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Virginia: Tidewater and Piedmont » Richmond Metropolitan Area » Shockoe Valley » Masons' Hall

Masons' Hall

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1785–1787. c. 1850, renovations. 1809 E. Franklin St.
  • (Photograph by Matthew Aungst)

Built for Richmond Lodge Number 12, this hall is reputed to be the oldest Masonic building in the United States. The frame structure on a raised brick basement is Anglo-Palladian in style. The pediment, cupola, and other details appear to have been influenced by an English pattern book, possibly Robert Morris's Select Architecture (1757). The Greek Revival portico is a later addition, possibly from the 1850s.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Richard Guy Wilson et al.
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Data

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Citation

Richard Guy Wilson et al., "Masons' Hall", [Richmond, Virginia], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/VA-01-RI45.

Print Source

Buildings of Virginia: Tidewater and Piedmont, Richard Guy Wilson and contributors. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002, 193-193.

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