Downtown’s ornate Masonic Temple for sale
Past master Mason and broker James McCraw, with Avison Young, gives some history of the Knights Templar room during a tour on Feb. 8, 2020, of the ornate, 106-year-old Masonic Lodge on Court Avenue, which recently came on the market for $2.5 million. The building, still home to active lodges, is full of history with architectural details, artifacts and symbols of a fading era. (Jim Weber/Daily Memphian)
Jeff Higdon with the brokerage firm Avison Young helps conduct a tour on Feb. 8, 2020, of the Masonic Lodge on Court Avenue. “The building lends itself to lots of different types of uses," he said. (Jim Weber/Daily Memphian)
Medallions of Masonic rank hang in the 106-year-old Masonic Lodge on Court Avenue on Feb. 8, 2020. (Jim Weber/Daily Memphian)
Past master Mason and broker James McCraw with Avison Young looks over a wall of former Worshipful Masters during a tour on Feb. 8, 2020, of the Masonic Lodge at 272 Court Avenue. (Jim Weber/Daily Memphian)
The 106-year-old Masonic Lodge on Court Avenue has recently come on the market for $2.5 million under a listing by the brokerage firm Avison Young. (Jim Weber/Daily Memphian)
The square and compasses, symbols of the Freemasons, are everywhere in the Masonic Lodge on Court Avenue, even as a filament illuminating the Desoto Lodge room. (Jim Weber/Daily Memphian)
Jeff Higdon with the brokerage firm Avison Young looks for a switch to turn on stage lights in the Knights Templar room during a Feb. 8, 2020, tour of the Masonic Lodge. (Jim Weber/Daily Memphian)
A Feb. 8, 2020, tour of the Masonic Lodge feels like moving through time, from the 1920s to mid-century America and back again. (Jim Weber/Daily Memphian)
The 106-year-old Masonic Lodge on Court Avenue is still home to active lodges. (Jim Weber/Daily Memphian)
An antique intercom system connects many of the rooms in the 106-year-old Masonic Lodge on Court Avenue. (Jim Weber/Daily Memphian)
Jeff Higdon, with the brokerage firm Avison Young, enters the Knights Templar room at the Masonic Lodge on Court, with its ornate stage. (Jim Weber/Daily Memphian)
A room formerly used by the Order of the Eastern Star sits empty during a tour Feb. 8, 2020, of the Masonic Lodge on Court. (Jim Weber/Daily Memphian)
Walking through the Masonic Lodge at 272 Court Avenue on Feb. 8, 2020, can feel like time travel. (Jim Weber/Daily Memphian)
Strange artifacts from a bygone time, like this old push-button phone, still remain in the Masonic Lodge on Court Avenue. (Jim Weber/Daily Memphian)
Jeff Higdon (right) and past master Mason and broker James McCraw, with the firm Avison Young, conduct a tour Feb. 8, 2020, of the Masonic Lodge on Court Avenue. (Jim Weber/Daily Memphian)
The square and compasses, the artchitect's tools that are the symbol of Freemasonry, appear everywhere at the Masonic Lodge on Court -- even on doorknobs. (Jim Weber/Daily Memphian)
Old portraits of men who are probably long gone adorn the walls of the 106-year-old Masonic Lodge on Court Avenue. (Jim Weber/Daily Memphian)
A huge rug consisting of the Order of the Easter Star logo sits in the middle of the Knights Templar room in the 106-year-old Masonic Lodge on Court Avenue. (Jim Weber/Daily Memphian)
Avison Young's James McCraw, a past master Mason and broker, shows off the various lodge rooms of the Masonic Temple on Court, which has come on the market. (Jim Weber/Daily Memphian)
A framed symbol hngs on the wall of the Masonic Temple at 272 Court, representative of another era in Memphis. (Jim Weber/Daily Memphian)
The square and compasses show up even in an elaborately decorated elevator on a Feb. 8, 2020, tour of the Masonic Temple at 272 Court. (Jim Weber/Daily Memphian)
Photos of meetings long in the past remain at the Masonic Temple on Court, which has come on the market. (Jim Weber/Daily Memphian)
Organ pipes from an unfinished renovation project lean against a wall in a hallway at the106-year-old Masonic Lodge on Court Avenue. (Jim Weber/Daily Memphian)
Old furnishings at the Masonic Lodge on Court suggest secret rituals from another era. (Jim Weber/Daily Memphian)
Jeff Higdon (left) and James McCraw of Avison Young are brokers for the Masonic Lodge on Court. "There's lots of interest," Higdon said. (Jim Weber/Daily Memphian)
For sale for $2.5 million: A one-owner building with six floors, huge rooms and rich architectural detailing.
Topics
Masonic Lodge Downtown development Commercial Real Estate Avison YoungThank you for reading The Daily Memphian. Your support is critical.
Did you know we are a 501(c)3 nonprofit news organization? We rely on a mix of revenue from subscriptions (50%), advertising, events and other earned income (25%) and fundraising (25%).
Please consider making a fully tax-deductible donation or other contribution to The Daily Memphian today.
👉🏽 Your subscription pays for you to read all our journalism.
👉🏽 Your donation powers the work we do to reach everyone else with the news.
We believe an informed Memphis is a better Memphis. If you agree, join our growing list of donors now.
Tom Bailey
Tom Bailey retired in January as a business reporter at The Daily Memphian, and after 40 years in journalism. A Tupelo, Mississippi, native, he graduated from Mississippi State University. He has lived in Midtown for 36 years.
Comments
Want to comment on our stories? If you’re a subscriber, scroll down to the comments. If you’re not a subscriber, only paid subscribers can add their thoughts, so subscribe now. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.