Hi, I'm producer Anna Mason.

By now, you've probably heard a lot about the building on the corner of Wabash and Ontario streets.

One that doesn't quite fit in with the surrounding hotels and apartments towering over it in the River North neighborhood.

The Medina Temple's horseshoe arch, intricate floral designs,

and arabesque motifs stand out. The Medina Shriners, a Masonic organization, still active today,

built the building in 1912 in the center of Chicago for all of their meetings and ceremonies,

and perhaps most famously, their circus.

This building continues to add new lives to its portfolio, with its latest use making it all

over the news recently.

In line to be among the first.

Gambling fans so eager they waited in line this morning.

So the doors are officially open at downtown.

Chicago police are on hand as well as a steady stream.

The Medina Temple recently reintroduced itself to Chicago, this time as a casino.

But this being the building's 111th year standing, there's a lot more to know about the temple's past.

One curiousity listener asked us, well, what is the history of this unique building?

I wanted to know who designed the Medina Temple? For what purpose? What has happened here

over the years? And what is the fate of the building after the casino moves out?

People had precious memories of their experiences within the temple to share with me for this story.

The enthralling beauty of walking into that building, there was an intimate feeling about Medina Temple. When you were there

watching the trapeziacs and you were sitting in the balcony, you felt like you'd really reach

out and touch them. And at the end of all of these conversations, I got to hear what kind of future

...