Masonic Hall

A hidden gem in the city. For those who are long term residents or are visiting the city as tourists, scheduling a tour and seeing the Lodge rooms are worth a visit.

A few weeks ago I was browsing through the directory for New York’s architectural open house and noticed that the powerful, mysterious Free Mason society was throwing open the doors of its New York meeting place for one day only. Needless to say, I jumped at the chance to peer behind the curtain to see what secrets might be revealed. Upon entering, I was surprised (and a bit disappointed) to learn that the Free Masons are not quite as secretive as I had supposed. In fact, they welcome any visitors to their Lodge weekdays for guided tours. I would highly encourage a visit — it’s a chance to see some interesting architecture and learn a bit of Masonic history for free. Where else could you learn that not only Gerald Ford and Harry Houdini, but also former Wendy’s CEO Dave Thomas were Masons? Well, I suppose Wikipedia might have that information, but you’d miss out on the chance to see the large variety of meeting rooms, each assigned to different Free Mason chapters that are housed in the 23^rd Street lodge. Each room is decorated in a different style, while retaining certain key features of significance for Masonic philosophy. Additionally, in the main meeting room on the first floor, you can view some unusual portraits of recent leaders of the New York Masons. The current leader seems to have gone for a more contemporary look, but prior leaders are decked out in full Masonic garb, including decorative aprons and white sleeved gloves. And if all that Masonic culture makes you hungry, you can stop by Rickshaw two doors down from the Lodge for some tasty dumplings and meyer lemonade. Just don’t ask any of the Masons you meet if they admit women — that seems to be a somewhat touchy topic of conversation for them.