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MedinaFreemasons.Org |
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History and Description Medina Lodge No. 58, Free & Accepted Masons of Ohio received its charter from the Grand Lodge of Ohio in the year 1820. For the first fifty-six years the fraternal organization met in members' homes and various donated and rented spaces in the villages of Brunswick and Medina. In 1876 the lodge leased space on the third floor of the Albro Building located on the northwest corner of the intersection of Washington and Court streets in Medina. This space served as the Medina Masonic Hall for the next forty-nine years. In 1923 a lot located on the east side of North Elmwood Avenue, on which a new Masonic Temple was proposed to be constructed, was purchased from the Medina Telephone Company. The Medina Masonic Temple Company was then organized by members of Medina Lodge No. 58, F&AM of Ohio and incorporated as a not for profit corporation on March 11, 1924. The Temple Company commenced construction of the building immediately and the cornerstone was laid October 26, 1924. Inside the cornerstone a copper container was placed, the contents of which are:
The cornerstone came from one of the granite quarries located at Barre, Vermont and was prepared, lettered and contributed personally by Charles W. Lawrence. The final meeting of Medina Lodge in the Albro Building was held on July 9, 1925. July 23, 1925 marks the date of the lodge's first meeting in its new Masonic Temple. The Medina Masonic Temple building is an imposing structure of rough grey brick with wide tapestry joint trimmed with stone forming a style of architecture called Greek Ionic. On the Masonic Temple's north side lies the Medina City Municipal Building and to the south a United States Federal office building. Its location lies within the Medina Public Square Historic District The building has a frontage of 55 feet extending eastward to a depth of 180 feet, including the theater annex. Although the theater and Masonic facilities are housed in one complex, they are physically separated as are the separate units in a condominium complex. From the front toward the rear, for a distance of approximately thirty feet, the building is comprised of four floors and a basement. The basement area under this portion of the building consists of a lobby, a storage room and two restrooms. The first floor (or offices) contains a lobby, 3 rooms and 2 restrooms. Over the years the offices have been rented to various businesses and professionals within the community. Above the offices on the second floor lies a conference room utilized by several Masonic organizations, the theater's projection room and ladies' restroom. On the third floor there is a lobby and greeting area, a small library room, restroom, storage room and changing room. The fourth floor contains a balcony looking over the lodge room, a storage room, recreation room and a projection room. Continuing toward the rear of the building, the next seventy feet contain a basement and 2 floors. In the basement there are a kitchen and dining room. The first floor is 2 stories high and is comprised entirely of the rear section of the theater auditorium. The second floor is also 2 stories high and is comprised entirely of the Masonic lodge room, stage, and anterooms. The final eighty feet of the structure were annexed in 1937. The addition houses stage, screen, and additional seating area for the theater. It is a single floor structure with no basement. The theater auditorium, as originally constructed, contained a single projection screen and provided seating for approximately 821 people. In 1972 the theater was modified to add a second projection room and screen, dividing the auditorium into two theaters. The entrance to the theater is provided by an enclosed ramp or elevated walkway extending for approximately 60 feet from West Liberty Street to the theater's concession and office area which were also annexed in 1937. This part of the theater was added to the south side of the Temple building and is approximately 20 feet by 30 feet. Consisting of two floors, it contains the concession stand, a small office room, men's restroom, and two storage rooms. The box-office and marquee are both on the West Liberty Street end of the ramp. The lodge room is 40x56 feet and finished in a style adapted from the Greek Doric style of architecture with a barreled ceiling 18 feet high with massive engaged columns on the walls. A special feature of the lodge room is the lighting system. The Lighting fixtures are concealed in the cornice on the sides of the room. By the use of reflectors the light is projected to the ceiling and reflected down providing an abundance of light but at the same time having a restful effect on the eyes. The plans for the Temple building were prepared by Ridley and Glazier, architects of Akron, Ohio. The general contractor was The Clemmer and Johnson Company of Akron, Ohio. Plans for the theater annex were prepared by Architect George Howard Burrows of Aurora, Ohio. The lessee of the annex, The Medina Temple Theater Company, assumed responsibility for its construction. An elevator was added to the south side of the building in 1966. The elevator stops at the basement level, first, second, and third floors. Access from the elevator annex to the floors is provided by doorways constructed where windows once existed. The elevator addition was designed by Architects Jerome E. Romis & Associates of Medina, Ohio and constructed by Bernie Simmons Construction. The Medina Masonic Temple and theater annex are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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