A city demolition permit is pending for the Masonic Temple at 505 Locust St., a somewhat tattered piece of downtown history whose story dates back to 1872. Since 1916 it has served as Oriental Lodge #453 for the fraternal organization, which owns the building and met there regularly until earlier this year. The structure is an enigma wrapped in an enigma, quite literally—the version on view today little resembles the original, yet more of its past may be intact than meets the eye. We’ll get to that in a moment.
Unlike the neighboring YWCA to its left, which is listed with the National Historic Register, and the Kendrick Place Row Houses to its right, which is eligible for a historic overlay, the Masonic Temple has neither, which means it would not benefit from the protections those designations afford. But because of its age, the permit is subject to a 60-day waiting period, allowing time for interested parties to propose preserving the building or salvaging its materials. The hold delays demolition but does not prevent it from moving forward. Knox Heritage is on it and hopefully will be able to connect with the owner.
I’ve never stepped foot in the building personally, but I know an Urban Guy who has. Back in November 2011, the Masons hosted an open house and Alan took them up on a tour. Sounds like it was quite the anachronistic adventure. Here’s his original post:
From Alan:
If you walk around downtown very much and certainly if your wandering ever takes you down Locust Street, you’ve probably noticed the large beige building with the words “Masonic Temple” standing guard across the front of the massive white columns. I’ve cast the odd surreptitious glance in that direction, just a little nervous about the whole affair. I’ve read The Da Vinci Code and I’m not sure how much is fact and how much is fiction. When they offered an open house recently, I steeled my courage, picked up my camera and knocked on the door.
I was greeted by friendly men, though my anxiety lingered past the front door. Did I sense secrecy and half-answers to my questions or had I expected cloak-and-dagger goings on and so I remained suspicious? Larry Viles pretty quickly attached himself to me and seemed eager to talk about the history of the home and to offer some answers to my questions about the Masons. I didn’t follow all the answers and the information quickly became overwhelming; words spinning around in my head like “Scottish Rites,” “Free-Masonry” and “Crusades.” Wait. What? Did he say “Crusades,” as in THE Crusades? He did.
The “he” by this time was Erick Tuck, who, I believe, was addressed as “Admiral,” but I may have begun hallucinating by that time from a lack of oxygen as I held my breath. He was bedecked in a suit worth of the name if it wasn’t, in fact, used. And he brought up the Knights Templar, seemingly with pride, as if Dan Brown had never written a book. He indicated that they held a prominent role in the Crusades and one branch of the Masons is somehow connected to them. I thought we’d all agreed that the Crusades were not such a good idea.
The home itself seemed to be quite a source of pride for each of them and, indeed, there are beautiful portions here and there: The large stairwell in the entrance, built in shelves and ornate fireplaces. An impressive grandfather clock stands beside the front door, though it may not date back to the original structure. The original house was built in 1872 by Charles McClung McGhee whose names everyone in Knoxville will recognize. He entertained Rutherford B. Hayes in the home and lived there until his death in 1907. In 1916, the same year Kendrick Place (formerly Masonic Court) was built next door, the Masons purchased the home for $25,000.
The tour inside the remainder of the structure revealed occasional older touches mixed with seventies decor: red tile in the foyer, cheap paneling and drop-tile ceilings one might expect in the fellowship hall of a rural church. The two, large meeting rooms were grand and bedecked with inscrutable symbols, books and chairs signifying rank of some sort. The women’s meeting room is the largest and includes a balcony. They call themselves the “Eastern Star” and graciously allowed me to take pictures. They made it clear that had the Bible been open when I visited I should not have been allowed to take these photographs.
So, I found friendly people, some elements of architectural beauty and others of architectural abomination. Still, I sensed an understated desperation. They openly acknowledged that the organization has dwindled, as I recall, from around 200,000 in Tennessee to around 40,000 with probably far fewer who are active. Their grand meeting halls, once full are now much less so. I think they fear something they value is nearing extinction and they keenly feel the loss.
According to an article on WBIR from which I refreshed my memory on the facts and dates for this story, McClung Collection Director Steve Cotham says the original home is intact beneath the current building. I spoke to J.C. Wolfenbarger who is also quoted in that article and who joined the Masons at that lodge in 1949. He talked as if it had been altered very little, yet the sheer front of the building, only broken by the columns, resembles very little the 1915 newspaper photograph they have framed on the wall. It shows an elegant architectural structure with many multi-faceted lines.
One final, fun note: Mr. Wolfenbarger also confirmed what I’d heard mentioned before, that Kendrick Place, when it was known as Masonic Court, was filled with women offering their services to men for a price. He said that was what he found when he arrived at the lodge in 1949. I asked him how long that had been the case and mentioned that Christopher Kendrick bought it in 1982. He said, “that sounds about right.” I suggested that surely there would have been no Masonic customers, but he averred, “Masons are human, too.”
