{"nrhp_refnum":"97000201","name":"Masonic Temple","other_names":["Fra-532-18"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"34 N. 4th St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Columbus","county":"Franklin County","state":"OH","lat":39.96378974900006,"lon":-82.99650623899998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1997-02-27","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Social History","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A four-story masonry Masonic Temple at 34 North Fourth Street in downtown Columbus, Ohio, built in 1899 and enlarged in 1913 and 1935. It occupies almost an entire quarter-block.","why_significant":"The nomination treats it as significant for architecture and social history. It was the first permanent Masonic home for several Columbus lodges, and after the 1913 addition it was considered the largest edifice in the world devoted to Masonic purposes. It also retains a high level of integrity, blending design elements from the 1890s through the 1930s.","narrative":"Masonic Temple is a four-story brick and terra cotta building filling nearly a quarter-block on North Fourth Street, one block from Capitol Square in downtown Columbus. The first section opened in 1899 as a fireproof steel-framed structure with a golden-brown brick exterior, sandstone foundation and a large pediment. A 1913 addition doubled its size and created a symmetrical building then considered the largest devoted to Masonic purposes. Further changes in 1935 removed the central portico and added a northern wing, leaving the facade asymmetrical. Inside are ballrooms, meeting rooms, lodge rooms and several auditoriums, including a Scottish Rite hall seating over a thousand and a heavily painted priory. The building was the first permanent home for several Columbus lodges, which shared equal tenant rights and gained electric light and indoor plumbing. Its listing rests on architecture and social history, and the building has kept a high level of integrity. The form lists its current use as vacant.","period_of_significance":"1899-1946","architect_builder":"Yost & Packard","architectural_style":"Late 19th & 20th Century Revival: Classical Revival/Neo-Classical Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Current function is listed as vacant/not in use; the building is described as remarkably intact with a high level of integrity.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:07.275432-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/97000201.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97000201/5d06f9c042-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97000201/5d06f9c042-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Masonic_Temple_in_Columbus,_comprehensive.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Masonic_Temple_in_Columbus,_comprehensive.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71988547","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus_Athenaeum","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14716673"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/franklin-county/masonic-temple-97000201/"}