A historical building in East Lansing will receive its historical marker.
Strathmore Development Company and The Masonic Investment Group will dedicate a state Historical Marker at 4 p.m. today to East Lansing’s Masonic Temple, 314 M.A.C. Ave.
The building was built in downtown East Lansing in 1916 for $14,000, was designed by Lansing architect Samuel Butterworth and was used by a variety of social, religious and civic groups, said Thomas Eckhardt, community liaison for Strathmore Development Company.
“The Masonic Temple is an important historical structure in East Lansing,” he said. “It was one of the first buildings in the downtown.”
To get a marker is a registration process through the National Park Service, and certain criteria must be met, such as the age of a building. And it must have some social or structural significance.
The four-story building was sold in 1986 and the interior was demolished. In 1998, Strathmore purchased the building and renovated the outside to look as it did in 1916. The building is now used for apartment buildings and office space.
Ron Springer, community development analyst and historic preservation officer for the city, said while the building was vacant in the late 1980s, there were a number of attempts to turn it into a brew pub, restaurant or community retail, but citizens felt it was located too close to a church to have a liquor license.
“It is important for any city to know where you were years ago and to have something from the past,” Springer said. “You can look at that building just like they did in 1916 and read about it from the marker.”
Springer said the city has a handful of other historic sites, such as city hall, 410 Abbott Road, the Bigelow-Kuhn-Thomas House, 334 Hagadorn Road, and Central School, 325 W. Grand River Ave.
He said the Masonic Temple has neoclassical details that can be seen in the windows and the upper stories of the building.
Springer said during World War II, the building was used for dances and other entertainment for soldiers in the area.
East Lansing City Councilmember Beverly Baten said it is important for the city to keep historic buildings intact.
“To have a building of this age in the downtown that is still standing is great,” she said. “East Lansing doesn’t have many historically significant buildings left.”
