Masonic Temple
The Masonic Temple is located on Washington Street in Watertown. Construction began on the building in 1914 and it was dedicated in 1917. The temple was designed and built in the classical revival style. In 1980, the temple was added to the National Register of Historic Places
Two workers were killed and two were seriously injured during the construction of building when the cornice collapsed, plunging all four to the ground along with tons of brick, concrete, and debris. The accident, which occurred on October 6, 1914, took the lives of Harry T Burns, age 43, of 539 Frontenac St. and Nicholas Pietro, age 36 of Walden Avenue. Logan Keanie and William Williams both suffered numerous broken bones in the accident. It was noted at the time that Dr. Frederic Calkins repaired Keanie's leg with an ordinary screw and a nail which he used to reconnect fractured parts of the leg bone, the first such operation in Watertown.
The building has seen very little use in recent years. Fencing was placed around the building in 2009, as the building's crumbling facade made it a safety hazard. Despite numerous attempts to sell the structure to a developer, its fate remains uncertain.
In 2010, the building was bought by the Adirondack Jewish. The group plans on renovating the building to become a community, arts venue as well as home to other non profit organizations.
Ownership passed to local artists in 2012, in hopes of saving the building, especially the façade, which continues to crumble.
