Brooklyn Free Masons A Bit of History by Rich Crankshaw

A look at Ridgewood Masonic Temple along Brewers Row in Bushwick Brooklyn , NY

At least 5 days a week I walk through my Brooklyn neighborhoods trying to shake the rust off these 40 something year old bones , but that is another story that I will spare you of .

I’ve walked past this building a number of times , but always in a hurried workout mode . I decided to stop and to take a few snapshots . It truly is a remarkable old building . It sits on the corner of Bushwick Ave and Gates ave , just a few blocks from where I live .

For most in this neighborhood , aside from some old timers perhaps ,it is just an old abandoned run down relic , not much hoopla really . Bushwick Ave is lined with some of the most amazing architecture , and this building is no exception . Some are restored and maintained , while many are run down like this one . This stretch of Bushwick ave is known as ” Brewers Row ” .

The street was once home to beer makers, doctors, a former mayor and even a famous explorer of the North Pole , Frederick A. Cook .

Why does this building hold particular interest to me ?

It is the ” Ridgewood Masonic Temple ” . The Ridgewood Lodge No. 710 of Free and Accepted Masons is comprised of the union of three lodges: the Ridgewood Lodge No. 710, instituted June 17, 1870, Cypress Hills Lodge No. 1064, instituted June 10, 1926 and Star of Hope Lodge No.430, instituted April 9, 1857. The Ridgewood Lodge first met at 943 Gates Avenue in nearby Bedford-Stuyvesant before commissioning this temple headquarters in 1919.

The records show that this building was built in 1920 . The lodge was originally associated with the Master Masons of Brooklyn . The Ridgewood Lodge occupied this building as its own temple, it is assumed that this lodge was among the more active in Brooklyn in the early twentieth century. The building was abandoned some time ago and the lodge members are now at Astoria Masonic Temple in College Point, NY.

So much history with in the Five Burroughs of NYC . While many are fixated on the obvious , and most famous , it’s always a treat to learn about the less famous , but most intriguing .

Lets hope the push to restore some of these buildings , including the Ridgewood Masonic temple , along Brewers row continues .