated: "It's not the end of the world. We're still going to try to find a place for our cultural center. If not here, we'll look elsewhere."

See also: Hinduism, Zoning