Masonic Temple

This rendering above ran in the Evening Record July 27, 1912. The Masonic Temple was supposed to be built at the corner of Ouellette and University Ave., when the old Imperial Bank stands today. The Imperial Bank was built on the site in 1920. There were articles that made reference to the Imperial Bank being built where the Masonic Temple pit was. Temple excavations were started, but never progressed. Kind of like an early version of Docherty’s Hole. Nine years later a Masonic Temple would rise at the corner of Ouellette and Erie.

The temple above was designed by C. Howard Crane & J.C. Pennington. Pennington, a Mason, would design the current Masonic Temple.

The above is an exact reproduction of the proposed new Masonic Temple which is being erected by the Windsor Masonic Temple association at the corner of Ouellette avenue and London street, adjoining the Victoria block.

This handsome structure, which is to be six stories in height, besides the basement, will represent and outlay of $100,000 and without doubt, will excel by far anything else in the building line in Windsor.

The structure will be of brick and stone, the first story being exclusively stone. Its dimensions are 92 feet by 100 feet. On the first floor there will be located six stores, on the second, third and fourth floors 86 offices, including the county offices to be located on the second floor, on the fith lodge rooms, parlors, club rooms and a large auditorium, and on the sixth club rooms.

An idea of the immensity of the structure and be had through comparison with the Victoria block as shown by the cut. At the rear of the temple building is a drawing of the proposed new auditorium, which it is expected the association will erected at a later date on the 150 feet of extra space they have acquired back of the site of the main temple building. Sketches for the proposed auditorium have already been drawn by the architects.

The site on which the building is to be erected was purchased from Dr. Newman of Detroit, the price paid being $25,000. The plans for the new temple were prepared by architects Crane & Pennington of this city and the drawings necessary from which to acquire a photographs for the making of the cut cost the firm $175.

Already the contracts for the construction of the building are practically closed, but it is doubtful whether work will be started for possibly three or four weeks owing to the numerous detail matters yet to be looked after. Up to date, $35,000 of the stock in the new building has been sold.

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As a side note, UrbanRat sent me a link to a similar website in Cleveland, Ohio.

http://clevelandhistory.blogspot.com/

You might find it interesting, the Cleveland version of International Metropolis. 🙂