Freemasons' Hall, Masonic hall on East Bay Street, Savannah, United States
Freemasons' Hall is a building at 100 East Bay Street in Savannah, Georgia, raised about 35 feet above the ground on iron pillars so that River Street remains accessible below. Architect William G. Preston won the commission over eleven other architects. The structure spans a slip leading to the river, and its design accommodates a ramp beneath it.
The Savannah Cotton Exchange was founded in 1876 so cotton factors could gather and set the market value of cotton exported to New York and London. It moved in 1887 to 100 East Bay Street, where architect William G. Preston's design was chosen over eleven rivals; the city let it build over the Drayton Street ramp on condition the ramp stayed open below. The exchange closed in 1951, and Solomon's Lodge No. 1 has met in the building since 1976.
Solomon's Lodge, No. 1, Free and Accepted Masons, has met in the building since 1976; the lodge itself was founded in 1734 by James Oglethorpe, founder of the Province of Georgia. The former cotton exchange hall thus passed from cotton brokers to a Masonic lodge.
The building stands at 100 East Bay Street, raised about 35 feet on iron pillars above the Drayton Street ramp so that River Street remains accessible below. Solomon's Lodge No. 1 has met here since 1976. A car crashed into the building on Labor Day 2006, causing substantial damage.
The building rests on iron pillars about 35 feet above the ground, a design allowed by the city so the Drayton Street ramp remained accessible below. A car smashed into it on Labor Day 2006, causing substantial damage.
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