Area Less than one acre MPS Wright County MRA Opened 1888 Added to NRHP 11 December 1979 | Built 1888 NRHP Reference # 79001259 Architectural style Italianate architecture | |
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Location 205–215 Oak Street, Clearwater, Minnesota | ||
The Clearwater Masonic and Grand Army of the Republic Hall is a historic building in Clearwater, Minnesota, United States, constructed in 1888. It has served as a meeting hall for both a local Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) post, and a local Masonic Lodge, with commercial space on the ground floor. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 under the name Clearwater Masonic Lodge–Grand Army of the Republic Hall for having local significance in the themes of architecture and social history. It was nominated for its association with the fraternal organizations of Clearwater and many other rural Wright County communities that, in the words of historian John J. Hackett, "provided leadership, direction, and contributions to the county's political, educational, patriotic, and social life."
History
The building was constructed jointly by the A.C. Collins Grand Army of the Republic Post No. 112 and Clearwater Masonic Lodge No. 28. The former was one of 192 GAR posts in Minnesota. The Masonic Lodge continues to meet in the building.
The meeting halls were on the second floor, while the ground floor was rented to commercial tenants for income, a common arrangement in the region.