The Masonic Temple at 1220 26th Avenue,

Meridian, Mississippi Meridian is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, seventh largest city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, with a population of 41,148 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census and an estimated population in 2018 of 36,347. It is the count ...

was built in 1903. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places 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 or "great artistic v ...

in 1979. It was also listed as a

contributing property In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distri ...

to the

Merrehope Historic District There are nine historic districts in Meridian, Mississippi. Each of these districts is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. One district, Meridian Downtown Historic District, is a combination of two older districts, Meridian Urban ...

in 1988. and ' It has since been demolished. The temple was owned jointly by three black fraternal lodges and stood as a tribute to the business capacity and enterprise of the black community in the city. The structure was two stories tall with a recessed entrance supported by panelled Ionic

pilaster In classical architecture Classical architecture usually denotes architecture which is more or less consciously derived from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or sometimes even more specifically, from the ...

s that bore the keystone of

Freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

and the insignia of the

Shriners Shriners International, formally known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (AAONMS), is an American Masonic society established in 1870 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. Shriners International describes itself ...

. The effort to build the temple was largely spearheaded by T.J. Wilson.

References

Buildings and structures in Meridian, Mississippi Masonic buildings completed in 1903 Former Masonic buildings in Mississippi Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Mississippi Historic district contributing properties in Mississippi National Register of Historic Places in Lauderdale County, Mississippi {{Mississippi-NRHP-stub