Devils Lake Masonic Temple

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 2, 2023

1. Devils Lake Masonic Temple Marker

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From the National Register Nomination:
The Devils Lake Masonic Temple is architecturally significant in the context of local architecture during the second Dakota Boom, 1898-1917. It possesses an outstanding collection of stylistic elements which typify the Classical Revival style. In 1915-1916, when the Masonic Temple was constructed, Devils Lake was a thriving, prosperous, city of approximately 6,000 and the business hub of the Lake Region, a commercial area of 7,500 square miles. The town was situated on the transcontinental line of the Great Northern Railway and was home to the main shops of the Great Northern. Also serving the community was the Soo Line, and several smaller lines. When the Masonic Lodge at Devils Lake was established in 1885, a local paper, the "Inter-Ocean" described the installation ceremony as one of the greatest events in the history of the town, which was then but three years old. The lodge first occupied

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 2, 2023

2. Devils Lake Masonic Temple (south/front entrance)

(marker is located on the right side of the entrance)From the National Register Nomination:  As one enters the building from the south, steps descend to the basement level and ascend to the second level. Floors of the vestibule are terrazzo and stairs are marble.

the second story of the International Order of the Odd Fellows Hall. This building would remain the home of the lodge until dedication of the present-day Temple on May 18, 1916.

The Masonic Lodge has long been associated with the prominent families of Devils Lake in the various Masonic orders and social events. Among the early prominent members of the lodge were J. W. Palmer, first Ramsey County Treasurer; H. C. Hansborough, a United States Senator from North Dakota; John A. Percival, first Ramsey County Register of Deeds; Frank Palmer, Pony Express mail carrier and later a state senator; James McCormick, member of the first legislature and then state senator; S. L. Wineman, Devils Lake merchant and owner of the original Opera House; and the Masonic Temple's designer, architect Joseph A. Shannon.

Masonic building from 1916. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places 2001. It stands as a detached building with each facade reflecting the principles of the Classical Revival and its concerns for proportion and symmetry as interpreted by its designer, local architect, Joseph A. Shannon.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 2, 2023

3. Devils Lake Masonic Temple (southwest elevation)

Joseph A. Shannon was an architect in Devils Lake, North Dakota. He has been termed “the city's first true architect.” He apparently had no formal degree in architecture, yet applied for certification and became one of North Dakota's first licensed architects. He designed 17 buildings in Devils Lake, of which 15 survived in 2001. Shannon was born March 21, 1859, and grew up in Edina, Missouri. In Minnesota he worked as a carpenter, then established a homestead near Bristol, South Dakota, and later worked as a carpenter at Fort Sisseton in South Dakota. He later served as president of the North Dakota State Board of Architecture. He lived in Devils Lake until his death on January 25, 1934.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 2, 2023

4. Devils Lake Masonic Temple (west elevation)

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 2, 2023

5. Devils Lake Masonic Temple (south elevation)