Click image to enlarge. The Masonic Building has been a landmark in downtown Troy since the early 1890s. Still displaying a round stone plaque with the Masonic logo of the square and compass,
the three-story brick building is a rare surviving late nineteenth-century Masonic lodge in Alabama. It is also a good example of Romanesque Revival commercial architecture, with round arch windows characteristic of the style. Masonic halls were once common to most American downtowns, but today many have been lost or abandoned in favor of newer meeting quarters.
the three-story brick building is a rare surviving late nineteenth-century Masonic lodge in Alabama. It is also a good example of Romanesque Revival commercial architecture, with round arch windows characteristic of the style. Masonic halls were once common to most American downtowns, but today many have been lost or abandoned in favor of newer meeting quarters.
The old Masonic building played an important role in the early social and commercial history of Troy. While the Masons occupied the third level, the building also originally had a grocery store and printer shop on the first floor, and there were offices on the second floor. Th e building was later used as a post office from approximately 1903 to 1912 and a movie house from 1915 through the 1930s. A drug store moved into the first level in the mid-1970s. The Masons vacated the third floor many years ago. Presently, the second and third floors are empty, and long-term water leaks are causing significant damage in these areas. Th e City of Troy wants to see this important building preserved as part of its vision for a revitalized downtown.
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