Built in 1921, for 100 years the beautiful Windsor Masonic Temple has remained for the people of Windsor and Essex a place of friendship, fellowship, brotherhood, and community.
It is a historical and architectural gem. It is also home to the Scottish Rite Learning Centre for Children with Dyslexia, the Masonic Order of Rainbow (Youth Group), seven Masonic Lodges, Masonic “Rites” coffee and breakfast clubs, and numerous social functions.
The “noble edifice” was built as a community and Masonic home. As the Windsor Star noted: “Everyman is the better for a home. [Who] does not feel a thrill as he crosses his own threshold. The same is true of the Masonic Order. I am sure every Mason will feel he is a better Mason because of what he has done towards making this Temple a reality.”
Subsequently, in January 1922, the Windsor Masonic Temple officially opened with banquet and installation ceremonies. Prominent members of both Ontario and Michigan attended.
The Windsor Star described the Masonic Temple as: “[m]odern in every respect and built after plans prepared by J.C. Pennington, Windsor architect [and Mason], the new building is practically complete…It is one of the finest in the country and reflects credit upon the contractors, Muxlow & Gale.”
The Windsor Star also noted the “spacious dining hall.” Over the next 100 years, this dining hall would host hundreds of dances, weddings, and social functions. Per the Windsor Star: “[t]he ground floor of the temple boasts a banqueting hall 45 by 72 ft. It is handsomely furnished with plaster of paris and can be reached from the main entrance without interfering with work which may be in progress in other parts of the building. The floor will be of polished maple and it is proposed to use the big apartment for dances. It will be available to any organization…[t]he ventilating system is of the latest design and is considered the most efficient in the city.”
The City of Windsor recognizes the Windsor Masonic Temple as a heritage property. It is designed in the neo-classical style, with oak and maple finishes, marble steps, and terrazzo floors.
It features gorgeous paintings, and views that reach the Ambassador Bridge 3.5km away!
