The Oregon Freemasons have existed for more than 150 years, headed by the Masonic Grand Lodge of Oregon. The fraternal order has its origins in the early skilled stone masons of the Middle Ages, who established “lodges” as a way to look out for their ranks. Today, Masons are not limited to skilled laborers, and their focus is primarily charitable giving. They also celebrate history, tradition, and literature — and have quite the collection of books and artifacts on their longtime Forest Grove campus.
And so the Grand Lodge of Oregon envisioned a new library and museum, open to the public and dedicated to the memory of Robert M. Richmond, a former Grand Master, and his love for books and pursuit of knowledge. This spring, the Oregon Freemasons cut the ribbon on this new facility designed by Hennebery Eddy.
The one-story building includes a conference room, a flexible event space, a museum display of various masonic artifacts, and a private library collection of more than 1,000 lineal feet. A brick façade leads to a daylit interior that hosted about 140 Masons and guests for the dedication. In the masonic tradition, members of the Grand Lodge performed a ceremony to verify the building is “plumb, square, and level” according to the tenants of their bricklayer predecessors.
See some snapshots of the grand opening below, and learn more about Hennebery Eddy’s library portfolio here.
