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427 NORTH MAIN STREET HISTORICAL CONTEXT This property is located on the Southwest corner of W. Marion Street and N. Main Street in South Bend, Indiana. It is described as being Lots 199, 200, 201 of the Original Plat in South Bend, Indiana. This Neoclassical style lodge known as the Masonic Temple, was constructed by the St. Joseph Valley Temple Association in 1925 to house the Scottish Rite, Blue Lodges, York Rite, Eastern Star, Rainbow, DeMolay and various Masons. The main precepts of the modern Masonry are: revival of the old order, the old organization, the old time chivalry and seeks to reproduce knightly virtues, chivalrous spirit, valiant and virtuous life and the holy teachings of the historic days. The Craft was formally established in South Bend in 1842, when St. Joseph Lodge No. 45 was officially chartered. The first official meeting was held in June of 1842 with John Sample as Worshipful Master. The first executive officers were; John Rush, Senior Warden, Hugh C. Flannigan, Junior Warden, A.C. Penwell, Henry Miller, A.B. Ellsworth, Senior Deacon, Elisha Egbert, Junior Deacon, Lyman McUmber and Joseph Knapp. Also in attendance were: Joseph Newton, Alexis Coquillard and I.W. Hopkins. Andrew Massey was the first candidate to receive the degrees. As the City of South Bend grew from a village of 500 to a city of thousands so did the Masons, who quickly out grew their first three lodges creating a need to construct a new lodge on the corner of Marion and Main Streets. To acquire the necessary funding the group formed the St. Joseph Valley Temple Association, who sold shares to acquire the $800,000.00 needed to complete the project. Architects, Osgood and Osgood of Grand Rapids, Michigan were chosen to design the building and H.G. Christman Company to construct it. The finished structure is one of the most "outstanding monuments to Masonry in the Middle West ". The building continues to house various Masonry Lodges and is a testimonial to a slowly fading way of life. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION This is a five -story neoclassical style structure with a rectangular plan and is built of concrete, stone and brick. The walls are brick with two bands of stone which tie together the 3 4' and 5 floors with engaged fluted stone columns on one wall and flat engaged brick columns on the other, both with stone Ionic caps. The roof is flat with stone entablature, which indicates the beginning of the parapet. The windows are casements with stone sills and decorated stone lintels. There is a double set of doors set back with decorated stone surround and elaborate stone decoration in the entry along with two cast metal light posts. Masonic symbolism abounds throughout the architectural features of the building, for example, the front steps are three, five and seven in number, which is a 3