Masonic Temple (Aurora, Illinois) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Masonic Temple
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 Location in Illinois
Location in the United States
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| Location | 104 S. Lincoln Ave. Aurora, Kane County, Illinois, United States |
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| Built | 1924 |
| Architect | William Q. Bendus |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 82002545 |
| Added to NRHP | March 19, 1982 |
The Masonic Temple in Aurora, Illinois was a special old building. It was a meeting place for a group called the Freemasons. The building opened in 1924. It became a protected historical site in 1982. This means it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Sadly, a big fire badly damaged the temple on October 7, 2019. Because of the fire, the building had to be taken down.
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History of the Aurora Masonic Temple
The Freemasons are a very old and private group. They have local groups called lodges. The Jerusalem Temple Lodge #90 was the Freemason group in Aurora, Illinois. It started in October 1850. This was only 13 years after Aurora became a city!
The first leader of this lodge was Benjamin Franklin Hall. He was called the Worshipful Master. Later, in 1857, he became the first mayor of Aurora. The group first met in a building on Main Street. Then, in 1866, they moved to a Masonic Hall on Fox Street. They moved again in 1910 to Broadway Street.
Building a New Home for the Masons
The Freemasons in Aurora grew very quickly. They soon had almost a thousand members! Their building on Broadway Street became too small. They wanted to build a brand new, bigger temple for their meetings.
The members were able to collect a lot of money for the new building. Construction started on November 28, 1921. The grand new temple opened its doors on March 10, 1924.
A Historic Landmark and Later Use
The Masonic Temple was recognized as a very important building. On March 19, 1982, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This list includes buildings that are important to the history of the United States.
The Freemason lodge sold the building in the 1980s. After that, it was used as a place for parties and big events. This banquet hall closed in 2006. After it closed, the building was not taken care of. Water got inside and damaged many parts of the building.
The Temple's Design and Features
The architect who designed the temple was William Q. Bendus. Not much is known about him. The building was built in a style called Neo-classical. This style often looks like ancient Greek or Roman buildings. The design might have been inspired by the Cleveland Museum of Art.
The temple was six stories tall and sat on a hill. It had large, fancy columns on the outside. These were called Ionic columns. The front of the building also had special carvings. These carvings showed symbols of the Freemasons.
Inside, the temple had two large rooms for meetings. Each room could hold more than 200 people. The original plans included a ballroom, but it was never finished. It was used as a storage room instead. The building also had other rooms, like a game room and a kitchen.
The Fire and Demolition
On October 7, 2019, a terrible fire broke out at the Aurora Masonic Temple. The building was badly damaged. It was so damaged that it had to be torn down a few days later.
However, some parts of the building were saved. The large columns and the Masonic symbol from the front of the building were carefully taken down. They were saved so they could be preserved and remembered.
