Community Government

Committee envisions old Masonic Lodge as community recreation hall with ‘museum-quality’ storage

Posted on August 2nd, 2024 By: Charlee Glock-Jackson

A committee studying possible future uses of the former Masonic Lodge next to Crescent Creek Park recommends creating a community recreation hall on its main floor while adding “museum-quality” storage in its basement. All while retaining the building’s historic look and replacing the cupola, or bell tower, on the roof.

Last fall, the Gig Harbor City Council approved an agreement with the Harbor History Museum that called for it to develop a plan for the future of the lodge. Executive Director Stephanie Lile and a group of citizens interested in preserving the building met monthly, conducted two surveys and discussed options for the lodge.

Lile presented the groups recommendations to the council during a meeting in July. Lile told the council that the recommended design would:

Repurpose a historic building for community use
Provide much-needed indoor gathering space for numerous community groups
Preserve local history and provides an avenue for historical interpretation
Provide secure, climate-controlled storage space for city and museum collections
Follow an established pattern of community hall/structural rehabilitation

Historic building

The building was constructed in 1915 as a two-room, two-story schoolhouse. It served as a school for four decades.

The Masons bought and remodeled the building in 1949. They used it as their lodge for nearly 60 years.

The old Masonic Lodge when it was still a two-room school house. Photo courtesy of Harbor History Museum

The city bought the lodge and surrounding property in 2017, intending to add it to Crescent Creek Park. Doing so would require that the city annex it from Pierce County.

The building is included in the city’s Crescent Park Master Plan, which is currently being updated, according to parks manager Jennifer Haro. The city put the plan on hold pending a decision about the building’s future.

The council decided to demolish the building in 2023, but changed course after community outcry. That led to the agreement with the museum, formation of the ad hoc committee and subsequent community surveys.

Survey results

The first survey measured community need and desire to save the building and repurpose it for arts, heritage, science and other activities. More than 1,000 people responded. The majority favored using the building as community theater/recreation hall.

A second survey included images and suggested possible uses to gauge interest in different styles of renovation, with estimates of associated costs. The “schoolhouse” design ranked first among the more than 200 responses. A design modeled on the New Deal-era Works Progress Administration-built picnic structure at Crescent Creek Park ranked second.

Survey respondents also favored adding restrooms and a kitchen to the lodge building. The survey found little support for demolishing the building, despite a desire by some groups for more volleyball and pickleball courts.

Rendering of a proposed exterior renovation of the old Masonic Lodge. Courtesy of John McMillan

Costs

A local construction company estimated it will cost the city $4.5 million to renovate the building. The city could pursue grant funds for some of that, specifically through a state Commerce Department program called Building for the Arts. Gig Harbor also has up to $2 million available in Hospital Benefit Zone funds. And an anonymous donor has committed $44,000 for a catering kitchen and Geotech testing, Lile said.

Additional funds could come from several sources including:

The Pierce County Landmarks and Historical Preservation Building Fund, if the lodge is placed on the city or county historic register
Washington State Heritage Capital Projects Fund
Maritime Washington National Heritage Area
Cultural Access funds, if the building is designated for use by arts and cultural organizations that provide educational programming)
Federal sources such as National Endowment for the Arts, National Trust for Historic Preservation and the National Park Service for historic preservation.

In a 2023 memorandum to the council, Haro wrote that the building does not qualify for listing on the state or federal registers because of extensive alterations made over the years. However, she wrote, it “could possibly qualify for the local register” because of its association with Lucy Goodman.

The city code states that a building can qualify for the city’s Historic Register if it “is associated with the lives of persons significant in national, state or local history.” Goodman was Gig Harbor’s first teacher and taught in the old schoolhouse.

Next steps

According to Lile, there is “strong precedent both around the state and in our local area for the restoration and repurposing of community halls.

“PenMet Parks has done an excellent job of restoring both Hales Pass and Rosedale community halls. But there’s really nothing quite like that in the city of Gig Harbor — except the Masonic Lodge,” Lile said.

“We have a responsibility to preserve its history but also to give it new life as an arts, heritage, family and community hall that’s useable year-round.”

The city did not budget money to improve the lodge during its 2023-24 spending cycle. But the council directed that it be included in the Crescent Creek Master Plan being developed by HBB Landscape Architecture. Haro said she expects that the plan will include a revised schedule, scope and cost estimate. It will assume that the building is left in place.

After the council reviews the master plan, Haro said the city will re-convene its Crescent Creek advisory committee, which includes neighbors and stakeholders. She added that the city is “considering a budget objective for design and permitting for the Masonic Lodge project.”

The council will prioritize future projects as it puts together the 2025-26 budget, a process that takes place in October and November.

“We’re looking forward to re-engaging stakeholders and the advisory committee on the Crescent Creek Park Master Plan soon, and are considering a budget objective for design and permitting for the Masonic Lodge project,” Haro said.