- Masonic Temple (Providence, Rhode Island)
-
Veterans Memorial Auditorium--Masonic Temple
Location: Providence, Rhode Island Coordinates: 41°49′47.45″N 71°25′2.73″W / 41.8298472°N 71.417425°WCoordinates: 41°49′47.45″N 71°25′2.73″W / 41.8298472°N 71.417425°W Built: 1927 Architect: Multiple Architectural style: Classical Revival Governing body: Private NRHP Reference#: 93001181 [1] Added to NRHP: November 16, 1993 The Masonic Temple (known locally as the "Mason Building") is one of two monumental buildings in central Providence that remained unfinished and abandoned for decades. Originally planned as a meeting hall for the Freemasons, construction work was abandoned in 1929 as a result of financial difficulties caused by the Great Depression. With the outbreak of World War II construction was halted permanently.
The building, constructed in the Greek Revival style, is located prominently on Francis Street opposite the Rhode Island State House. The opening of the Providence Place Mall next door across Hayes Street has made the site prime real estate. In 2004, the building was purchased by Sage Hospitality Resources, which converted it into a luxury hotel. The Renaissance Providence Hotel opened in June 2007.[2]
The adjoining building known as the Veterans Memorial Auditorium, located between the Mason Building and Interstate 95, was originally part of the same complex, and was connected to the Temple by a small structure at ground level. While construction halted at the same time as the Temple building, it was completed in the 1950s.[3]
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2006-03-15. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html.
- ^ "Rennaissance Hotel, Providence". Marriott Hotels. http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/pvdbr-renaissance-providence-hotel/. Retrieved 22-May-2009.
- ^ Temple digs, Providence Journal, May 20, 2007. Accessed June 19, 2007.
External links
- Hotel Website
- Derelict for 75 years, Temple gets a new life at ArtInRuins (Originally published in the Providence Journal Friday, July 16, 2004)
- VMA Arts & Cultural Center
- Google Local
- "Article on Graffiti in the Mason Building"
Categories:- Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island
- Buildings and structures in Providence, Rhode Island
- Masonic buildings in Rhode Island
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
