I was taking the bus to Walgreens the other day on Barry rd in north kansas city, Mo. I saw a one-story brown building with brown industrial like siding and a sign for renting it out for events. it wasn't much bigger than a double-wide.

But I noticed there were NO windows, and the door was a fire-door with padlocks and other locks. I wonder why they do this? Is it the same reason we have to go to the temple to do the masonic stuff? Is this normal?

What other buildings do masons use. Do they build temples/ Masonic temple sounds familiar to me. I would have thought the building would be like a fortress, but at least have some decoration or windows. I would be clausterphobic (sp) in there.

Masonic Lodges have a long tradition of being concerned with “eavesdroppers”.

The word “eavesdrop” is from the old and middle English meaning the water that drips from the eaves of a building or the ground on which it drips.

Hence an “eavesdropper” would literally be someone who stood on the eavesdrop of a structure to covertly listen to the conversation within.

In order to deal with this concern, many Masonic Lodges would build multi-storied buildings with the Masonic Lodge on the top floor and rent out the lower floors.

These multi-storied Masonic buildings usually do have opaque windows on the top floor.

A single storied Masonic Lodge usually will have no windows on the Lodge room itself although the fellowship hall and kitchen might.

ziller

This is interesting...

In the intermountain west, masons often built two story buildings in mining camps in the mid- to late- 19th century.

The bottom floor was, usually, used to house a school, with the upstairs reserved for the masons...

I always wondered why they did it. I thought it was them being philanthropic...

One of the oldest and still in use Masonic buildings I've seen has blue windows...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/26/2012 07:00PM by John_Lyle.

What you don't know is that the ancient and honorable Fraternal Order of Glaziers is an even more secretive and thus even more powerful secret brotherhood. I could tell you more, but I have already said way too much.

Masonic lodges in some ways was like the internet it gave a private forum where members of the middle and working class could network in private.

Until modern comunication changed the way the world operated there were and most likley still are genuine issues with spying and eves dropping. In the 80's I went to an open day and there was a reporter who refused to give up his cammera stood out side the whole time trying to peep in.

The only room that I know of that doesn't have windows is the room where the ceremonies are performed, but the kitchen and lounge areas do have windows. I happen to have friends who are Masons, so I've actually been to events that are open to non-members, but I wasn't in the ceremonial room long enough to get claustrophobic as that's my big phobia.

The J.W.s and Masons got together for their Hall and Lodge raising and had such a jolly time the tradition has continued. Mystery solved.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/27/2012 08:20AM by steve benson.

I don't know who would want to rent out this particular building. It was small and looked like a storage unit. I did't think they all were like that. I rememeber what I think was one in Rochester< michigan. It was tiny, next to a little store that was always something like a candy or ice cream place. It was in a weird spot, but I remember the sign. I think it had one front window, like a bar.

But this was in the 70's and 80's. Probably not still there anymore.

Seems like a fire hazard.