HistoricSiteMarkers
Progressive & Modern Era

Oak Cliff Masonic Lodge

Dallas, Dallas County, Texas

Marker Inscription

This building was designed in 1919 by prominent Dallas architect Herbert Miller Greene. In 1923 it housed the largest Masonic temple in Texas with 1,900 members. The exterior of the building has not been changed since the 1940s when the front entry was remodeled. The 10,000-square-foot building has a basement and two large lodge rooms on the second floor, including one with 20-foot ceilings. The original Masons group sold the building in 2004 and moved to a smaller building. Today, several other Masonic groups still meet in the upstairs meeting halls. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark – 2014

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Designed in 1919 by prominent Dallas architect Herbert Miller Greene, this Oak Cliff building housed the largest Masonic temple in Texas by 1923, with some 1,900 members. Its 10,000 square feet include a basement and two large second-floor lodge rooms, one soaring to twenty-foot ceilings, and the exterior has scarcely changed since a 1940s remodel of the front entry. The original lodge sold the building in 2004, but several Masonic groups still meet in its upstairs halls today.

Why it matters

The lodge reflects the golden age of American fraternal orders, when Masonic and civic societies were central to community life and built landmark halls in the hearts of growing cities.

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Related people

  • · Herbert Miller Greene

Themes & tags

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