Montreal Masonic Memorial Temple
| Montreal Masonic Memorial Temple | |
|---|---|
| French: Temple maçonnique de Montréal | |
Montreal Masonic Memorial Temple
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| Alternative names | Grand Lodge of Quebec French: Grande loge du Québec |
| General information | |
| Status | Operational |
| Architectural style | Beaux-Arts |
| Location | Downtown Montreal |
| Address | 2295 St. Marc Street and 1805 Sherbrooke Street West |
| Town or city | Montreal, Quebec |
| Country | Canada |
| Coordinates | 45°29′41″N 73°34′59″W / 45.494645°N 73.582982°W |
| Current tenants | Various Masonic Lodges, Julien-Leblanc Traiteur and Centre De La Petite Enfance Genesis 87 |
| Construction started | 1929 |
| Completed | 1930 |
| Inaugurated | June 22, 1929 |
| Owner | Masonic Foundation of Quebec |
| Landlord | Masonic Foundation of Quebec |
| Height | |
| Top floor | 7 |
| Technical details | |
| Lifts/elevators | 2 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | John Smith Archibald |
| Awards and prizes | Royal Architectural Institute of Canada First Award, Class I, Monumental Buildings |
| Designated | 2001 |
| Type | Immeuble patrimonial classé |
| Designated | 2012 |
The Montreal Masonic Memorial Temple (French: Temple maçonnique de Montréal) is a historic masonic temple in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on the corner of Sherbrooke Street and St. Marc Street, in the Golden Square Mile district. Dedicated and officially opened June February 12, 1930, it was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 2001, as an example of one of Canada’s most elegant buildings in the Beaux-Arts style.
The Masonic Memorial Temple was conceived as a meeting place for the Masonic order as well as a memorial to Freemasons who gave their lives during World War I, replacing a Masonic Temple that had existed in a mixed-use building on Dorchester Street since 1895. The order had renovations done in 1908 and began to raise funds for a new building in 1923. In 1928, they contracted architect John Smith Archibald, who had previously renovated the Dorchester Street Temple, to design a new temple and supervise its construction.
The ceremonial laying of the cornerstone took place on June 22, 1929, with thirty-six lodges and 2,000 Masons parading to the new temple from the Dorchester Street Temple. The Grand Lodge of Quebec met for the first time in the new temple on February 12, 1930, at its Sixtieth Annual Communication, on February 12, 1930. The temple commemorates Masons who died in the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War.
Born and trained in architecture in Inverness, Scotland, Archibald came to Canada in 1893 under the employ of Edward Maxwell. Archibald and his colleague Charles Saxe then started their own firm until 1915. From 1915 until his death in 1934, Archibald mainly practiced alone. His major projects included a number of prominent hotels, such as additions to the Windsor Hotel, Château Laurier, Halifax Hotel, and the Hotel Vancouver. Other prominent commissions included the Montreal Forum, Baron Byng High School, Elizabeth Ballantyne School, the Queen’s University Gymnasium and Swimming Pool, Kingston (1930) and three Montreal hospitals: the Royal Edward Institute, the Montreal Convalescent Hospital and St. Mary’s Hospital.
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