Historic Masonic Temple
Address: 3023 E Diamond Ave
Year Built: 1907
Researched and written by: Gabby Betzer, Gonzaga StudentLocated at 3023 E. Diamond Avenue, the modern-day Hill House Event Center was first built in 1931 by the Free and Accepted Masons of Blue Lodge #133 to serve as the Hillyard Masonic Temple and a “railroad house” for working-class men employed by the Great Northern Railroad in Hillyard.
Due to the Great Depression, commercial building projects in Hillyard nearly came to a complete halt in the early 1930s, as the Great Northern Railroad center was impacted, and job availability in the Hillyard rail yard sharply decreased. The Hillyard Masonic Temple was one of merely two notable structures to be erected during this time, and its construction was only possible due to the Masons of Hillyard Blue Lodge #133 selling bonds valued from $100 to $500 to raise money for their proposed $50,000 Masonic Temple (equivalent to around $1 million in 2025).
Designed by prominent Spokane architects Roland Vantyne and Archibald Rigg, the two-story building was intended to be used jointly as both a Masonic Temple and a commercial space. Initially, the first-floor commercial space was leased from 1931 to 1952 by J. C. Penny, Burgan Grocery, Hillyard Cash Market and Meats, Hillyard Booster Improvement Club, and Fonk’s Five-and-Dime Store. The second floor was used by Masonic orders such as the Blue Lodge, Eastern Star, Job’s Daughters, and Rainbow Girls.
Though it’s now the Hill House Event Center, the structure still maintains much of its original design, materials, and workmanship from the 1930s. Notably, bronze block letters that spell out “MASONIC TEMPLE” embellish the frieze, which was a popular practice adopted during the early 20th century, used to indicate the building’s purpose or owners. The original storefront materials and configuration are preserved, including a ceramic tile bulkhead, corrugated clerestory windows, an original wrought-iron and amber light fixture above the Diamond Avenue entrance, and signage circa 1960. The original assembly hall is also intact.
Because the structure is still incredibly well-preserved, 3023 E. Diamond Avenue has been recognized as a historic property on both the National and Spokane Registers of Historic Places, standing as a testament to the architectural history of the Hillyard district.
Bibliography:
City of Spokane – Agenda for City Council Meeting, 10 April 2023. Spokane, WA.
Hill House Event Center - https://www.spokanehillhouse.com/history
“Historic Properties of Spokane,” Spokane City | County Historic Preservation Office - https://properties.historicspokane.org/property/?PropertyID=2195
United States Department of the Interior, National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, July 2002.