Magnificent Architecture: Masonic Building Postcards

by Jeffrey Croteau, Director of the Van Gorden-Williams Library and Archives

In the late 1800s, as cities and towns grew, many Masonic organizations made their mark on communities by constructing grand buildings. Practical concerns spurred much of this construction. From 1870 through the 1920s, the numbers of Freemasons and Masonic lodges increased. In New York state, for example, the number of lodges almost doubled—from 650 in 1870 to 1,011 in 1930. Following the Civil War, Prince Hall Freemasonry in the United States also grew by leaps and bounds. By 1896, Prince Hall Masons had established lodges in 32 states. Increasing membership helped Masonic organizations prosper. A rapidly growing membership also meant that Masonic groups needed buildings that could accommodate large numbers of people and their different activities.

The growing popularity of the higher degrees, such as the York Rite and the Scottish Rite, also spurred the construction of new buildings designed to accommodate these groups’ specific needs, such as Knights Templar drill teams and marching units or the staged presentation of Scottish Rite degrees in theater settings. Another Masonic group, the Shrine, founded in 1872, began building structures for their ceremonies, banquets, and social events in the early 1910s. Together, all of these Masons shaped their communities, both socially—with their myriad activities— and physically, with their ambitious building projects.

The growing popularity of postcards coincided with this Masonic building boom. Postcards of Masonic buildings depicted not only towering Masonic edifices in cities, but also modest structures in small towns.

These illustrations also underscore the contribution that Freemasons made to the architectural richness of many communities.

The Van Gorden-Williams Library & Archives at the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library is home to a collection of thousands of postcards related to Freemasonry and other Fraternal groups. Hundreds of these postcards depict Masonic buildings from across the United States. A selection of these images projected on a large screen welcomes visitors to the recentlyopened exhibition, “The Masonic Hall of Fame: Extraordinary Freemasons in American History” and allows them to appreciate the wonderful variety of architectural styles used in Masonic buildings in many parts of the country.

The Van Gorden-Williams Library & Archives is located in Lexington, Massachusetts, at the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library and is open to the public.

Have a question or need more info? Drop us a line at library@srmml.org or give us a call at 781-457-4109.

Selection of postcards from the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library Collection, MM 025