{"nrhp_refnum":"82002545","name":"Masonic Temple","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"104 S. Lincoln Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Aurora","county":"Kane County","state":"IL","lat":41.75327977400008,"lon":-88.31279795199998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-03-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A six-story Neo-Classical Revival Masonic temple at 104 South Lincoln Avenue, Aurora, Kane County, Illinois, on a hilltop overlooking the Fox River valley. Construction began in November 1921 with a cornerstone laid 9 September 1922, and the building opened 10 March 1924.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the temple is architecturally significant as an excellent example of Greek-order Neo-Classical Revival design, rarely found in small mid-western cities. It also reflects the strength of Aurora's Masonic organizations, whose roughly 1,000 members raised nearly a quarter of a million dollars in under a week to build it.","narrative":"Rising six stories atop a hill above the Fox River valley, this Masonic temple in Aurora, Illinois, was built as a meeting place for the several bodies of the Masonic fraternity. Construction began in November 1921, the cornerstone was laid in September 1922, and the building opened in March 1924 at a cost of about $400,000. Its design follows the Greek order of Neo-Classical Revival architecture, with Ionic columns set in antis at the west entrance, a pediment, and pilastered walls. Although conceived in quarried stone, the facade is custom-formed concrete block over a concrete-encased steel frame. Inside, the Blue Lodge Room, the Commandery Room and the entrance lobby carry classical detailing, including hand-painted plaster imitating pink marble. The building is considered significant for its rare style in a small mid-western city and for the role of local Masonic lodges, whose members funded it through donations and subscriptions in less than a week.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":"William & Bendus, Architect","architectural_style":"Neo-Classical Revival (Greek order)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in excellent condition; unaltered except for painting, carpeting/flooring and furniture, with a ballroom and an assembly room never finished and used for storage.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.14331-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/22/8931/28893122/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/82002545.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82002545/b3c5ecfb46-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82002545/b3c5ecfb46-1600.webp","licence":"CC0","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Masonic_Aurora_IL.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Masonic_Aurora_IL.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893122","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masonic_Temple_(Aurora,_Illinois)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6783709"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/kane-county/masonic-temple-82002545/"}