City Directories and History: MASONIC TEMPLE BUILDING
Constructed 1871-72; partially rehabilitated 1984 – John Henry Devereux, architect
Illustration of this address – Guide to Charleston, S.C. by A. Mazyck, (1875)
“The Grand Lodge of Ancient Free Masons of South Carolina laid the cornerstone for this building in 1871. When completed, the three-story Gothic Revival style structure had three stories facing King Street and a stair hall entry on Wentworth Street that rose to a grand lodge room with a forty-foot coved ceiling studded with five gas chandeliers. Alterations through various renovations in 1877, 1885, 1886, and 1895 and extensive remodeling in 1920 and again in the late-1940s led to the loss of much of the original character of this monumental edifice. In 1984 the ground-story, Gothic-arched storefronts were restored, but the infill in the upper stories and the modern awning windows remain.”
Note in this 1920s view of the building that a number of businesses are located here: Federal Savings Bank, Pinkussohn’s Cigar Co., and others. Photograph by Melchers Studio. Courtesy of the Historic Charleston Foundation Archives – 2016
Information from: The Buildings of Charleston – J.H. Poston for the Historic Charleston Foundation, 1997
Other businesses found here were the Pinkussohn’s Cigar Company and Federal Saving Bank.
The Manning Times of March 3, 1886 contained an ad – “The J.S. Pinkussohn and Bro., at 47 Hayne Street: the Allegro Cigar Factory.”
Other sources: Charleston Tax Payers of Charleston, SC in 1860-61, Dwelling Houses of Charleston by Alice R.H. Smith – 1917, Charleston 1861 Census Schedule, and a 1872 Bird’s Eye View of Charleston, S.C. The Hist. Charleston Foundation may also have additional data at: Past Perfect
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