Masonic Temple (Aurora, Illinois)
Encyclopedia
The Masonic Temple in Aurora
, Illinois
is a historical building where Freemasons
held meetings. Opened in 1924, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1984.
, Illinois
in October 1850, only 13 years after the city was founded. The first Worshipful Master was Benjamin Franklin Hall, who later became the first mayor of Aurora in 1857. They first met in the Main Street Building until moving into a Masonic Hall on Fox Street in 1866. The order moved again in 1910 to Broadway Street.
The Masons quickly outgrew this building and desired to build a new temple to hold meetings at. At this point, the body boasted almost a thousand members, and they were easily about to raise over $200,000 for a new structure. Construction began on November 28, 1921, and the structure was opened on March 10, 1924. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
on March 19, 1982. Sold by the lodge in the 1980s, the building was then used as a banquet facility. Since the closure that facility in 2006, the building has suffered from deferred maintenance, resulting in water infiltration and damage to architectural features.
Little is known about the architect
, William Q. Bendus. The building was built in the Neo-classical style
and may have been influenced by the Cleveland Museum of Art
. The six-story Temple is on a hill and features ionic columns. Masonic imagery adorns the Tympanum
. Two lodge rooms in the Temple can each seat over two hundred people. The original designs called for a ballroom, but this was never finished and was converted to a storage room. Other rooms in the building include a game room and kitchen.
Aurora, Illinois
Aurora is the second most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the 112th largest city in the United States. A suburb of Chicago, located west of the Loop, its population in 2010 was 197,899. Originally founded within Kane County, Aurora's city limits have expanded greatly over the past...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
is a historical building where Freemasons
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
held meetings. Opened in 1924, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1984.
History
The Jerusalem Temple Lodge #90 Masonic body was formed in AuroraAurora, Illinois
Aurora is the second most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the 112th largest city in the United States. A suburb of Chicago, located west of the Loop, its population in 2010 was 197,899. Originally founded within Kane County, Aurora's city limits have expanded greatly over the past...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
in October 1850, only 13 years after the city was founded. The first Worshipful Master was Benjamin Franklin Hall, who later became the first mayor of Aurora in 1857. They first met in the Main Street Building until moving into a Masonic Hall on Fox Street in 1866. The order moved again in 1910 to Broadway Street.
The Masons quickly outgrew this building and desired to build a new temple to hold meetings at. At this point, the body boasted almost a thousand members, and they were easily about to raise over $200,000 for a new structure. Construction began on November 28, 1921, and the structure was opened on March 10, 1924. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on March 19, 1982. Sold by the lodge in the 1980s, the building was then used as a banquet facility. Since the closure that facility in 2006, the building has suffered from deferred maintenance, resulting in water infiltration and damage to architectural features.
Little is known about the architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
, William Q. Bendus. The building was built in the Neo-classical style
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
and may have been influenced by the Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland Museum of Art
The Cleveland Museum of Art is an art museum situated in the Wade Park District, in the University Circle neighborhood on Cleveland's east side. Internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian and Egyptian art, the museum houses a diverse permanent collection of more than 43,000...
. The six-story Temple is on a hill and features ionic columns. Masonic imagery adorns the Tympanum
Tympanum (architecture)
In architecture, a tympanum is the semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance, bounded by a lintel and arch. It often contains sculpture or other imagery or ornaments. Most architectural styles include this element....
. Two lodge rooms in the Temple can each seat over two hundred people. The original designs called for a ballroom, but this was never finished and was converted to a storage room. Other rooms in the building include a game room and kitchen.