 |
| (Google) |
The Prince Hall Masonic Temple, located at 10th and U Street in D.C., is a historic spot with deep social and cultural roots in the city’s black community. Headquarters of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge F&AM, Prince Hall Affiliated, District of Columbia, this building isn’t just bricks and mortar – it’s a symbol of black business, culture, and social life, dating back to when U Street was known as the “Black Broadway.” Designed by African-American architect Albert Cassell and built between 1922 and 1930 by DC's Prince Hall Masons, the building has served as a restaurant, bowling alley, ballroom, and office space for black-owned businesses. It’s been a hub for social events and community gatherings for generations. Over the years, the area has changed a lot, with gentrification pushing out many longtime residents and businesses, replacing them with new arrivals, but the temple has remained a key landmark.
The D.C. Prince Hall Masons recently faced a huge challenge: keeping ownership of their building and maintaining its tax-exempt status after they made was a seemingly innocuous change: they changed the name of their charity arm, and that meant they had to reapply for the tax exemption. It wasn’t automatic. (The new name is a mouthful: the Prince Hall Free & Accepted Mason and the Order of the Eastern Star Charitable Educational Foundation, or PHFAMOESCEF for short. Really.)
In most states and municipalities, Masonic halls are exempt from paying property taxes because of the long history of charitable works and civic engagement Masons have been known for. Taxing authorities often treat them like churches in that respect. They believe that the Masons contribute far more to their communities than any property taxes on their aging buildings ever could. But note I said MOST states and municipalities – not all. The fortunes and misfortunes of downtown areas have waxed, waned, and waxed again over the last century or more, and many Masonic temples built during the City Beautiful Movement between the 1890s and the 1930s were often erected right downtown or in the earliest suburbs of their era. When those neighborhoods fall on hard times, property taxes go down; but when things get prosperous again, property taxes go up.
According top an article on the Black Enterprise website ("Prince Hall Freemasons Retain Historic Site") when the foundation changed its name in 2022, the tax exemption didn’t just follow it. Marquis McCants, the president and CEO, explained that they had to go through a stack of paperwork and get help from D.C. Council member Brianne Nadeau to reapply for the exemption. They put in the application in 2024 and had to reintroduce it again in 2025. Fortunately, the D.C. Council approved the legislation without controversy, and the temple got to keep its tax-exempt status. This means the foundation can continue to own and operate the building without the financial burden of property taxes.
(Note to Masonic Temple trustees everywhere: Freemasonry and Masonic lodges are considered exempt from paying federal income tax on revenues as 501(c)10 organizations, but contributions to the lodges cannot be deducted as expenses when calculating your tax liabilities. However, you CAN create a 501(c)3 tax exempt foundation or corporation for the non-fraternal parts of your temple as long as you offer up its use to the general public. That means you can issue tax deductions to those who contribute to the upkeep or improvements of the building's interior and exterior, or infrastructure like plumbing or heating systems, as long as those donations are NOT used for the lodge room itself. Your lodge can't be a 501(c)3, but your building can. Bear in mind – I'm NOT a tax attorney. Consult your accountant before attempting to take my advice on tax issues.)
Prince Hall Freemasonry started in the 1770s when Prince Hall, a free black man in Boston, formed the first Masonic lodge for African Americans after the degrees were conferred upon him and 14 others by the Master of a British traveling military lodge. The Premiere Grand Lodge of England granted a charter to Hall's African Lodge in 1787 after white Massachusetts Masons snubbed them. From that beginning, so-called African Masonry for black men spread into the northeastern states.
In 1818, a group of free black men petitioned the African Grand Lodge of North America in Philadelphia for a warrant to organize African Masonry in the District of Columbia. Social Lodge No. 7 was chartered in the District in 1825 and was made up, at first, of black men who had joined African lodges in Pennsylvania and England. By 1848, the three black lodges in the city formed the Union Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia, and Social Lodge became No. 1. As part of a national movement among Prince Hall-descended grand lodges to standardize their pedigree, they changed their name in 1948 to the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge F&AM, Prince Hall Affiliated, District of Columbia.
The neo-classical temple on U Street was built thanks to the generosity of Jesse Mitchell, founder of the Industrial Bank of Washington, and Albert Cassell, a local black architect. Over the years, the temple has had some famous members, including former D.C. mayors Marion Barry, Walter E. Washington, Vincent C. Gray, and Anthony Williams. The temple is home to the offices of the grand lodge and the Eastern Star. It contains lodge rooms, and additional facilities to host Grand Lodge sessions and banquets. There are also office rental spaces, and until recently, a CVS Pharmacy was located on the ground floor. At one time there was even a bowling alley in the basement.
In 1818, a group of free black men petitioned the African Grand Lodge of North America in Philadelphia for a warrant to organize African Masonry in the District of Columbia. Social Lodge No. 7 was chartered in the District in 1825 and was made up, at first, of black men who had joined African lodges in Pennsylvania and England. By 1848, the three black lodges in the city formed the Union Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia, and Social Lodge became No. 1. As part of a national movement among Prince Hall-descended grand lodges to standardize their pedigree, they changed their name in 1948 to the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge F&AM, Prince Hall Affiliated, District of Columbia.
The neo-classical temple on U Street was built thanks to the generosity of Jesse Mitchell, founder of the Industrial Bank of Washington, and Albert Cassell, a local black architect. Over the years, the temple has had some famous members, including former D.C. mayors Marion Barry, Walter E. Washington, Vincent C. Gray, and Anthony Williams. The temple is home to the offices of the grand lodge and the Eastern Star. It contains lodge rooms, and additional facilities to host Grand Lodge sessions and banquets. There are also office rental spaces, and until recently, a CVS Pharmacy was located on the ground floor. At one time there was even a bowling alley in the basement.
Next to the temple is a plaza featuring the African American Civil War Memorial, dedicated to the 'colored' soldiers who fought to save the Union during the Civil War. A nearby museum contains exhibits about the role of black soldiers during the war.
No comments:
Post a Comment
ATTENTION!
SIGN YOUR NAME OR OTHERWISE IDENTIFY YOURSELF IN YOUR COMMENT POSTS IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A GOOGLE ACCOUNT.
Your comments will not appear immediately because I am forced to laboriously screen every post. I'm constantly bombarded with spam. Depending on the comments being made, anonymous postings on Masonic topics may be regarded with the same status as cowans and eavesdroppers, as far as I am concerned. If you post with an unknown or anonymous account, do not automatically expect to see your comment appear.