{"nrhp_refnum":"82004664","name":"Pythagoras Lodge No. 41, Free and Accepted Masons","other_names":["Pythagoras Masonic Temple/Decatur Masonic Temple"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"136 E. Ponce de Leon Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Decatur","county":"DeKalb County","state":"GA","lat":33.77563832300007,"lon":-84.29619124499999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-08-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story Beaux Arts brick building with a basement at 136 E. Ponce de Leon Ave. in downtown Decatur, DeKalb County, Georgia, built 1924-1925 as a Masonic lodge with commercial space below.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is architecturally significant as a vernacularized Beaux Arts structure designed to show the Masons' strength in the community, and as the work of lodge member and architect William J. Sayward. It is also significant in social history as the meeting place of the Masons and other groups since its 1925 dedication. The nomination cites criteria A and C.","narrative":"Pythagoras Lodge No. 41 is a three-story Beaux Arts brick building on a corner lot near the old DeKalb County Courthouse in downtown Decatur. Dedicated on January 19, 1925, it was built to hold shops and offices on the lower floors and a Masonic meeting hall above. The front has a rusticated stone base, a recessed two-story porch with paired columns, and pavilions with stone quoins. Inside, the third floor has a barrel-vaulted entry hall with trowel-shaped capitals and a meeting hall with Doric columns and a balcony. The architect, William J. Sayward, belonged to the lodge and also designed many other Decatur landmarks. The Decatur Masons received their charter in 1844 and met at several sites around the courthouse square before returning to the original location in 1924-25. The first floor now serves as a bank, while the upper floors still host Masonic and other fraternal groups.","period_of_significance":"1924-1925","architect_builder":"William J. Sayward, Architect; Arnold Construction Co. of Elberton, Georgia, contractors","architectural_style":"Beaux Arts (vernacularized Beaux-Arts Classicism)","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Listed in excellent condition and occupied; the first floor has been converted to a bank, and the third floor is still used by the Masons and other groups.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:40.370603-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_GA/82004664.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82004664/552e210dcb-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82004664/552e210dcb-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"strixxvaria","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pythagoras_Lodge_No._41_-_Image_01.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">strixxvaria</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:Pythagoras_Lodge_No._41_-_Image_01.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"12000281","name":"Decatur Downtown Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/georgia/decatur-downtown-historic-district-12000281/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93207799","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagoras_Lodge_No._41,_Free_and_Accepted_Masons","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7263840"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/georgia/dekalb-county/pythagoras-lodge-no-41-free-and-accepted-masons-82004664/"}