{"nrhp_refnum":"72000259","name":"Old Masonic Hall","other_names":["Benicia Masonic Hall"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"106 W. J St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Benicia","county":"Solano County","state":"CA","lat":38.052330753000035,"lon":-122.15765529599997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1972-03-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story frame Masonic lodge hall at 106 West J Street in Benicia, Solano County, California, dedicated on December 27, 1850 and measuring 32 by 56 feet.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it the first Masonic hall built in California, and it is State Historical Landmark #174. Many prominent pioneers received their Masonic degrees there. Its lower floor also housed the Court of Sessions for two years when Benicia was the Solano County seat.","narrative":"Benicia's Masonic hall at 106 West J Street is a two-story frame building, 32 by 56 feet, with brick foundations and lap siding. Dedicated on December 27, 1850, about three months after California became a state, it is described as the first Masonic hall built in the state. Lumber was donated by Robert Semple, a founder of Benicia, and the lot by A. Riddell; the hall reportedly cost $18,000. Many of California's pioneers received Masonic degrees here, among them George Yount, an early settler in Napa County. While Benicia was the Solano County seat, the Court of Sessions used the lower floor for two years. The lodge outgrew the building by 1887, built a new temple dedicated in 1888, and sold the old hall for public use. Benicia Lodge #5 bought it back in 1950 and refurbished it to resemble the original. It remains in use and is a State Historical Landmark.","period_of_significance":"Dec. 27, 1850 to present day (form lists 19th and 20th centuries)","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Still in use as a lodge hall; in good condition, repaired and refurbished in 1950 to resemble the original.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:32.132796-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/72000259.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72000259/048bfbfb5c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72000259/048bfbfb5c-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"DonaldCreaven","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BeniciaMasonicHall_--_Side.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">DonaldCreaven</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BeniciaMasonicHall_--_Side.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123862019","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Masonic_Hall_(Benicia,_California)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7084485"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/solano-county/old-masonic-hall-72000259/"}