Masonic Temple
About this property
Muncie's Masonic Temple is a historic fraternal lodge building located in Muncie, Indiana. The building is now only used by the Cornerstone Center for the Arts. The Muncie Masonic Temple is in the Gothic Revival style, and was designed and built during the height of the City Beautiful Movement. This six-story Masonic Temple is the third meeting hall constructed by the Freemasons in the city of Muncie, and well-known Muncie architect Cuno Kibele was commissioned for the project. The land was acquired by the Masons to accommodate a new building that would handle the rapid increase in membership during the period known as the Golden Age of Fraternalism. The cornerstone was laid according to Masonic tradition on 30 October 1920, and construction was completed in 1926 at a final cost of around $1 million. The first rough estimates for the construction were around $250,000. Each organization within the fraternity was to have its own assembly room. Plans were changed, however, when the Ball brothers offered up a $150,000 donation in order to add an auditorium to the structure. Frank C. Ball, in particular, stated that his hope was to provide a place for high-level entertainments to be held in Muncie and that he saw the construction of the new Masonic temple as a perfect place."Several years ago when our brothers Will and Ed were with us we talked several times of providing an auditorium for the benefit of the citizens of Muncie, where recitals, lectures, concerts, and entertainments of various kinds, of a high order, could be given. The control and management of such an auditorium was a difficult one to decide, and it was not decided until the time when the Masonic Order was planning to build a new temple. Ed, who was deeply interested in Masonry (he being Thirty-third Degree Mason), suggested that we build an auditorium in connection with the temple and place it under control of the Masonic Order."The six stories are divided into three main levels, each with a corresponding mezzanine above it. The first level originally contained a banquet hall and 1,600-seat auditorium, which were intended for use by the community. The second and third levels featured ceremonial meeting rooms reserved for Masonic lodges and appendant organizations that included the York Rite (Royal Arch, Cryptic Masons, and the Masonic Order of the Knights Templar), Order of the Eastern Star, DeMolay for boys, and Job's Daughters for girls. A large assembly hall on the third floor was designed so that the marching drill teams of the Knights Templar could practice their maneuvers indoors during inclement weather.
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was Masonic Temple listed on the National Register?
Masonic Temple was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 26, 1984.
What type of historic resource is Masonic Temple?
Masonic Temple is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Masonic Temple?
The period of significance for Masonic Temple is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Masonic Temple?
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