The Masonic Temple is the finest structure of its kind in the West, and is surpassed by but few in the country. Covering a ground space of 88 feet on Hennepin Av. and 153 feet on 6th St., it rises eight stories in height. The walls are of Ohio sand- stone. The building is fire proof
throughout, and provided with all the modern conveniences. It is intended primarily for the use of the Masonic fraternity, but the Knights of Pythias and Rawlins Post G. A. R. have comfortable quarters therein, and there are numerous office apartments. The rooms devoted to the Masonic lodges are, of course, the main feature of the building. On the second floor, and extending through two stories is the blue lodge room, occupied by three lodges. This apartment occupies the center and the rear, and is 44 by 48 feet in dimensions. The frescoing is exceedingly rich and the furnishings are of the costliest material. Adjoining is the room occupied by the Masonic library. The lodge rooms on fourth and fifth floors are occupied by the “Scottish Rite” — two fine halls. The Commandery and one Blue lodge occupy the halls on the sixth and seventh floors, the armory occupying the corridors on the seventh floor. The lodge room is one of the finest in the country. On the eighth floor of the building is the ball room, for banquets, dancing and drills, and is used for the meetings and work of the “Mystic Shrine.” At the south end of the hall is a gallery with a seating capacity of 150, the parlor and the banquet hall which has a seating capacity of 200. Adjoining the banquet hall is a kitchen.
The first move made toward erecting the Temple was in 1885, by an organization known as “The Masonic Temple Association of Minneapolis.” The site was purchased at a cost of $61,000. The corner stone was laid September 4, 1888, with appropriate ceremonies. The total cost of the structure was $300,000. The association and structure is now controlled by the several Masonic bodies which meet in the Temple, who own about four sevenths of
the capital stock.
Hudson’s dictionary of Minneapolis and Vicinity- 1918
