HOME

TheInfoList



Click Here for Items Related To - Masonic Temple (Portland, Maine)
OR:
Masonic Temple (Portland, Maine) on:   [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Amazon]

The Masonic Temple is a historic commercial and fraternal society building at 415 Congress Street in downtown
Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropol ...
. Built in 1911 to a design by local architect Frederick A. Tompson, it is one of the city's finest examples of
Beaux Arts architecture Beaux-Arts architecture ( , ) was the academic architectural style taught at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, particularly from the 1830s to the end of the 19th century. It drew upon the principles of French neoclassicism, but also incorpora ...
, and houses some of the state's grandest interior spaces. 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 1982.


Description and history

The Portland Masonic Temple occupies a prominent position in the city's downtown, set between
City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...
and the First Parish Church on the north side of Congress Street, the city's main commercial thoroughfare. It is a brick and stone building, six stories in height, with a flat roof. Its main facade is divided into five sections, with four storefronts flanking a central two-story entrance. The entrance has wide paneled pilasters on either side, and a round-arch window at the second level. A beltcourse frieze with ornate decorate stonework separates the second and third levels. The middle three bays of the third through fifth floors are recessed, with flanking Corinthian pilasters and paired Corinthian columns on either side of the central bay. The Grand Lodge of Maine was established in 1820, although its oldest lodge was founded in 1762, with a charter signed by
Paul Revere Paul Revere (; December 21, 1734 O.S. (January 1, 1735 N.S.)May 10, 1818) was an American silversmith, engraver, early industrialist, Sons of Liberty member, and Patriot and Founding Father. He is best known for his midnight ride to ale ...
and others. This building has been the principal center of Masonic activity in the state since its construction in 1911. The Masons put the building up for sale in 2008, citing the high cost of its maintenance, but a deal to convert the building to condominiums fell through. They have now opened their spaces, which include some of the finest large spaces in the city, for event rental as a means to support its upkeep.


See also

*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Portland, Maine __NOTOC__ This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Portland, Maine. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Portland, Cumberland County, ...


References


External links


The Portland Masonic web site
{{National Register of Historic Places Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine Beaux-Arts architecture in Maine Masonic buildings completed in 1911 Buildings and structures in Portland, Maine Masonic buildings in Maine National Register of Historic Places in Portland, Maine