Kiama Masonic Temple is a heritage-listed masonic temple and former temperance hall at 46 Collins Street,

Kiama Kiama () is a coastal town 120 kilometres south of Sydney in the Illawarra. One of the main tourist attractions is the Kiama Blowhole. Kiama features several popular surfing beaches and caravan parks, and numerous alfresco cafes and restaurants ...

Municipality of Kiama The Municipality of Kiama is a local government area in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is situated south of Shellharbour and the City of Wollongong and is located adjacent to the Pacific Ocean, the Princes Highway a ...

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, Australia. It was built from 1876 to 1878 with alterations in 1908-09. It is also known as Temperance Hall. The property is owned by Kiama Masonic Lodge. It was added to the

New South Wales State Heritage Register The New South Wales State Heritage Register, also known as NSW State Heritage Register, is a heritage list of places in the state of New South Wales, Australia, that are protected by New South Wales legislation, generally covered by the Heritag ...

on 2 April 1999.

History

The building was built as a Temperance Hall between 1876 and 1878 by contractor James Dinning at a reputed cost of £1500, on land purchased from William Geogheghan. It was operated by the National Division of the

Sons of Temperance The Sons of Temperance was and is a brotherhood of men who promoted the temperance movement and mutual support. The group was founded in 1842 in New York City. It began spreading rapidly during the 1840s throughout the United States and parts o ...

. It was sold to J. H. Somerville in 1899, who continued to run the venue as a public hall. It was sold to the Freemasons in 1908. The Freemasons renovated the property, adding stained glass windows and decorative

friezes In architecture, the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Paterae are also usually used to decorate friezes. Even when neither columns nor ...

, removing the gallery and converting the former stage into a supper-room. It still serves as a Masonic Lodge in 2018. Lodge Kiama No. 35 has been meeting continuously in the building since 1909.

Description

The temple is a simple rectangular building of rendered brick. The porch has a simple Classical arrangement of

Doric Doric may refer to: * Doric, of or relating to the Dorians of ancient Greece ** Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians * Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture * Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode * Doric dialect (Scotland) * Doric ...

columns A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression membe ...

and architrave. The central entrance is flanked by round-headed windows. There is an unsympathetic recent addition on the north side.NTA, 1984

Heritage listing

This is one of about half a dozen buildings of 1870s or earlier date in the central area of the town. It has social history significance as evidence of the expansion of Kiama's institutions following the starting of the stone crushing industry in 1871. It is a sympathetic neighbour to the other 19th century buildings in the vicinity which are an important reminder of the former townscape character of Kiama and its history as a quarrying town. Kiama Masonic Temple was listed on the

on 2 April 1999.

References

Bibliography

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Attribution

External links

{{commons category-inline, Kiama Masonic Temple New South Wales State Heritage Register Masonic buildings in New South Wales Temperance movement Community buildings in New South Wales Kiama, New South Wales Articles incorporating text from the New South Wales State Heritage Register