Name/Title
270 King Street (Masonic Temple Building)Entry/Object ID
KING.270.1Scope and Content
Constructed 1871-72; partially rehabilitated 1984. John Henry Devereaux, architect. The Grand Lodge of Ancient Free Masons of South Carolina laid the cornerstone for this building in 1871. When completed, the 3-story Gothic Revival style structure had 3 stories facing King Street and a stair hall entry on Wentworth Street that rose to a grand lodge room with a 40-foot coved ceiling studded with 5 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 remained until ca. 2008, when additional renovations were to create commercial-residential uses for the building. (Poston, Buildings of Charleston.)
File containers newspaper articles (1935, 1968, 1982 DYKYC); building history from Information for Guides of Historic Charleston (1984); building history from City of Charleston Tour Guide Training Manual (2011); photocopy of photograph of an interior room and of the exterior of the building; 1886 Earthquake Damage Report (pdf); property brochure by developers (includes information about the building's history, preservation efforts, and architecture) (East West Partners 2020).
Also known as 71 Wentworth Street.
Photo #3 in this record is a Charleston Museum photo from the book Tales of Charleston 1930s by Arthur V. Williams. Image #4 from Guide to Charleston Illustrated, 1875.Collection
Historic Charleston Foundation Property RecordsAcquisition
Accession
KING.270.Source or Donor
270 King Street (Masonic Temple Building)Acquisition Method
Collected by StaffLexicon
Search Terms
King Street, Historic buildings--South Carolina--Charleston, Masonic buildings--South Carolina--CharlestonArchive Details
Archive Size/Extent
1 File FolderLocation
Location
Room
Margaretta P. Childs ArchivesBuilding
Missroon HouseCategory
PermanentDate
February 7, 2023Location
Container
PF Box 53Room
Margaretta P. Childs ArchivesBuilding
Missroon HouseCategory
PermanentRelationships
Related Entries
Notes
KING.270.2, KING.270.3, KING.270.4a-b, KING.270.5
Related Units of Description: King Street Survey (KING.GEN.001) and King Street "General" files (KING.GEN.002)Related Publications
Notes
Buildings of Charleston (see Abstract), pg. 369-370Created By
admin@catalogit.appCreate Date
August 17, 2009Updated By
sferguson@historiccharleston.orgUpdate Date
May 24, 2023