Masonic Temple (Quincy, Massachusetts)

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Masonic Temple
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Location1170 Hancock St., Quincy, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°15′12.5″N71°0′17″W / 42.253472°N 71.00472°W / 42.253472; -71.00472 Coordinates: 42°15′12.5″N71°0′17″W / 42.253472°N 71.00472°W / 42.253472; -71.00472
Area0.5 acres (0.20 ha)
Built1926
Architect J. Williams Beal, Sons
Architectural styleClassical Revival
MPS Quincy MRA
NRHP reference # 89001952 [1]
Added to NRHPNovember 13, 1989

The Quincy Masonic Temple was 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 was home to three "Blue" Masonic Lodges, two Appendant Bodies: York Rite, Grotto, and two Youth Groups: DeMolay and Rainbow.

Freemasonry group of fraternal organizations

Freemasonry or Masonry consists of fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local fraternities of stonemasons that from the end of the fourteenth century regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities and clients. The degrees of Freemasonry retain the three grades of medieval craft guilds, those of Apprentice, Journeyman or fellow, and Master Mason. The candidate of these three degrees is progressively taught the meanings of the symbols of Freemasonry, and entrusted with grips, signs and words to signify to other members that he has been so initiated. The degrees are part allegorical morality play and part lecture. Three degrees are offered by Craft Freemasonry, and members of any of these degrees are known as Freemasons or Masons. There are additional degrees, which vary with locality and jurisdiction, and are usually administered by their own bodies.

Quincy, Massachusetts City in Massachusetts, United States

Quincy is the largest city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of Metropolitan Boston and one of Boston's immediate southern suburbs. Its population in 2014 was 93,397, making it the eighth-largest city in the state. Known as the "City of Presidents," Quincy is the birthplace of two U.S. presidents—John Adams and his son John Quincy Adams—as well as John Hancock, a President of the Continental Congress and the first signer of the Declaration of Independence, as well as being the 1st and 3rd Governor of Massachusetts.

National Register of Historic Places Federal list of historic sites in the United States

The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance. A property listed in the National Register, or located within a National Register Historic District, may qualify for tax incentives derived from the total value of expenses incurred in preserving the property.

Contents

Rural Lodge was founded in 1801. Macedonian Lodge was founded in 1892. Milton Lodge was founded in 1922.

Architectural significance

The Quincy Masonic Temple was an outstanding example of a Neoclassical building. It had three floors, which included a theater/ballroom, three separate lodge rooms, elaborate ante-rooms, and an oak-paneled library.

Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century. In its purest form, it is a style principally derived from the architecture of classical antiquity, the Vitruvian principles, and the work of the Italian architect Andrea Palladio.

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 was remarkable for its Egyptian styling, featuring battered entranceways, papyrus ornaments and sphinxes. This lead via two sets of doors to the large Main Lodge room, which was used for Rural Lodge meetings and other large events, and featured neoclassical furniture and furnishings and a classical landscape fresco signed by the artist, Carroll Bill.

Ashlar Finely dressed stone and associated masonry

Ashlar is finely dressed stone, either an individual stone that has been worked until squared or the structure built of it. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, generally rectangular cuboid, mentioned by Vitruvius as opus isodomum, or less frequently trapezoidal. Precisely cut "on all faces adjacent to those of other stones", ashlar is capable of very thin joints between blocks, and the visible face of the stone may be quarry-faced or feature a variety of treatments: tooled, smoothly polished or rendered with another material for decorative effect.

Ionic order Order of classical architecture characterized by the use of volutes in the capital and a base moulding on the columns

The Ionic order forms one of the three classical orders of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan, and the rich variant of Corinthian called the composite order, both added by 16th-century Italian architectural writers, based on Roman practice. Of the three canonic orders, the Ionic order has the narrowest columns.

The architects, J. Williams Beal, Sons, designed other nearby landmark buildings in downtown Quincy, including 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 was a regularly used and fully working EM Skinner opus 661 of 1927, with 470 pipes.

J. Williams Beal, Sons

J. Williams Beal, Sons, successor to the office of J. Williams Beal, was a successful architectural firm based in Boston, Massachusetts. Established in 1920 by the sons of the late architect Beal, it remained in business into the 1980s.

The building was infrequently open to the public, but visitors were invited to see the building interior at two annual open houses. . [2]

Quincy Masonic Temple during Blizzard Nemo 2013 Quincy Masonic Temple during Blizzard Nemo 2013.JPG
Quincy Masonic Temple during Blizzard Nemo 2013

The building was heavily damaged during a 4-alarm fire which occurred on September 30, 2013 after insulation caught fire while employees were working on a basement heat line. [3] [4] Most of the structure's interior and contents were destroyed, but the building's Longleaf Pine and Douglas Fir joists were able to be salvaged and recycled into flooring. [5] The joist lumber was originally purchased from the Geo. McQuesten Company of Boston. [5] Only the front façade of the building remains. It is hoped the entrance and facade will be preserved and incorporated into any future redevelopment of the site.

Boston State capital of Massachusetts, U.S.

Boston is the capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States, as well as the 21st most populous city in the United States. The city proper covers 48 square miles (124 km2) with an estimated population of 694,583 in 2018, making it also the most populous city in New England. Boston is the seat of Suffolk County as well, although the county government was disbanded on July 1, 1999. The city is the economic and cultural anchor of a substantially larger metropolitan area known as Greater Boston, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) home to a census-estimated 4.8 million people in 2016 and ranking as the tenth-largest such area in the country. As a combined statistical area (CSA), this wider commuting region is home to some 8.2 million people, making it the sixth most populous in the United States.

See also

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References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. 2009-03-13.
  2. 1 2 "Quincy, Mass. Historical and Architectural Survey: 1170 Hancock Street". Quincy: Thomas Crane Library. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
  3. "Large Fire At Historic Masonic Temple In Quincy". CBS Boston. September 30, 2013.
  4. "UPDATE: Fire appears to be out at Quincy Masonic temple". The Patriot Ledger. September 30, 2013.
  5. 1 2 "Longleaf Lumber Salvaged Quincy Masonic Temple Joists". December 13, 2013.
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