The Masonic Templeis moving to demolish its building on Locust Street.
Nestled in downtown Knoxville between the YMCA and the red brick apartments of Kendrick Place, the stately, columned temple has been a Freemason meeting site since the 1910s. Before that, it was the mansion of Charles McClung McGhee, a financier, philanthropist and railroad executive who was the great-grandson of Knoxville founder James White.
A city demolition permit for the site at 505 Locust Street is listed as pending. Serene Booth, development services coordinator for the city's Plans Review and Building Inspections Department, told Knox News the permit review process hasn't been completed. The review process might involve multiple rounds of comments and revisions, Booth said.
The permit was applied for by Terry Ray of Total Demolition Services, but the building's owner is the Masonic Temple.
Local Masonic leaders either could not be reached or declined to comment about what the organization plans to do with the prime downtown site.
Because the temple is a historic structure, there's a 60-day delay before the permit is approved, but the clock is ticking. The delay isn't meant to prevent the demolition, but rather to allow time for documentation, salvaging or dismantling of historic materials or potential relocation before it is approved, according to Knoxville Building Code.
The property has been home to several Masonic organizations, including Oriental Lodge #453 Free and Accepted Masons and the Charles H. McKinney Lodge #422 Free and Accepted Masons. A May 19 Facebook post on the Charles H. McKinney Lodge page announced meetings will move to the Cherokee Lodge Building near the corner of Northshore Drive and Kingston Pike "due to some changes at our longtime location."
History of 505 Locust St.
McGhee's mansion was built by Knoxville architect Joseph Baumann in the early 1870s, according to Knox Heritage. The Masonic Temple Association hired A.B. Baumann to remodel the building as a temple in 1915, and it was completed in 1916. Some parts of the original interior remain.
In addition to his involvement in the booming railroad industry, McGhee served on the Board of Trustees for the University of Tennessee and in the Tennessee legislature. He was instrumental in starting the Lawson McGhee Library in 1885, and McGhee Tyson Airport is named for his grandson, Charles McGhee Tyson, a U.S. Navy pilot who was shot down and killed in World War I.
What is Freemasonry?
Freemasonry is a fraternal order that dates back more than 300 years. Its members prioritize core values of "brotherly love, relief and truth."
Each lodge has a lodge room where meetings and ceremonies take place. The lodge room features Masonic symbols, such as checkerboard flooring.
Famous Masons include George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and John Hancock, and well-known local Masons include John Sevier, Winfield Dunn, Andrew Johnson and Andrew Jackson.
Hayden Dunbar Evans is the storyteller reporter. Email: hayden.dunbar@knoxnews.com. Instagram: @knoxstoryteller.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: This downtown Knoxville historic building is facing potential demolition
