A Princely Urban Edifice
The Prince Hall Masonic Lodge
The photo above shows how the Prince Hall Masonic Lodge appeared in 1971. Below is how it appeared a few nights ago.
A recent post on this blog (Looking Due East From Above) captured a view of four structures that are now relics of Raleigh’s historic African American community. Among them* is the Prince Hall Masonic Lodge.
When the three-storey brick building was erected at the corner of Blount and Cabarrus Streets 1907-09, this part of downtown was still largely residential. There were three other community social halls and three churches within a half block. And from here, the African American community emanated out to the south and east.
The Prince Hall Masonic Lodge was constructed in the Italianate style, which, at the time, had been popular in Raleigh for nearly forty years. Characteristic hooded arched windows and fine detailing of the street front cornice give this building a quiet elegance. The cut-away corner entrance with its supporting cast iron Corinthian column was a common feature of many downtown early 20th century commercial buildings.
For as long as I can remember, the building was painted a shiny metallic silver color. Above the door hung an old fashioned lighted metal sign in the shape of the Masonic compass and square. This adornment was apparently removed when the building’s facade was renovated and the silver paint removed about fifteen years ago.
I have always heard that the Prince Hall Lodge was built with brick salvaged from Raleigh’s antebellum white Masons building on Fayetteville Street when the (now) Empire Properties Building replaced it in 1907. I don’t now if this story is true or not, but it sure makes for an interesting urban legend.
* Dr. Manassa Pope House (1901), Lincoln Theater (ca 1940), Prince Hall Lodge, Tupper Memorial Baptist Church (1866, 1914)
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09/04/2008
Great article.
Do you know when/why the windows were boarded up? What is this building used for today? Are there still active masons among the African-American community?
Also – what was the storefront on the ground floor that says “Jerusalem” in the window in your pic from the 70s?
09/04/2008
LOVE the moon in the background of the 4th shot! I’ve driven past this building lots of times but never looked at it closely enough….thanks for the article, next time I will!
09/05/2008
John and AWS: thanks for the comments! I love that moon shot too.
The Widow’s Son Lodge of the Prince Hall Masons, founded in Raleigh in 1867, still owns the building. They are apparently still active as well: http://www.widowson4.com/ The Web site lists the building as their lodge hall, so presumably they still meet there. As for the windows>> that is a mystery to me! Seems I recall they were boarded up at the time of the facade renovation in the early ’90s.
The full name on the storefront window is “Jerusalem Pentacostal Church with a Vision, Inc.” It’s extremely difficult to read, but luckily I wrote the name on the back of the photo in 1971. This section of Raleigh used to have dozens of storefront churches. I was fascinated by that concept back then for some reason! Nowadays, I can think of only a handful downtown.
04/01/2009
For many years I had wondered why my grandfather and uncles would go into that building wearing black suits. It wasn’t till I came out of darkness to understand. I’m very proud of my heritage and the legacy bestowed upon me from those great men who entered that historical monument of culture, truth, and dignty.
I am the grandson of P.M. Archie C. Smith Sr. and the nephew of Alexander W. Smith and the godson of William A. Rainbow. They are the stones that laid my path.
04/03/2009
Bro Smith – Thanks for sharing your memories of the Prince Hall Lodge. It’s stories like these that make an old building come alive.