Masonic Temple

The Masonic Temple is a large single storey rectangular hall style building constructed in 1936 located on the northeast corner of Front Street and Shepherd Avenue in Downtown Quesnel, BC. The historic place includes the building and the parcel of land it occupies.

The Masonic Temple holds social and cultural value as a physical reminder of the organizations that shaped the development of Quesnel. Like many other people, the Freemason’s Brotherhood had come to the Quesnel area to mine for gold, and they wanted to have their own branch and in 1913, Quesnel Lodge No. 269, A. F. & A. M. was established. Many pioneering businessmen in Quesnel were Freemasons.

As it has been used and occupied by the Freemason’s Brotherhood since it’s construction, the temple is valued for its long standing social and cultural ties to the community.

The character-defining elements of the Masonic Temple include its:

- original form and massing such as the single storey wood framing and raised foundation

- steeply pitched gable roof

- long rectangular hall style form

- decorative round window in the peak of the roof on the façade

- covered stairway entrance with pediment

- stucco exterior