- Masonic Temple (Quincy, Massachusetts)
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Masonic Temple
Location: 1170 Hancock St., Quincy, Massachusetts Coordinates: 42°15′12.5″N 71°0′17″W / 42.253472°N 71.00472°WCoordinates: 42°15′12.5″N 71°0′17″W / 42.253472°N 71.00472°W Area: 0.5 acres (0.20 ha) Built: 1926 Architect: Beal, J. Williams & Sons Architectural style: Classical Revival Governing body: Private MPS: Quincy MRA NRHP Reference#: 89001952
[1]Added to NRHP: November 13, 1989 The Quincy Masonic Building is a historic Masonic temple at 1170 Hancock Street, Quincy, Massachusetts. It was built in 1926 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. The building is home to three Masonic Lodges, York Rite, Grotto, DeMolay and Rainbow.
Rural Lodge was founded in 1801. Macedonian Lodge was founded in 1892. Milton Lodge was founded in 1922.
DeMolay and Rainbow are youth organizations for young men and young women.
The York Rite and Grotto are organizations open to Freemasons
Architectural Significance
The Quincy Masonic Temple is an outstanding example of a Neoclassical building. It has three floors, which include a theater/ballroom, three separate lodge rooms, elaborate ante-rooms, and an oak-paneled library.
The imposing main entrance is set on a high basement of regular ashlar blocks, with a flat roof hidden by a shaped parapet. Dominating the facade is a projecting pavilion composed of four giant Ionic columns in antis supporting an architrave replete with Masonic symbols[2]. A large cascade of steps leading up to the main entrance is flanked by metal tripod tables each on a base decorated with a griffin on a terracotta plaque. The main lobby is remarkable for its Egyptian styling, featuring battered entranceways, papyrus ornaments and sphinxes. This leads via two sets of doors to the large Main Lodge room, which is used for Rural Lodge meetings and other large events, and features neoclassical furniture and furnishings and a classical landscape fresco signed by the artist, Carroll Bill.
The architects, J Williams Beal, designed other nearby landmark buildings in downtown Quincy, such as the Art Deco Granite Trust, The Patriot Ledger Building and the neo-Gothic Bethany Congregational Church which is adjacent to the Richardson Thomas Crane Public Library. The organ is a regularly used and fully working EM Skinner opus 661 of 1927, with 470 pipes.
The building is infrequently open to the public, but visitors are invited to see the building interior at the Open House (one in Spring, one in Fall).
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html.
- ^ a b "Quincy, Mass. Historical and Architectural Survey: 1170 Hancock Street". Quincy: Thomas Crane Library. http://thomascranelibrary.org/htm/152.htm. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
External links
U.S. National Register of Historic Places Topics Lists by states Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • WyomingLists by territories Lists by associated states Other Categories:- Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
- Classical Revival architecture
- Buildings and structures completed in 1926
- Masonic buildings in Massachusetts
- Buildings and structures in Quincy, Massachusetts
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