List of former Masonic buildings

List of former Masonic buildings identifies notable buildings outside the United States that have been associated with various Masonic bodies, but have been either re-purposed for non-Masonic use or no longer exist. (For those in the United States, see: List of former Masonic buildings in the United States).

Many of these buildings were constructed to be (at least in part) meeting halls for Masonic lodges, Grand Lodges, or other related organizations. Others were constructed for other purposes, and subsequently purchased by the Masons and converted into meeting halls. All have subsequently been sold, and have been converted to non-Masonic use.

All of the buildings listed here are notable landmarks. Many of the buildings on this list were purpose-built to house Masonic lodge meetings and ritual activities. In other cases, Masonic bodies converted existing landmark buildings to Masonic use.^[1] Also included are buildings constructed by the Freemasons as part of their charitable endeavors (such as hospitals and schools). This list is intended to include any building having some form of landmark status such as being listed on a heritage registers.

For a list of notable buildings that are currently used for Masonic purposes, see: List of Masonic buildings and List of Masonic buildings in the United States.

Australia

• Artarmon Masonic Centre, Artarmon, New South Wales - The original 1923 building was sold to a developer in the 1990s and demolished.^[2]
• Cooroora Masonic Temple - Pomona, Queensland 26°22′02″S 152°51′25″E / 26.3671°S 152.8569°E
• Townsville Masonic Hall - Townsville, Queensland
• The Capital - Bendigo (formerly Bendigo Masonic Hall^[3]36°45′27″S 144°16′35″E / 36.757378°S 144.276257°E
• Dallas Brooks Centre, Melbourne,^[4][5] concert hall built in 1969 as "Dallas Brooks Hall", by the United Grand Lodge Victoria (UGLV). Renamed in 1993 and demolished. Now an apartment and business complex.
• Urwin's Store - Toodyay, Western Australia. The local Masonic Lodge rented the upstairs rooms from 1899 to 1924 before moving to its current premises.
• Freemasons Hospital, Melbourne37°48′34″S 144°58′56″E / 37.80944°S 144.98222°E - Listed on the Victorian Heritage Database.^[6] Originally constructed by the United Grand Lodge of Victoria as a "intermediate" or "community" hospital for Freemasons and their families. The hospital was purchased in 2006 by ING Real Estate in 2006, and leased to Epworth Healthcare.^[7]

Canada

• Masonic Temple (St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador) - Designated a Registered Heritage Structure by the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador in April 1995. The last Masonic meeting in the temple was held in June 2007. The Masonic Temple has since been sold, and there is no longer any Masonic connection with the building, and no Masonic events are held there. The building is currently owned by Spirit of Newfoundland, and used mainly by artists of all artistic genres, with the core business being dinner and show.^[8]
• CTV Temple-Masonic Temple in Toronto - Added to the City of Toronto Heritage Property Inventory in 1974, and designated under the Ontario Heritage Act in 1997. Originally constructed as a Masonic Hall, the building has changed hands a number of times. From the 1960s through the 1990s, it housed a succession of live music clubs. Later in the 1990s, it was the home of Open Mike with Mike Bullard, and was one of CTV Toronto's news bureaus. From March 2006, the building became the broadcast home of the new MTV Canada. On June 17, 2013, the building was purchased by the Info-Tech Research Group. Info-Tech announced that its plans for the building include staging an annual charity rock concert in the auditorium.^[9]

Liberia

Former Masonic lodge building in Monrovia, 2006

• Monrovia - During the First Liberian Civil War, the Masonic hall in Monrovia was the scene of many battles.^[10] and its ruins became home to 8000 squatters.^[11] The Masons managed to evict them by 2005^[11] and there are plans to rebuild the lodge.

New Zealand

• Masonic Lodge, Poutu Road, Aratapu. Built in the early 1900s, this was a category 2 historic place (#3869). Lost to fire during 2003.^[12]
• Masonic Hall, 21 Kimbolton Road, Feilding. Built during 1897-98. A category 2 historic place (#1230). A 1913 renovation added an Edwardian Free Classical style facade designed by C. Tilleard Natusch & Sons. Lost to redevelopment during 2014.^[13]
• Masonic Lodge, 132 Percival Street, Rangiora. Brick, concrete and iron building with a facing of Oamaru Stone, this was a Category 2 historic place (#3785). Damaged in Canterbury earthquakes, demolished in 2013.^[14]

Pakistan

• Masonic Temple, Lahore; meeting place for Lodge of Hope and Perseverance No. 782
• Freemasons Lodge Building, Karachi. Built by the Freemason’s Trust before World War I; now used by the Sindh Wildlife Department Conservator; renovations began in circa 2008.^[15]

United States

References

1. William D. Moore (2006), Masonic temples: Freemasonry, Ritual Architecture, and Masculine Archetypes, University of Tennessee Press. ISBN 1-57233-496-7, ISBN 978-1-57233-496-0.
2. Wiland, Eva (August 2012). "Masonic Hall, Artarmon Mainstay". Artarmon Gazette.
4. Melbourne Masonic Centre
5. "United Grand Lodge Victoria". UGLV. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
6. Freemasons Hospital listing on the Victorian Heritage Database
8. History of the Masonic Temple by the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador
9. http://www.torontosun.com/2012/11/02/torontos-iconic-masonic-temple-is-closing
10. Old Ruling Elite Making a Comeback in Liberia, Tim Sullivan, Associated Press, September 29, 2001.
11. Liberia- No More War, Jessie Deeter, Frontline (PBS), May 2005.
15. Amar Guriro, Renovation of the historical Freemason Lodge initiated, Daily Times (Pakistan), January 4, 2009