This article was scraped from Rochester Subway. This is a blog about Rochester history and urbanism has not been published since 2017. The current owners are now publishing link spam which made me want to preserve this history.. The original article was published January 09, 2014 and can be found here.
![A stone from the Masonic Temple that once stood at Clinton Avenue and Mortimer Street. [IMAGE: RGRTA via Democrat & Chronicle]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/stone-from-masonic-temple-rochester.jpg?ref=senseofplace.dev)
In 2012 we were surprised to learn that RGRTA had dug up the foundation of the RKO Palace Theater while excavating for the new transit terminal. This week, Jim Memmott reported on some more fantastic treasures
that were unearthed at the same site. Some time last year seven heavy stones (some weighing a ton) were pulled up from depths of up to 30 feet below street level. Each stone bore a symbol of the Freemasons...
![The Masonic Temple at Clinton Avenue and Mortimer Street. The RKO Palace Theater can be seen next to it. [IMAGE: Rochester Public Library]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/masonic-temple-clinton-and-mortimer-rochester-02.jpg?ref=senseofplace.dev)
Between 1901 and 1932 a Masonic Temple stood here
at the corner of N. Clinton and Mortimer Street. This view is looking northwest from the area of the Sibley Building across the street.
Jim's article
states that the Masonic Temple was razed in 1932 for the RKO Theater. However, I think this may be incorrect, as the theater first opened in 1928. In fact, in the photo above you can see the theater building immediately to the right of the Masonic Temple. In actuality, the temple was razed for a parking lot.
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![An earlier photo of the Temple. Large stones adorn the cornice of the building. [IMAGE: Rochester Public Library]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/masonic-temple-clinton-and-mortimer-rochester-01.jpg?ref=senseofplace.dev)
Studying these images of the temple, it's difficult to say where exactly the stones were located on the building's facade. This older photo shows ornamental stones along the top cornice of the building and I originally thought it might be those. But in the later photo these stones are missing which seems to indicate they were removed prior to demolition. Although it does look like each side of the building had seven of them; and seven stones were recovered. Perhaps one side of the building kept its stones until demolition. Hmmm.
Anyway, this is a great story, and thanks to Jim Memmott for it. He also reports that RGRTA turned the stones over to members of the Freemasons and they are now "resting peacefully at a camp south of Rochester" until a more permanent home is identified.
And in case you're asking yourself who the Freemasons are, they are perhaps the world's oldest fraternity with lodges all over the world including here in Rochester since the 1820s. Their rituals are kept a closely guarded secret. Check out this recent story
from the CBS Sunday Morning show.
UPDATE: The mystery has been solved by Christopher Brandt and Lynn Lonv in the comments below! Lynn found a high resolution photo on the Library of Congress website and Christopher found the exact same Freemason stone above the entrance on Clinton Ave.
Also, this article previously stated that the RKO Theater could be seen behind the Masonic Temple. This was incorrect as also pointed out by Lynn Lonv in the comments below. The RKO Theater can be seen to the right of the Masonic Temple (and it did wrap around the back side) however, the building that can be seen in the photo was actually an auditorium that was added onto the back of the Temple. Thanks Lynn and Christopher!
