616 Shelden Avenue

In May 1910, the local paper reported that the Masonic Building Association was formed and a temple would be erected at Shelden Avenue and Portage Street on the Ruppe lot, once the home of the Grand Portage Mining Co. On November 10 of that year, amidst much pomp, pageantry, and oratorical praise, the cornerstone was laid. Several hundred people turned out to watch, despite the blustery day. An editorial in the Gazette stated, “When completed the edifice will be one of the finest Masonic homes to be found anywhere in the country. It will be perhaps the most important and the largest building of its nature in the Copper Country and a very valuable addition to the many fine public edifices in the Copper Country.” It is indeed one of the most prominent buildings in downtown Houghton.

Kathryn Eckert, MI’s Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer described the building well: “Civic and commercial structures in Houghton are characterized by solidity and stability. The Masonic Building, dominated by the rough-cast red sandstone quarried in nearby Jacobsville, uses ashlar masonry in the vertical members to create a sensitive combination of textures. . . . The projecting, carved sandstone pediment over the doorway becomes the focal point of this structure.”

This grand building rises four stories. The six ground-floor retail, and 22 second-floor office rental spaces -- arranged so each would receive outdoor light -- generated income to support the building. The Masons occupied the third and fourth floors. Their apartments were richly ornamented with mahogany and classical detailing and included a large dining room on the east and a theater on the west. Masonic emblems decorate the frieze between the brackets that support the cornice. The Shelden Avenue entrance is made of elaborately carved Portage Entry sandstone. The pediment contains a cartouche with the compass and square, a Masonic symbol. Made of reinforced concrete, it was touted as fireproof and cost $110,000 to build.

In 1929, the Houghton Masonic Building Association leased its building to the Houghton County Electric Light Company who sold it to the Upper Peninsula Power Company (UPPCO) in 1962. In 1991, UPPCO sold it to the City of Houghton who moved their offices into the ground floor. Portage Street was eventually blocked off to create parking for police vehicles and a covered walkway to employees’ parking was added to the east. The City of Houghton currently owns the building.

Sources: Buckmaster et al. (2000, Spring) City of Houghton Block 3; Copper Country Architects; Historic Houghton Walking Tour (c.2000); Keweenaw Time Traveler; National Register of Historic Places registration (1987); University Archives and Historical Collections; R.L. Polk & Co.’s Houghton County Directory (1907-1908, 1916-1917). R.L. Polk & Co., Publishers.; History of American Architecture SS422 Term Projects (Spring 2000).