{"nrhp_refnum":"85001887","name":"Masonic Temple","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"N. Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Mechanicsburg","county":"Champaign County","state":"OH","lat":40.07268734000007,"lon":-83.55631928799994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-08-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story brick Masonic lodge on North Main Street in the central business district of Mechanicsburg, Champaign County, Ohio, completed in 1909 for Clinton Lodge No. 113.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is the only surviving building in Mechanicsburg designed specifically for a fraternal organization, reflecting the social and cultural importance of lodges in the village. It is also a good example of early 20th century architecture in a town where little was built after 1900. It remains virtually intact.","narrative":"Built in 1909 on North Main Street in Mechanicsburg's central business district, this three-story lodge was constructed for Clinton Lodge No. 113 of the Free and Accepted Masons, chartered in 1843. The lodge had earlier met in a Methodist Protestant church and then on the upper floor of the Taylor Building. The building is faced in buff brick, with red brick elsewhere, and has a central entrance, smooth stone window and door surrounds, beveled glass transoms and Craftsman-style knee-brace brackets. Its interior is largely intact. Fraternal groups, including the Masons, Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, Red Men and Woodmen, were central to social life in the village. The Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias buildings were lost to fire, leaving this as the only structure in town built for a fraternal organization. It also stands among the few major buildings erected in Mechanicsburg after 1900. Its architect and builder are not known.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Craftsman-influenced early 20th century lodge design","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still used as a lodge; condition listed as excellent on the exterior and good on the interior.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:14.819737-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/85001887.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85001887/93337e0290-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85001887/93337e0290-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Masonic_Temple,_Mechanicsburg,_blue_sky.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Masonic_Temple,_Mechanicsburg,_blue_sky.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71984544","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masonic_Temple_(Mechanicsburg,_Ohio)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6783739"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/champaign-county/masonic-temple-85001887/"}