The Knights of Pythias - Lodge #23 still owns and continues to meet in the building. The two halls on the upper floor were a much favored venue for local groups and organizations.
The Supreme Lodge of the Knights of Pythias granted a charter to a group in Trail in 1897. Noble Binns was the first Chancellor Commander of Lodge No 23. They met above a building on the corner of Bay Avenue and Helena Street until the construction of this building. The major tenant in the building has been Shoppers Drug Mart for many years.
Knights of Pythias
Lodge #23
Built in 1922 for the Knights of Pythias Trail Lodge #23, the Temple was formally opened and dedicated on January 23, 1926. Trail architect Archie Broderick's design features decorative brickwork, shallow pilasters, peaked parapets, and a cornice line decoration.
Lodge members were responsible for much of the building work. Two halls on the upper floor, one fitted with a first class dance floor, were a much favoured venue of local groups and organizations. Music for dancing was provided by Trail's celebrated bands and orchestras.
Prominent among street level stores have been F.W. Woolworth's (19361965) and Isaac Miller's Department Store (circa 1929-1935). Trail Drug (later Shopper's Drug Mart), operated by Ray LeRose and Doug Milne. Frank Pennoyer's Quick Print operated out of the basement. Radio station CJAT's initial broadcast on December 25, 1931 was from a studio in the rear of the building.
Trail Lodge #23, instituted in 1897, own and continue to meet in the building. In 1932 the Lodge purchased land in what was to become the Glenmerry subdivision. This property was developed into the Columbia River View Cemetery, still in operation today.
From the Trail Historical Society Plaque
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