WINONA, Minn. – A City Council committee has recommended renaming the Masonic Temple that the city has operated since 1979 as a senior center. The recommendation is flavorless: The ARC, short for arts, recreation and culture. At least it would eclipse the disrepute that, rightly or wrongly, the once prominent but elitist and secretive Masonic lodge has picked up in the popular mindset. In recommending The ARC, a Winona Creative Commission subcommittee considered 70-plus suggestions from the community. About its recommendation to the City Council, the committee said The ARC “reflects the activities and opportunities offered by the facility.” The building is on the National Register of Historic Places. Restoration became a pet project of Chad Ubl, the city’s park director and now city manager. Upkeep has been costly and controversial. Heating, cooling and ventilation upgrades cost $3 million in 2023.
Winona landmark. From a 1930s postcard. Some 39,000 square feet at Main and Fifth Street.
Proscenium Arch stage: In an elegant auditorium for theatrical productions.
Timeline
1857: The Winona Lodge No. 18 was chartered.
1909: The Winona Temple was completed, a project of Minnesota architect Warren Powers Laird. Furnishings throughout were rich mahoganies. The lodge commissioned 98 hand-painted scenic drops from the Sosman and Landis studio in Chicago.
1930: Membership and enthusiasm began dwindling.
1978: The Winona lodge consolidated with a lodge in Rochester and relocated.
1979: The city purchased the building and established a senior center on the ground floor. Winona Lodge No. 18 leased the upper floors.
1997: The Theatre du Mississippi began performances in an auditorium and ballroom.
1998: The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its striking Beaux Arts facade of red brick and stone and for its past cultural and social role in community life.