{"nrhp_refnum":"08000919","name":"Lowville Masonic Temple","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"7552 S. State St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lowville","county":"Lewis County","state":"NY","lat":43.787375248000046,"lon":-75.49060341299997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2008-09-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story, five-bay Georgian Revival brick building with cast-stone trim at 7552 South State Street in the village of Lowville, Lewis County, New York. It was built in 1928-29 as a Masonic meeting hall, to plans by architect R. E. Sluyter.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is a substantially intact, representative example of Georgian Revival civic architecture in Lowville (Criterion C). It is also significant under Criterion A in social history for its link to Freemasonry, a leading fraternal organization, which peaked in New York in 1929, the year the building opened.","narrative":"Built in 1928-29 on South State Street in the commercial core of Lowville, this two-story brick building was designed as a meeting hall for the local Masonic lodge. Architect R. E. Sluyter prepared the plans, and Lowville contractors W. H. Rich & Sons erected it. The five-bay front is decorated with cast-stone pilasters, quoins, a dentiled entablature and a broken scroll pediment at the entrance, with a square-and-compass medallion on the parapet. Inside, the building retains its original room layout, including a large two-story meeting room with a stage and balcony, a billiard room, and a basement dining room. It now houses the Lewis County Historical Society, while the Masons still use part of the basement. The building was recognized as an intact example of Georgian Revival civic design and for its association with Freemasonry, which reached its highest New York membership in 1929. Lowville's lodge, founded in 1848, was the first in Lewis County.","period_of_significance":"1928-29","architect_builder":"R.E. Sluyter (architect); built by Lowville contractors W. H. Rich & Sons","architectural_style":"Early 20th century; Georgian Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Now houses the Lewis County Historical Society; the Masons still use the former dining room in the basement. The interior survives virtually intact.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:52.807849-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/08000919.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/08000919/a40238d39f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/08000919/a40238d39f-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Oaktree b","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lowville_Masonic_Temple.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Oaktree b</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:Lowville_Masonic_Temple.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75318584","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lowville_Masonic_Temple","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6694217"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/lewis-county/lowville-masonic-temple-08000919/"}