{"nrhp_refnum":"05001403","name":"St. John's AF & AM Lodge","other_names":["Tyler Masonic Lodge"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"323 W. Front St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Tyler","county":"Smith County","state":"TX","lat":32.34931849700007,"lon":-95.30415285199996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2005-12-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story fraternal lodge with a partial basement at 323 West Front Street in Tyler, Smith County, Texas, built in 1932 to designs by Tyler architect T. Shirley Simons, Sr.","why_significant":"The building is significant under Criterion A for its association with the social and community service programs of St. John's Lodge No. 53, Tyler's oldest Masonic lodge. It served as a meeting place, as the administrative center for the lodge's charitable programs, and as shelter and meals for military personnel during World War II. It was nominated under Criterion A only because of window changes and a rear elevator addition, though it is also noted as a good Georgian Revival example.","narrative":"Built in 1932, this red brick Masonic lodge on West Front Street in Tyler was designed by local architect T. Shirley Simons, Sr., with lodge member Carl A. Gregory assisting, and built by A. M. Campbell & Co. Georgian Revival details include a copper hipped and gabled roof behind a balustraded parapet, a recessed entry with a swan's neck pediment, cast stone medallions and decorative brick quoins. A mid-1950s neon sign bearing Masonic symbols stands near the sidewalk. Inside, the plan is virtually unchanged, with an assembly room in the basement, dining and meeting spaces on the first floor, and a lodge room upstairs that retains 36 original lockers. Members of St. John's Lodge No. 53 and allied Masonic groups financed construction. The lodge hosted meetings and social events, ran charitable programs, and sheltered and fed military personnel during World War II. Its significance rests on that community role between 1932 and 1955, and it remains in use by Tyler's Masonic community.","period_of_significance":"1932-1955","architect_builder":"Architects: Simons, T. Shirley, Sr., Gregory, Carl; Builders: A. M. Campbell & Co","architectural_style":"Late 19th and Early 20th Century Revivals: Georgian Revival","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Still in use as a Masonic lodge; described as maintained in excellent condition with a high degree of integrity.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.868187-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/53/9733/40973353/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/05001403.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05001403/9bf9503524-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05001403/9bf9503524-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Renelibrary","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:StJohns2.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Renelibrary</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:StJohns2.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"100008283","name":"Tyler Downtown Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/texas/tyler-downtown-historic-district-100008283/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40973353","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._John%27s_AF_%26_AM_Lodge","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7588572"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/smith-county/st-johns-af-and-am-lodge-05001403/"}