National Register of Historic Places

Port Sanilac Masonic and Town Hall

Port Sanilac, Sanilac County, Michigan
Listed
July 24, 1996
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
96000808

About this property

The Masonic and Town Hall, located at 20 North Ridge Street in Port Sanilac, Michigan, was constructed as a Masonic Lodge constructed in 1884. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. Currently, no Masonic lodge meets in the building Port Sanilac was first settled in about 1840. In 1852, the first sawmill was established, and by 1866 Port Sanilac was a thriving village. Local Masons were meeting as early 1866, and in 1868, Sanilac Lodge No. 237 was organized with fifteen members. The Lodge met in rented quarters, and likely continued to do so through the early 1880s. In 1883, the Masons first began discussing the construction of a new Lodge building, and considered proposing a cooperative arrangement with the township that would let both parties share a single building. A member of the organization donated the land, and the Masons came to an agreement where the township would construct the foundation, and the Masons would construct the remainder of the building. In early 1884, the Masons began advertising for bids for construction, and the cornerstone was dedicated in July. Construction was completed by July 1885. The Port Sanilac Masonic and Town Hall is a rectangular, two-story red-orange brick building on a fieldstone foundation. It has a front gable roof, hidden by a false front topped with an iron cornice. The main facade is divided into four bays by vertical brick piers. The bays have a broad, round-head sections, two of which have windows, and two of which have double doors. One set of doors leads to the first floor township offices, and the second to the upstairs Masonic lodge. The second floor facade has segmental-arch-head windows with slightly projecting two-course high brick hoods, with the original windows being two-over-two units. Dark brown bricks accent the second story of the facade.

Location

20 N. Ridge St.
Port Sanilac, Sanilac County, Michigan
43.43150, -82.54183

Categories

ARCHITECTURESOCIAL HISTORYPOLITICS/GOVERNMENT
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.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Port Sanilac Light Station
Industrial
0.2 mi
Loop, Joseph M., House
Industrial
0.5 mi
Fead, John L., House
Industrial
11.1 mi
Moore, Charles H./Sleeper, Albert E., House
Industrial
11.2 mi
Divine, John, Law Office/Moore Public Library
Industrial
11.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Port Sanilac Masonic and Town Hall listed on the National Register?

Port Sanilac Masonic and Town Hall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 24, 1996.

What type of historic resource is Port Sanilac Masonic and Town Hall?

Port Sanilac Masonic and Town Hall is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Port Sanilac Masonic and Town Hall?

The period of significance for Port Sanilac Masonic and Town Hall is recorded as the industrial era.

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