National Register of Historic Places

Masonic Temple Building

Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County, Michigan
Listed
May 11, 1980
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
80001876

About this property

The Masonic Temple in Kalamazoo, Michigan, is a building from 1913. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. No lodges currently meet in the building. Masonic Lodge No. 22 was founded in Kalamazoo in 1848. The lodge used temporary meeting quarters until 1852 when they outfitted a hall in a downtown commercial building. However, by 1868 this room was too small, and the masons decided to construct their own building, the Masonic Hall. By the early twentieth century, this too was outmoded, and eleven local Masonic organizations joined to construct a replacement, this Masonic Temple Building. They hired the Detroit architectural firm of Spier & Rohns to draft plans, and construction began in 1913. The building was completed in 1915. The Temple served the local Masonic community for nearly five decades and was also used for public events. However, in 1963, the cost of upkeep became too great and the Masons constructed a replacement building and sold the 1913 Temple. Plans to convert it into office space did not succeed, and in 1975 Kalamazoo County purchased the building. They sold it later, and the building was rebranded the "Rose Street Market." The building was sold again in 2015. As of 2019, the building is vacant and a redevelopment into a hotel was planned. In 2020 a Hilton Garden Inn opened on the site. The Kalamazoo Masonic Temple Building is a six-story square flat-roofed building measuring one hundred by one hundred feet. The street facades are clad with brown-colored brick with the other two facades clad in yellow brick. The main facades have molded terra cotta horseshoe-shaped surrounds that contain four-stay, round-headed window units. Terra cotta strips connect the surrounds. A metal cornice runs across the top of the building.

Location

309 N. Rose St.
Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County, Michigan
42.29382, -85.58514

Categories

ENGINEERINGARCHITECTURESOCIAL HISTORY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

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.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Masonic Temple Building

This page lists Masonic Temple Building. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Masonic Temple Building report
Or see a real report first

Nearby Historic Sites

Lawrence and Chapin Building
Industrial
0.1 mi
Rickman Hotel
Industrial
0.1 mi
Michigan Central Depot
Industrial
0.1 mi
Haymarket Historic District (Boundary Increase II)
Listed
0.2 mi
Bronson Park Historic District
Listed
0.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Masonic Temple Building listed on the National Register?

Masonic Temple Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 11, 1980.

What type of historic resource is Masonic Temple Building?

Masonic Temple Building is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Masonic Temple Building?

The period of significance for Masonic Temple Building is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Masonic Temple Building?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Masonic Temple Building will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in Kalamazoo County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Kalamazoo County.

Explore KalamazooCounty ›

More historic places in Michigan

Browse all historic places in Michigan.

View Michiganhistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

Michigan history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

Michiganhistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near Masonic Temple Building will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.

Research your locationView a free sample report