Hilo Masonic Lodge Hall-Bishop Trust Building
Encyclopedia
Hilo Masonic Lodge Hall also known as the Bishop Trust Building, is a historic structure in Hilo, Hawaii used for 75 years by a Freemasonry
group.
in Hilo was founded in 1896 at the home of William W. Goodale. On October 15, 1897 Kilauea Lodge #330 was officially chartered.
Named for the nearby active Kīlauea
volcano, it was the first Masonic lodge on Hawaii Island
.
John Troup Moir (1859–1933) manager of the Onomea sugar plantation in Papaikou, Hawaii, was master of the lodge. He was also the first chairman of the board of supervisors for the County of Hawaii
.
A delegation from the Grand Lodge of California officially presented Kīlauea lodge with its charter in February 1898.
The lodge met in a room of a building owned by Frederick S. Lyman
, son of early Hilo missionaries Sarah Joiner and David Belden Lyman
. The Lyman building was on leased land, so an association (with Moir as president) was formed to purchase a lot uphill from the town, assuming urban Hilo would grow in that direction.
The association raised most of what they thought a building would cost by October 1900.
When a federal building was being planned in Hilo around the same time, the lodge proposed swapping their land for a corner of the federal lot, but public protests prevented the deal at first.
By January 1906 they were successful in arranging a deal with Territorial Governor
George R. Carter
to swap their land (desired for a school) for a more central parcel, paying the difference in value.
Based on a sketch by freemason William McKay (1841–1909), architects were interviewed in Honolulu and the mainland.
Henry F. Starbuck
of Oakland, California
was selected to design the building. He was a freemason and had designed several other lodges and churches. Harold Vaughan Patten was given as "architect" in one account, but he probably served to supervise the financial aspects of the project since he was an accountant.
Plans were ready to be finalized at the end of March 1906. Construction was scheduled to begin in July when leases expired on the land which they were purchasing from the territory.
The 1906 San Francisco earthquake
struck less than a month later, before construction could begin. Rebuilding of San Francisco after the resulting fire caused building materials to become scarce and more expensive, causing delays and cost over-runs on the Hilo project. Finally ground was broken in May 1908. In June Starbuck traveled to Hilo to oversee construction with workers he had selected. After a few months Starbuck and the workers were dismissed; Fred Harrison from Honolulu became construction contractor. The cornerstone was laid February 18, 1909.
The dedication ceremony was held on February 24, 1910. Construction cost ended up being double what had been planned.
At the ceremony Moir said "nothing but the best would satisfy the boys" and called it "a substantial, fireproof, earthquakeproof, up-to-date building, first class in every respect, a credit to the town of Hilo and the Territory of Hawaii."
It was completed about the same time as the Volcano Block Building
and S. Hata Building
s within a few blocks in downtown Hilo. Just to the south, Kalakaua Park
serves as the town square, flanked by the historic District Courthouse and Police Station and Hilo Federal Building
finished a few years later.
The 28000 ft2 building was built of reinforced concrete
in the Renaissance Revival style. It had three floors and a full basement. From the lobby, an elaborate granite stairway with an ornate oak balustrade leads to the second and third floors. The roof formerly held a garden.
The second floor consisted of a foyer, a ceremonial temple room of about 35 feet (10.7 m) by 55 feet (16.8 m), and a banquet room about the same size. The temple included high ceilings with cast brass suspended lighting fixtures and an organ gallery.
The Masonic order used the second and third floors as a temple until 1985, when they moved out to protest a liquor license being awarded to the first floor tenant.
on April 21, 1994 as site 94000383.
The building's ground floor has had various tenants. Bishop Bank (now First Hawaiian Bank
) used the ground floor before moving to their own building.
A 1990s restoration effort rebuilt modern restrooms and added an elevator, using some original and salvaged materials.
Howard and Mary Ann Rogers (as the Kaikodo Building, LLC) bought the building in 2001 and opened the Kaikodo restaurant in the ground floor in 2003.
Their plans were to open an Asian art gallery on the second floor after a further remodel. The Rogers were former art researchers who had previously opened a gallery in New York
.
After a struggle to be profitable, it was closed for four months and reorganized in 2005. Kaikodo closed in August 2007 and the building was put up for sale.
A restaurant on the first floor was re-opened in 2009 as "Uncle Don's Ohana Grill" but closed less than a year later.
The building is located on the northwest corner of Keawe (originally known as Bridge Street) and Waianuenue Streets in Hilo, Hawaii, (address 60 Keawe Street).
The Kilauea lodge is one of two on the island today.
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
group.
History
The Masonic LodgeMasonic Lodge
This article is about the Masonic term for a membership group. For buildings named Masonic Lodge, see Masonic Lodge A Masonic Lodge, often termed a Private Lodge or Constituent Lodge, is the basic organisation of Freemasonry...
in Hilo was founded in 1896 at the home of William W. Goodale. On October 15, 1897 Kilauea Lodge #330 was officially chartered.
Named for the nearby active Kīlauea
Kilauea
Kīlauea is a volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, and one of five shield volcanoes that together form the island of Hawaii. Kīlauea means "spewing" or "much spreading" in the Hawaiian language, referring to its frequent outpouring of lava. The Puu Ōō cone has been continuously erupting in the eastern...
volcano, it was the first Masonic lodge on Hawaii Island
Hawaii (island)
The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...
.
John Troup Moir (1859–1933) manager of the Onomea sugar plantation in Papaikou, Hawaii, was master of the lodge. He was also the first chairman of the board of supervisors for the County of Hawaii
Hawaii County, Hawaii
Hawaii County is a county located in the U.S. state of Hawaii in the Hawaiian Islands. It is coterminous with the Island of Hawaii, often called the "Big Island" to distinguish it from the state as a whole. As of the 2010 Census the population was 185,079. The county seat is Hilo. There are no...
.
A delegation from the Grand Lodge of California officially presented Kīlauea lodge with its charter in February 1898.
The lodge met in a room of a building owned by Frederick S. Lyman
Frederick S. Lyman
Frederick Schwartz Lyman was a surveyor, rancher, judge, and politician on Hawaii Island.-Life:Frederick Schwartz Lyman was born July 25, 1837, in Hilo, Hawaii. His middle name is sometimes spelled "Swartz"....
, son of early Hilo missionaries Sarah Joiner and David Belden Lyman
David Belden Lyman
David Belden Lyman was an early American missionary to Hawaii who opened a boarding school for Hawaiians. His wife Sarah Joiner Lyman taught at the boarding school and kept an important journal. They had several notable descendants.-Family life:David Belden Lyman was born in on July 28, 1803 in...
. The Lyman building was on leased land, so an association (with Moir as president) was formed to purchase a lot uphill from the town, assuming urban Hilo would grow in that direction.
The association raised most of what they thought a building would cost by October 1900.
When a federal building was being planned in Hilo around the same time, the lodge proposed swapping their land for a corner of the federal lot, but public protests prevented the deal at first.
By January 1906 they were successful in arranging a deal with Territorial Governor
Governor of Hawaii
The Governor of Hawaii is the chief executive of the state of Hawaii and its various agencies and departments, as provided in the Hawaii State Constitution Article V, Sections 1 through 6. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by popular suffrage of residents of the state...
George R. Carter
George R. Carter
George Robert Carter was the second Territorial Governor of Hawaii, serving from 1903 to 1907.He was born December 28, 1866 in Honolulu. His mother was Sybil Augusta Judd , daughter of Gerrit P...
to swap their land (desired for a school) for a more central parcel, paying the difference in value.
Based on a sketch by freemason William McKay (1841–1909), architects were interviewed in Honolulu and the mainland.
Henry F. Starbuck
Henry F. Starbuck
Henry F. Starbuck was an American architect and a specialist in church architecture.-Early life and ancestors:Henry Fletcher Starbuck was born on March 1, 1850, in Nantucket, Massachusetts and died on August 21, 1935 at Decoto, Alameda County, California. He was the son of Henry Starbuck and...
of Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
was selected to design the building. He was a freemason and had designed several other lodges and churches. Harold Vaughan Patten was given as "architect" in one account, but he probably served to supervise the financial aspects of the project since he was an accountant.
Plans were ready to be finalized at the end of March 1906. Construction was scheduled to begin in July when leases expired on the land which they were purchasing from the territory.
The 1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California, and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. The most widely accepted estimate for the magnitude of the earthquake is a moment magnitude of 7.9; however, other...
struck less than a month later, before construction could begin. Rebuilding of San Francisco after the resulting fire caused building materials to become scarce and more expensive, causing delays and cost over-runs on the Hilo project. Finally ground was broken in May 1908. In June Starbuck traveled to Hilo to oversee construction with workers he had selected. After a few months Starbuck and the workers were dismissed; Fred Harrison from Honolulu became construction contractor. The cornerstone was laid February 18, 1909.
The dedication ceremony was held on February 24, 1910. Construction cost ended up being double what had been planned.
At the ceremony Moir said "nothing but the best would satisfy the boys" and called it "a substantial, fireproof, earthquakeproof, up-to-date building, first class in every respect, a credit to the town of Hilo and the Territory of Hawaii."
It was completed about the same time as the Volcano Block Building
Volcano Block Building
-History:Completed in 1914, this two story commercial building of reinforced concrete in the Italian Renaissance style is representative of the major structures built in Hilo between 1910 and 1915 as the city grew to be the second largest commercial center in the Hawaiian Islands.Measuring...
and S. Hata Building
S. Hata Building
Sadanosuke Hata was a Japanese businessman who built a historic structure called the S. Hata Building in Hilo, Hawaii, in 1912. It now contains specialty shops, professional offices, a restaurant, and the Mokupāpapa Discovery Center, a visitors center for the Northwestern Hawaiian...
s within a few blocks in downtown Hilo. Just to the south, Kalakaua Park
Kalakaua Park
Kalākaua Park is the central "town square" of the city of Hilo, Hawaii. It is surrounded by historic buildings and includes a war memorial.-History:...
serves as the town square, flanked by the historic District Courthouse and Police Station and Hilo Federal Building
Federal Building, United States Post Office and Courthouse (Hilo, Hawaii)
The Federal Building, U.S. Post Office and Courthouse in Hilo, Hawaii is former a courthouse of the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii...
finished a few years later.
The 28000 ft2 building was built of reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
in the Renaissance Revival style. It had three floors and a full basement. From the lobby, an elaborate granite stairway with an ornate oak balustrade leads to the second and third floors. The roof formerly held a garden.
The second floor consisted of a foyer, a ceremonial temple room of about 35 feet (10.7 m) by 55 feet (16.8 m), and a banquet room about the same size. The temple included high ceilings with cast brass suspended lighting fixtures and an organ gallery.
The Masonic order used the second and third floors as a temple until 1985, when they moved out to protest a liquor license being awarded to the first floor tenant.
Restoration
The building was purchased by Toyama Hawaii, Inc. in 1992. It was added to the state registry of historic places on June 28, 1993 as site 10-35-7508, and added to the National Register of Historic Places listings on the island of HawaiiNational Register of Historic Places listings on the island of Hawaii
This is a list of properties and districts on the island of Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaii that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The island is coterminous with Hawaii County, the state's only county that covers exactly one island...
on April 21, 1994 as site 94000383.
The building's ground floor has had various tenants. Bishop Bank (now First Hawaiian Bank
First Hawaiian Bank
First Hawaiian Bank is a regional commercial bank headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii at the First Hawaiian Center. It is a subsidiary of BancWest Corporation, which itself is a subsidiary of the French banking company, BNP Paribas...
) used the ground floor before moving to their own building.
A 1990s restoration effort rebuilt modern restrooms and added an elevator, using some original and salvaged materials.
Howard and Mary Ann Rogers (as the Kaikodo Building, LLC) bought the building in 2001 and opened the Kaikodo restaurant in the ground floor in 2003.
Their plans were to open an Asian art gallery on the second floor after a further remodel. The Rogers were former art researchers who had previously opened a gallery in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
After a struggle to be profitable, it was closed for four months and reorganized in 2005. Kaikodo closed in August 2007 and the building was put up for sale.
A restaurant on the first floor was re-opened in 2009 as "Uncle Don's Ohana Grill" but closed less than a year later.
The building is located on the northwest corner of Keawe (originally known as Bridge Street) and Waianuenue Streets in Hilo, Hawaii, (address 60 Keawe Street).
The Kilauea lodge is one of two on the island today.