{"nrhp_refnum":"80002629","name":"Watertown Masonic Temple","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"240 Washington St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Watertown","county":"Jefferson County","state":"NY","lat":43.97304497500005,"lon":-75.91134381399996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-01-23","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story masonry and steel Neoclassical fraternal temple at 240 Washington Street in Watertown, Jefferson County, New York, designed in 1914 and built 1914-1917 by builder Fred A. Caswell from plans by Charles E. Dewey.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the temple is an important local example of Neoclassical revival architecture, with Watertown's best full-scale Greek portico and a style that is rare in Northern New York. It is also the headquarters of the Masonic Order in Watertown and reflects the order's prosperity and prominence in the early twentieth century.","narrative":"Watertown's Masonic Temple, at 240 Washington Street, is a three-story masonry and steel building in the Neoclassical revival style. Its front has a Greek-inspired portico of six fluted Doric columns under a triangular pediment, faced in gray glazed terra cotta made to resemble ashlar. Architect Charles E. Dewey drew the plans, and Fred A. Caswell built the temple between 1914 and 1917 at a cost of about $250,000. It replaced an earlier Masonic building on Washington Street, and it was dedicated in November 1917. Inside, concrete ramps take the place of principal stairways and lead to a two-story lodge room with balconies, a stage, original backdrops and a pipe organ. The building is listed as a locally significant example of a style that is uncommon in Northern New York and for its role as the home of the city's Masonic orders. It also shows the wealth and standing of the Masons in early twentieth-century Watertown.","period_of_significance":"1914-1917","architect_builder":"Charles E. Dewey, architect; Fred A. Caswell, builder","architectural_style":"Neoclassical revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in use as a fraternal organization building; the terra cotta facade is deteriorating in places, and the interior has undergone few if any changes.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:39.237723-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/80002629.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80002629/ec4db8e149-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80002629/ec4db8e149-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"Doug Kerr from Upstate New York","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Watertown_Masonic_Temple_Nov_09.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Doug Kerr from Upstate New York</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Watertown_Masonic_Temple_Nov_09.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75318296","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watertown_Masonic_Temple","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7974502"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/jefferson-county/watertown-masonic-temple-80002629/"}