Working with the Architect
Initial conversations with the architect about proportions, function, and how a lodge room should be built for the next 140 years.
The Building Project
Building a New Home on Hallowed Ground
In 2025, our brethren voted to sell the historic lodge building and construct a new home on the property of the Johnson City Masonic Cemetery — the very ground our predecessors purchased in 1892.
Section One
The Decision
For more than a century, Johnson City Lodge No. 561 met in a building on US-290 West that had become both our home and our challenge. As the years compounded, so did the costs of maintaining a structure that was no longer suited to the way our lodge works today.
In 2025, after careful deliberation and consultation with our brethren, the lodge voted to sell our historic building and to build anew — not somewhere else, but on the very ground our predecessors purchased in 1892: the Johnson City Masonic Cemetery property.
Architect Rendering
Conceptual architect's rendering of the new Johnson City Lodge building.
Section Two
The Vision
The new building will be designed to serve a working lodge: a proper lodge room with appropriate proportions, a fellowship hall and kitchen suited to our monthly meals, a tiler's room, a secretary's office, and storage for our regalia and historical materials. Every decision is being made with an eye toward the next 140 years of meetings, not the last.
Project timeline at a glance
- Old building sold [DATE TBD]
- Groundbreaking [DATE TBD]
- Cornerstone laid [DATE TBD]
- Completion [DATE TBD]
Project updates and photos will be posted below as construction progresses.
Updates
From the Build Site
The Decision to Build
After deliberation, the brethren of 561 voted to sell the historic lodge building and construct a new home on the Masonic Cemetery property.
Section Three
How to Help
A new lodge home is not built by the brethren alone. We welcome support from members, traveling brethren, our families, and friends of the lodge — anyone who recognizes that what we are building serves not only our members but the community we have served since 1882.
Three ways to contribute:
One
The Building Fund
One-time or recurring contributions toward construction costs.
Two
Memorial Bricks & Plaques
Honor a brother, a family member, or a Mason who has gone before.
Three
Tell a Friend
If you know someone who would value being part of this work, send them this page.
For questions about the building project, contact the lodge at (830) 868-4618 or via our contact form.
Stay informed
Get construction updates by email.
Occasional notes from the build site — milestones, photos, and the rare ask. No more than one email a month.