Project Description
221 – 225 G Street
The present two story structure was formally dedicated in 1917, although the Masonic Lodge of Davis had been chartered in1873. An earlier Masonic Hall, located just south of this building, had burned in 1916, and prior to the construction of that building, local Masons had met in the Odd Fellows Hall. This is a typical American building type: a two story structure housing a fraternal society on the second floor, with the ground floor devoted to income producing commercial space. Many different small businesses have occupied the ground floor and the upstairs currently houses several offices, the Masons no longer involved in the building. Although not as visible today as in the early days because of mature trees, the Renaissance Revival building is one of the largest and most imposing of the historic commercial buildings on G Street. It joins with # 6, # 7 and # 10 as visible remnants of the historic Davis commercial district along “main street.” Like the
other three, much of the ornamentation is achieved by the pattern of the brick work, although the end bays project slightly, implying towers, and terra-cotta rondels with the Masonic insignia in low relief are set in the upper portion of the these bays.
