Tuesday, February 16, 2010

A Historic "Shrine"

I decided to pay a visit to the Masonic Temple in Lansing. Built (I guess) in 1901 by the "prominent" masonic community of Lansing, it a beautiful Neo-Classical Revival building with nice columns flanking the entrance on the facade. It was purchased by Cooley Law School in 1974, and the inside was gutted (with the exception of the lobby) to turn large halls into classrooms and offices. Also, the south side of the building was amended with a large mural depicting (I assume) the namesake Mr. Cooley and others.

Despite being a registered Historical Site, there was absolutely no information about it at the site. I walked in and talked to the receptionist, but there was no plaque to be found and no insight into the history of the building. It is now a part of the law school, and so the only historical significance appears to be the architecture. That doesn't seem to be very significant to me at all.

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