{"nrhp_refnum":"82002153","name":"Masonic Temple and Lodge","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1329--31 Park St. and 2312 Alameda Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Alameda","county":"Alameda County","state":"CA","lat":37.76324729000004,"lon":-122.24394104199996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-03-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A pair of adjoining Masonic buildings at 1329-31 Park Street and 2312 Alameda Avenue in downtown Alameda, California: an 1890-91 three-story brick Victorian Eclectic temple and a 1927 Spanish Renaissance style lodge beside it.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the buildings are significant for their architecture and ornamentation, which are unusual in Alameda's downtown. The old Temple is an ornate, large-scale Victorian design by Oakland architect Charles Mau, and the new Lodge by Edwin Symmes contrasts with it in style. The buildings also link to the history of the Masonic Order in Alameda and the East Bay.","narrative":"Two Masonic buildings stand side by side in Alameda's central business district, at the southwest corner of Park Street and Alameda Avenue. The older is the Masonic Temple, a massive three-story brick building designed by Oakland architect Charles Mau and built by J.H. Cory. Construction began in May 1890, the corner stone was laid that June, and the building was finished around January 1891 at a cost of $31,000. Its Victorian Eclectic design includes a mansard-roofed tower, a cross gable, brick buttresses, tall arched windows and carved stone details. Inside are a banquet hall, a meeting hall and murals of Yosemite. Beside it is the new Lodge, built in 1927 to designs by Edwin Symmes, with a metal frame hidden behind cut ashlar masonry and Spanish Renaissance ornament. The two were once entered through one arched doorway, and the passages between them are now sealed. The nomination values them for their distinctive architecture within downtown Alameda and for their ties to local Masonic history.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Old Temple: Charles Mau, architect; J.H. Cory, builder. New Lodge: Edwin Symmes, architect.","architectural_style":"Old Temple: Victorian Eclectic (the first nomination called it High Victorian Gothic); New Lodge: Spanish Renaissance","criteria":[],"status_note":"The old Temple's upper floors were used only intermittently in recent years, while the ground floor was rented for commercial use. Most original features are intact, though the roof and second-story windows have been replaced. Passages between the two buildings have been sealed.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.305187-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/82002153.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82002153/19adc9bac2-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82002153/19adc9bac2-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Eugene Zelenko","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USA-Alameda-Masonic_Temple_and_Lodge-1.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Eugene Zelenko</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:USA-Alameda-Masonic_Temple_and_Lodge-1.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"82002154","name":"Park Street Historic Commercial District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/california/park-street-historic-commercial-district-82002154/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123858274","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masonic_Temple_and_Lodge_(Alameda,_California)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6783793"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/alameda-county/masonic-temple-and-lodge-82002153/"}