Nelson Lodge No.23 Temple - Nelson, BC - British Columbia Heritage Markers on Waymarking.com

This Temple was constructed in 1923 as a Masonic Lodge and serves the same purpose today. The Masons still meet on the second storey of the lodge every second Wednesday.

In 1897, when Nelson was incorporated, the council passed one important and very foresightful bylaw that helped to ensure the survival of the buildings in its downtown core from that time to the present day. No doubt they were very much mindful of what had already happened time and time again to other boom towns of that era which had been hastily built exclusively of wood.

That bylaw mandated that all commercial buildings be constructed of masonry or brick instead of wood. As a result, this building is actually one of the younger buildings on its block, surrounded by stone and brick buildings that date from as early as circa 1898.

Further, the passing of that historic bylaw could very well be the major contributor to Nelson's reputation as the "Heritage Capital of BC". It has more heritage buildings per capita than any other city in BC, probably for the simple reason that they haven't burned down, as have so many in other towns.

This building is a classic example of a brick building of its era, exhibiting heavy stone lintels and sills and an elaborate dentiled cornice. As did many of its contemporaries, the lodge rented out the lower floor to help pay the bills.

The temple proudly sports its "Nelson Heritage Building" plaque on a brick pillar by one of the entrance doors.

Type of Marker: Cultural Type of Sign: Historic Site or Building Marker Describe the parking that is available nearby: Street parking What Agency placed the marker?: City of Nelson Historical Society

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Date Logged Log User Rating   07/08/2017 wildernessmama visited it