Survey Data
Reg No
15009291
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Artistic, Historical, Social
Original Use
Masonic lodge/hall
Historical Use
Shop/retail outlet
Date
1910 - 1915
Coordinates
204030, 241566
Date Recorded
08/09/2004
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Terraced two-bay two-storey gable-fronted former Masonic lodge, built c.1914, later converted to commercial premises. Now disused. Pitched artificial slate roof hidden behind ornamental parapet with round gablet with Masonic insignia and dated '1810'. Rendered façade with stucco detailing. Engaged Doric pilasters with entablature above to ground floor. Square-headed openings with replacement windows, drip mouldings above first floor openings. Square-headed doorcase with replacement timber sheet double-doors with overlight above. Road-fronted.
Appraisal
A curious building with an inventive façade, curiously dated '1810' though recorded as opening in 1915. The present building served as the premises of 'Lodge 101', which was originally formed in Athlone on 10 March 1739, and moved around various premises on Northgate Street. The present structure is on the site of a 'meeting house' marked on a 1837 map of Athlone and may have been the site of a previous Masonic hall or perhaps the fabric of this building was used in the present structure. It remains an important and historical interesting addition to the streetscape of Athlone.