Old Masonic Hall (Benicia, California)

Last updated

Old Masonic Hall
BeniciaMasonicHall -- Side.JPG
USA California location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location110 W. J St., Benicia, California
Coordinates 38°3′9″N122°9′24″W / 38.05250°N 122.15667°W / 38.05250; -122.15667
Area2 acres (0.81 ha)
Built1850
NRHP reference No. 72000259 [2]
CHISL No.174 [1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMarch 16, 1972
Designated CHISLMarch 6, 1935

The Old Masonic Hall, also known as Benicia Masonic Hall, is a historic building in Benicia, California. Constructed by Benicia Masonic Lodge No. 5 in summer 1850, on land donated by Alexander Riddell and with lumber donated by Benicia founder Robert Semple, it was the first purpose build Masonic Hall in California. It was occupied by the lodge October 14, 1850, and formally dedicated December 27, 1850. [3]

In 1850 Benicia was the original County seat of Solano County, and the first floor of the Hall was used as the Solano County court room and offices prior to the completion of Benicia's city hall. The second-floor rooms, with remarkable ornate woodwork made by California frontier craftsmen, was used for the Lodge. [4]

Second floor Assembly Room, Masonic Hall, 1933 SECOND FLOOR, ASSEMBLY ROOM - Masonic Temple, 110 West J Street, Benicia, Solano County, CA HABS CAL,48-BENI,13-5.tif
Second floor Assembly Room, Masonic Hall, 1933

The Benicia Lodge No. 5, founded on March 6, 1850, included many of the important Benicia pioneers, among them Robert Semple, W. B. Nurse, L. B, Mizner, and Alexander Riddell. The building served as the Masonic Temple for Benicia Lodge No. 5 until 1888, when the Lodge outgrew the premises and constructed a larger one adjacent to it. The building was then sold to be used for community purposes; it housed a boys' club prior to World War I and the American Legion shortly after the war. In 1950, one hundred years after it was erected, it was reacquired by Benicia Lodge No. 5. [3] [5] The building was listed on the California Historical Landmarks in 1935 and the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. [6] [2]

Benicia Masonic Hall, Front BeniciaMasonicHall -- Front.jpg
Benicia Masonic Hall, Front

One of the earliest surviving public buildings in Benicia, the Old Masonic Hall is an excellent example of 19th-century Greek Revival architecture. The moderately pitched front gable roof has a molded fascia and a plain verge board. A cornice is found on both the gable end and the eaves. The fenestration is symmetrically arranged. The gable entry porch covering extends beyond the building on the west side. Cladding is lap siding with wooden pilasters with capitals at the corners of the building. [7]

The building is still in use. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benicia, California</span> City in California, United States

Benicia is a city in Solano County, California, located on the north bank of the Carquinez Strait in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. It served as the capital of California for nearly thirteen months from 1853 to 1854. The population was 27,131 at the 2020 United States Census. Benicia is just east of Vallejo and across the strait from Martinez.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benicia Capitol State Historic Park</span> State historic park of California

Benicia Capitol State Historic Park is a state park in Benicia, California, United States. The park is dedicated to California's third capitol building, where the California State Legislature convened from February 3, 1853, to February 24, 1854, when they voted to move the state capital to Sacramento. It is the only pre-Sacramento capitol that remains. The park includes the Fischer-Hanlon House, an early Benicia building that was moved to the property and converted into a home in 1858, after the legislature departed. Benicia Capitol State Historic Park just off the city's main street also includes a carriage house, workers' quarters and sculptured gardens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masonic Temple (Jacksonville)</span> United States historic place

The Masonic Temple is a historic Masonic temple in Jacksonville, Florida. It is located at 410 Broad Street. Constructed by the Grand Lodge between 1901 and 1912, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on September 22, 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hiram Masonic Lodge No. 7</span> United States historic place

The Masonic Hall of Hiram Masonic Lodge No. 7 is a historic Gothic revival building on South 2nd Avenue in Franklin, Tennessee. Constructed in 1823, it is the oldest public building in Franklin. It is nationally significant as the site of negotiations leading to the Treaty of Franklin, the first Indian removal treaty agreed after passage of the 1830 Indian Removal Act. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1973. It continues to serve the local Masonic lodge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Highland Park Masonic Temple</span> United States historic place

The Highland Park Masonic Temple, also known as The Mason Building or The Highlands, is a historic three-story brick building on Figueroa Street in the Highland Park district of northeast Los Angeles, California.

A Masonic Hall is the room or edifice where a Masonic Lodge meets.

A Mississippi Landmark is a building officially nominated by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and approved by each county's chancery clerk. The Mississippi Landmark designation is the highest form of recognition bestowed on properties by the state of Mississippi, and designated properties are protected from changes that may alter the property's historic character. Currently there are 890 designated landmarks in the state. Mississippi Landmarks are spread out between eighty-one of Mississippi's eighty-two counties; only Issaquena County has no such landmarks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masonic Temple (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)</span> United States historic place

The Masonic Temple is a historic Masonic building in Philadelphia. Located at 1 North Broad Street, directly across from Philadelphia City Hall, it serves as the headquarters of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, Free and Accepted Masons. The Temple features the Masonic Library and Museum of Pennsylvania, and receives thousands of visitors every year to view the ornate structure, which includes seven lodge rooms, where today a number of Philadelphia lodges and the Grand Lodge conduct their meetings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masonic Temple (Belfast, Maine)</span> United States historic place

The former Masonic Temple is a historic commercial and social building at Main and High Streets in downtown Belfast, Maine. Built in 1877, it is one of the city's most elaborately decorated buildings, featuring Masonic symbols. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. While there are active Masonic organizations in Belfast, they now meet in a modern facility on Wight Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mason's Hall (Richmond, Virginia)</span> United States historic place

Masons' Hall, located in the Shockoe Bottom neighborhood of Richmond, Virginia was built during 1785 to 1787 by Richmond Lodge No. 13. The building is still the active home of and owned by Richmond Randolph Lodge No.19 who have met in their third floor lodge room continuously since Masons’ Hall was completed in 1787. It was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crane Hill Masonic Lodge</span> United States historic place

The Crane Hill Masonic Lodge is a historical Masonic building in Crane Hill, Alabama, United States. Built in 1904, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masonic Temple (Aurora, Illinois)</span> United States historic place

The Masonic Temple in Aurora, Illinois was a historical building where Freemasons held meetings. Opened in 1924, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. On October 7, 2019 it was gutted by fire, leading to its subsequent demolition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kilbourn Masonic Temple</span> United States historic place

The Kilbourn Masonic Temple is a historic Masonic building located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was constructed in 1911 as a meeting hall for Kilbourn Lodge #3, a local Masonic lodge which was one of the first three organized in Wisconsin in 1843. The Masons no longer meet in the building). It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. When it celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2011, the temple was automatically deemed a landmark in the city of Milwaukee. The temple used to serve as a fraternity house for the Kappa Sigma chapter at Marquette University but is now rented as living space for residents/students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indianapolis Masonic Temple</span> United States historic place

The current Indianapolis Masonic Temple, also known as Indiana Freemasons Hall, is a historic Masonic Temple located at Indianapolis, Indiana. Construction was begun in 1908, and the building was dedicated in May 1909. It is an eight-story, Classical Revival style cubic form building faced in Indiana limestone. The building features rows of engaged Ionic order columns. It was jointly financed by the Indianapolis Masonic Temple Association and the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Indiana, and was designed by the distinguished Indianapolis architectural firm of Rubush and Hunter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brewster Building (Galt, California)</span> United States historic place

The Brewster Building is a historic commercial building and IOOF Hall located at 201 Fourth Street in Galt, California. It was built in 1882 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.

Old Masonic Lodge may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carr House (Benicia, California)</span> United States national historic place

The Carr House is a now demolished historic building in Benicia, California, United States. It was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on September 13, 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fischer-Hanlon House</span> Historical place in Solano County, United States

Fischer-Hanlon House is historical house built in 1858 in Benicia, California in Solano County, California. The Fischer-Hanlon House is California Historical Landmark No. 880, listed on March 14, 1975. The Fischer-Hanlon House was built by Joseph Fisher in 1849. Fisher, a butcher, was a Swiss immigrant who came to Benicia and purchased a plot of land on July 1, 1858. He then purchased a nearby old hotel and had it moved to his lot. The California Gold Rush home is built in an East Coast Federalist architectural style. The wooden house has fourteen rooms. It was damaged in a fire in 1856. After Joseph and Catherine Fischer moved in they repaired and remodeled the home. The Fischer house was passed down to later generations, then was donated to the State of California in 1969 by Fischer's granddaughters, Raphaelita and Catherine Hanlon, in memory of their sister Marie Rose. The Fischer-Hanlon House is restored and is furnished in 1880s decor. The outside is a Victorian Garden.

References

  1. 1 2 "Old Masonic Hall Benicia 174". Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  2. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  3. 1 2 "CHL No. 174 Benicia Masonic Lodge - Solano". California Historical Landmarks. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  4. "Masonic Temple". beniciamainstreet.org. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  5. "Nomination Form: Old Masonic Hall". npgallery.nps.gov. 1972. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  6. "California Historical Landmark 174". noehill.com. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  7. "Benicia Lodge Masonic Temple, 106 West J Street, Benicia, CA" (PDF). ci.benicia.ca.us. State of California. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  8. "BENICIA MASONIC HALL". beniciamasonichall.org. Retrieved November 23, 2021.

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Park Service .