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Greeley Masonic Temple -
829 10TH AV
 Print Listing
Historical Name -
Greeley Masonic Temple
Style -
Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals/Colonial Revival
Built Year -
1927
State ID -
5WL4159
Description -
Two-story, rectangular, variegated brown brick fraternity hall with gable roof with shaped parapets on front and rear. Ends of front parapet wall are enframed with blond brick pilasters. Dark brown brick foundation. Façade has fixed oculus (bull’s eye window) window with stone trim at upper wall of parapet and three six-light windows with blond brick lintels centered below round window. Second story has center bay with wrought iron balconet in front of two paired eight-light casement windows with blond brick lintels with stone keystones. Flanking this are slightly larger paired eight-light casement windows with gauged brick lintels with stone keystones. First story has central entrance with double doors surmounted by round arched lintel of brick with stone keystone, with stuccoed over door with Masonic symbol. Flanking entrance are paired casement windows with gauged brick lintels with stone keystones. Concrete stoop with steps on north and pedestrian ramp on south in front of entrance. Lanterns flanking entrance. Sandstone cornerstone on alley reading “AD 1883.”
North wall has slightly projecting bay at east end with molded cornice. Metal stairs to second story entrance at west end of north wall. Multi-light double-hung sash windows on each story of north wall have blond brick lintels. Rear (west) wall features full-height chimney near center of wall and double-hung sash windows with blond brick lintels on either side of chimney. There is a flush panel door at the north end of the rear wall. South wall has slightly projecting bay at east end with molded cornice and multi-light double-hung sash windows with blond brick lintels on each story. Small storage shed on north near rear.
Historical Background -
This building was completed in June 1927 as the Greeley Masonic Lodge. Greeley’s Occidental Lodge No. 20 A.F. & A.M. was established in November 1870 and received its charter in September 1871. The petition for creation of a lodge was signed by 44 men, of which 30 became charter members. F.L. Childs was the first Worshipful Master, and the group met in a number of buildings in downtown Greeley during the early years. A building at 7th Street and 8th Avenue was built under a lease agreement and destroyed by fire in 1883. The group met in the Greeley Opera House building from 1913 through 1927. In March 1907 the group voted to organize the Greeley Masonic Temple Association for the purpose of erecting or acquiring a building for a Masonic Temple. The authorized capitalization was $50,000 in 500 shares of $100 each. A variety of other groups, including other Masons, Knights Templar, and Eastern Star groups acquired stock in the Association. Lots for the building were purchased for $10,000, with final payments made in March 1918.
At a meeting on 9 April 1927 Denver architect William N. Bowman was selected to prepare plans for the building. The cost of the building was $30,800.47. When the building was completed its cost was already paid. The cornerstone was laid on 20 June 1927, and the first meeting in the hall was held on 14 October 1927. In 1969 the ownership of the building was restructured, with a nonprofit corporation, the Masonic Building Corporation of Greeley, chartered.
Freemasonry appears to have its roots in the stonemason’s guilds of the Middle Ages. The fraternity spread throughout the American Colonies in the 1700s and had such notable members as George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. The fraternity developed into a worldwide order that emphasized personal study, self-improvement, and social betterment by individual involvement and philanthropy. During the 1800s and early 1900s the organization grew rapidly. The Masons conducted such activities as founding orphanages, widows’ homes, and homes for the aged. The fraternal organization today donates almost $1.5 million each day to causes such as children’s hospitals, medical research, and community service organizations. There are four million Masons worldwide in 2001.
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