Masonic Temple

On April 24, 1927 the Rhode Island Freemasons laid the cornerstone, carved with an optimistic completion date of “1949,” for a limestone Masonic complex across from the Statehouse(Gregor). Construction of the building continued for two years as money became limited, until one day workers were asked not to come back to work. Despite selling trust bonds and asking for cash from members, the Freemasons had fallen short of the 2.5 million dollars needed for completing the building (Ogg). The abandoned tools laid inside as the Freemasons made futile efforts to raise funds to resume construction following the Great Crash of 1929.

The building stood through the Great Depression and deteriorated on Federal Hill long after 1949, long after the rest of Providence was revived. The site decayed, while the memory of the grand cornerstone laying ceremony and parade remained in the memory of the public. Thus the Masonic ruin reminded the Freemasons of their failed efforts to finance the project, while serving as an unintentional monument for the collective memory of the depression in Providence.

The public acknowledged the building as a blemish in 1944 when, “the voters of the state of Rhode Island authorized the building’s purchase for a sum of $754,000 to be used for state offices”(Ogg). Attempts were made to redevelop the building; however, most ideas, such as a state offices, eventually dissipated due to the size and cost of the project. The building stood idly as the Biltmore reopened, space for Kennedy Plaza was cleared, and the Arcade was renovated (NB. The arcade has recently been closed) in the 70s (Three). The transformation of the city would not be completed until the building “deteriorating outside the governor’s window” was revived as well(Ogg).

The building continued to decay even after being declared a national historic landmark and making the Providence Preservation Society’s top ten endangered properties list. Eventually, Saga Hospitality Resources and Kimberly-Clark Corporation were able to propose a solution for Providence‘s blemish by raising 77 million dollars through “historic preservation tax credits from the State of Rhode Island and the federal government, a property tax stabilization agreement from the City of Providence, and the involvement of many other partners, such as the VMA Arts and Cultural Center and the Department of Transportation” (Carcieri). These funds were allocated in 2004 to renovate the three structurally stable remaining walls of the main building into a Renaissance Marriot Hotel, a hotel chain that has redeveloped historical buildings in several cities throughout the United States. With the original limestone facades now polished and clean the four star Renaissance Providence can proudly sit next to the Statehouse.

Memory: Riding up the elevator to take pictures of the hotel, I glanced at the bellman’s pin, Stephen Storyteller

Citations

Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology