Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
MASONIC TEMPLE
MASONIC TEMPLE. Fifth home of the Masonic Lodge in Dubuque. Built during the days of the Great Depression, the temple, constructed for $325,000, was dedicated on March 15, 1932.
In 1842 the first Masonic temple was built across from the site of the present HOTEL JULIEN DUBUQUE. Three other temples were used before the order met on the third floor of the building used as the offices of INTERSTATE POWER COMPANY. Masonic insignia may still be seen near the top of the building.
A former Presbyterian Church at the corner of 11th Street and Locust housed the temple from 1906 to 1932. Interest in building a temple was first voiced in 1916, but uncertain conditions caused by WORLD WAR I and building restrictions led to the idea being postponed. Interest in building began again in 1921. By 1923 a building committee had been formed. A neighbor of the CARNEGIE-STOUT PUBLIC LIBRARY, the old temple was demolished soon after the Masons moved to their present temple. The land was later used for the expansion of the library.
The 4,200-square-foot ballroom in the current temple was the scene of minstrel shows in the 1930 and until the end of WORLD WAR II big bands featuring Sammy Kaye and Dorothy Lamour. The temple became a meeting hall for as many as fourteen Masonic groups.
