The Grand Lodge of Illinois A.F. & A.M. has purchased a building on Wabash Avenue to serve as a new headquarters for freemasons statewide. While the Grand Lodge was already based in Springfield, the new building is more than double the size and gives them a more visible presence.
“We had looked several years back at moving, but that kind of fizzled out,” said Grand Master David Lynch, who oversees the organization. “But then we hired two more people and we kept building more offices in our current building.”
Lynch said the current location at 2866 S. Via Verde St. has about 6,000 square feet, plus two onsite storage units. Grand Lodge of Illinois just finalized the purchase of 3731 West Wabash Ave., which Lynch said is about 12,000 square feet. The building was most recently the law office of Heyl, Royster, Voelker & Allen, P.C., which relocated to a smaller space on Wabash Avenue.
Lynch said only minor modifications will be needed, and the new building should be ready for occupancy by mid-July. “We have our annual Grand Lodge meeting the first week of October, with masons coming from all over the state, so I know the staff is anxious to get in the new building and get things ready for that,” he said.
Once the transition is complete, Lynch said the Via Verde building will be listed for sale, and he hopes the Wabash Avenue property will meet the organization’s needs for years to come.
“We look forward to staying there for the long term,” he said.
