Among the 13,000+ Mason lodges in the United States, there are numerous temples that have fallen to abandonment. One such temple is the old Newburgh Masonic Temple of Cleveland, Ohio. Among the many abandoned places in Cleveland, this has always been one of my favorites; at least of the ones I have visited.

The Newburgh Masonic Temple was built in 1916. It was designed by architect William J. Carter.

The construction was completed by 1917, and doors were opened to fellow Masons. The cost of construction was $65,000, which at the time was quite a lot of cash. That $65,000 would translate to roughly about $1.3 million in 2019. The very first meeting of the Ashlar Lodge was held on May 31, 1917. The Ashlar Lodge would use the structure to conduct meetings over the next 50 years, until finally selling the building in 1969. The decision to sell the building was made due to rapidly increasing maintenance costs and lack of parking in the area.

The building had served some other uses between this and its final time of abandonment, though it’s unclear exactly what for, or by whom.

The temple was abandoned for good in 1984. Remnants still remain from its time of abandonment, including checks and calendars strewn about the rotting floors of each level.

I had been wandering aimlessly, exploring other abandoned places around Cleveland when I first discovered this old lodge in the summer of 2012. I was taken away by the beauty and grandeur of what I had wandered into. I made my way in up between a tall concrete platform, finding my footing on a chain link fence to boost myself up. I rolled over onto the platform with my backpack, and stood up to face an open doorway leading to the main gathering hall. As I entered, I was greeted by bright sunlight gleaming through vines, which had now wildly covered the outside of massive arched windows as they climbed the building’s side.

Water damage had swept through and destroyed much of the structure. Pianos remained in one of the meeting halls, though now crushed to pieces and covered in debris. Over years, plaster had fallen bit by bit from ceilings and walls in every level of the crumbling temple. The main temple remained one of the most well-preserved, though still in a state of heavy deterioration. In the upper-most temple, most of the ceiling had fallen to the floor revealing a skeleton of rebar. Most of the crown molding throughout had been destroyed over years of stagnation. When we leave something for so long, nature will always find a way in, attempting to reclaim the space. Chairs remained in the main hall sinking into layers of soggy debris and blankets of moss, which covered most of the floor.

The history of Masons (or Freemasons) is a strange and interesting one. There’s really no clear date of origin, as anything detailing that has been lost in time. Many believe that it probably dates back to guilds of stonemasons who built the many castles and cathedrals of the Middle Ages. It was not until 1717 that Masonry created the first formal organization in England, opening the first Grand Lodge. There is now a Grand Lodge in every state in the United States.

If you’d like to read more about the history of Masons, you can check out this page, which contains a whole lot of interesting history and information.

You can also check out other abandoned temples/chapels/churches that I have photographed HERE