{"nrhp_refnum":"95000355","name":"Masonic Temple","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"501 N. Harbor Blvd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Fullerton","county":"Orange County","state":"CA","lat":33.874193148000074,"lon":-117.92447922999997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1995-03-31","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story Spanish Colonial Revival Masonic temple at 501 North Harbor Boulevard in Fullerton, Orange County, California, built in 1919-1920 and designed by local builder and architect Frank Benchley.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the temple represents the height of Freemasonry in Fullerton and, for a time, in Orange County. It was the Masons' only meeting place from 1919 to 1945 and housed most Fullerton Masonic groups until 1993. It is cited under Criterion A in Social History as a reminder of the fraternal organizations that served the community in the twentieth century.","narrative":"Built in 1919-1920 at the north end of downtown Fullerton, this Spanish Colonial Revival temple was the home of the city's Masonic lodges. Frank Benchley, a local builder and architect, designed the stucco-over-hollow-clay-tile building. It has a skirt roof, a pedimented portico with Batchelder tile, and a tall lodge room at the rear. The structure cost $115,000, and about a thousand people attended its dedication in December 1920. Inside are a large dining hall, a card room with a tiled fireplace, the lodge room with its ornate ceiling fixture, and a small stage used by the Knights Templar Commandery. Masonry was prestigious in Fullerton, and civic leaders helped bring the temple about. The building was the Masons' only meeting place from 1919 to 1945, and many groups used it until 1993, when declining membership and earthquake codes led them to leave. It is significant locally as a reminder of the fraternal organizations that shaped community life.","period_of_significance":"1919-1945","architect_builder":"Benchley, Frank","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals/Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Lodges stopped meeting there in 1993; the building has not been well maintained, was damaged by a fire in spring 1994, and is in the first stages of planned rehabilitation. The exterior retains a high degree of integrity.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:26.848475-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/95000355.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/95000355/16efcbc708-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/95000355/16efcbc708-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Traveler100","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MasonicTempleFullerton01c.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Traveler100</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:MasonicTempleFullerton01c.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123860272","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_Field_Banquet_Center","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6783723"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/orange-county/masonic-temple-95000355/"}