Winona Masonic Temple facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Winona Masonic Temple
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The Winona Masonic Temple from the northeast
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 Location in Minnesota
Location in the United States
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| Location | 255 Main Street, Winona, Minnesota |
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| Area | Less than one acre |
| Built | 1908–09 |
| Built by | John Lohse |
| Architect | Warren Powers Laird and C.F. Osborne |
| Architectural style | Beaux-Arts |
| NRHP reference No. | 98000152 |
| Added to NRHP | February 26, 1998 |
The Winona Masonic Temple is an old and important building in Winona, Minnesota. It was finished in 1909. Many important people in Winona, like business owners and community leaders, were part of the group that met here. The building has a big ballroom and other rooms. It was used for meetings by the Masons and for many public events in Winona.
The Winona Masonic Temple was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. This means it is a very important historical site for its art and social history. It was chosen because it was the main building for a special club that helped Winona grow. It also has the largest collection of old theater backdrops and stage equipment from the Masons in Minnesota.
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Masons in Winona: A Brief History
Many European-American men who came to Minnesota in the mid-to-late 1800s were Freemasons. Because of this, the growth of the Masons in Minnesota happened at the same time as many of the state's first towns were being built. In 1853, a main group called the Grand Masonic Lodge was started. This group was formed by three smaller groups that already existed in Stillwater, Saint Paul, and St. Anthony.
The Grand Lodge gave permission for new groups to form. It also created rules and special ways of doing things for all Masons. In January 1857, a special permission was given for the Winona Lodge No. 18 to start.
Early Meeting Places
For its first few years, the Winona Lodge met in different buildings. They often held their meetings in the businesses of their members. In 1863 and 1864, local groups of Royal Arch and Knights Templar Masons joined with the Winona Lodge. In 1873, the Masons moved to the third floor of the new Laird Norton Lumber Company Building. This space was designed exactly how the Masons wanted it.
Growing Membership and New Groups
In the late 1800s, more and more people joined the Masons. Their activities in Winona became more complex. New Masonic groups were formed under different Masonic orders. Several groups were started that followed the Scottish Rite Valley. This is one of the most detailed orders of Freemasonry. In 1900, a local group called the Order of the Eastern Star was formed. This group allowed women to become members.
Building the New Temple
With more members joining, the Winona Masonic Benevolent Association (WMBA) was created in 1906. One of the WMBA's main goals was to build a new Masonic temple. The WMBA hired architects Warren Powers Laird and C.F. Osborne from Philadelphia. A local builder named John Lohse built the new building. The temple was built with red brick and stone in the Beaux-Arts style. This style is part of the Neoclassical style.
The most important part inside the building was a large stage with a special arch. This stage was in the middle of the building. The stage and its scenery were very important for the special events and traditions of the different Masonic groups, especially the Scottish Rite. The WMBA bought ninety-eight hand-painted backdrops for the stage. These were made by the Sosman and Landis Scene Painting Studios in Chicago. The temple was finished in December 1909. It had beautiful mahogany wood finishes that showed Masonic ideas. Special Masonic furniture and other decorations were also bought.
Community Role and Decline
The Masons were highly respected in Winona. Building the temple made them even more important in the community. Masonic events held at the temple often brought many people to Winona. Because the town was a main center for the Scottish Rite, it also hosted regional Masonic meetings for over eighty years. The large ballroom was used for dances, big dinners, and other community events.
In the 1930s, fewer people started joining Masonic groups. The Winona Temple did better than many others because it was a center for the Scottish Rite. However, in 1978, the Winona Temple lost what made it so special when the Scottish Rite moved to a temple in Rochester, Minnesota. A year later, the WMBA sold the Winona Temple to the city. The valuable stage backdrops were left in the building, even though the Scottish Rite had moved away.
Current Use of the Temple
In 1979, the Winona Masonic Benevolent Association sold the building to the city. The city turned the ground floor into a senior center. The Masons kept access to the second and third floors. In 1997, a theater group called Theatre du Mississippi was started. They began putting on shows in the Masonic Temple. The city of Winona also rents out the building for different events today.
See also
