Thomas J. Herron was the architect of this substantial lodge building, which dates from about 1910.(1) Like most such lodges, it had rent-paying storefronts on the ground floor and the lodge hall upstairs, in this case on the third floor, where the tall windows point it out to us. Unlike most such lodges, it has not suffered much from the mania for blocking out natural light that affects men’s clubs; the windows have been shortened a bit, but they are still generously bright.
It is hard to pin this building down to any one style of architecture; Mr. Herron seems to have had eclectic tastes that ranged from Baroque to Art Nouveau.
Footnotes
- Philadelphia Real Estate Record & Builders’ Guide, July 21, 1909, p. 460. “It is stated that Architect T. J. Herron, 807 Publication building, has been commissioned to prepare plans for a brick Masonic temple, to be erected at Grant avenue and Butler street, Millvale. Stone trimmings, hardwood finish, open plumbing, steam heat, electric lights. The estimated cost is about $50,000.” (↩)
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