03/07/2026
Our photo of the Johnstown Masonic Temple made the cover of the PA State Historic Preservation Office's 2025 Annual Report!
In 2025 we prepared a National Register of Historic Places nomination for this remarkable building, and it was listed in the Register in October.
The Temple, designed by the Uniontown firm of J.C. Fulton & Son and erected in 1931–1934, is located at 130 Valley Pike in the Eighth Ward of the City of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Since its completion, it has been the center of Freemasonry in the region. Since the 1850s, Freemasonry has been an integral part of the city’s social, civic, and cultural fabric. But it was not until 1931 that the city’s multiple Masonic lodges were able to erect a permanent building of their own. From that time on, the Temple has served as the center for fraternal Masonic activities in Johnstown, as well as a popular location for special events and social occasions for the general public.
The Johnstown Masonic Temple is an outstanding example of fraternal architecture in Pennsylvania, which, with its intact exterior and interior ornamentation, remains in almost pristine condition. It represents an important aspect of early twentieth-century institutional architecture, with extensive Art Deco detailing on exterior surfaces and throughout interior spaces. It is one of the finest examples of Art Deco architecture in Johnstown. The ornate Egyptian and York Rite rooms are the most impressive of the interior spaces, and they remain completely intact. The hand-painted plasterwork of the Egyptian Room, designed by J.C. Fulton and Son but executed by an unknown artist, embodies an exceptional degree of workmanship. The building’s extensive carved stone exterior decoration is attributed to the prolific master Indiana carver Albert McIlveen.
Members of the Johnstown Masonic Temple believe that, among Masonic Temples in Pennsylvania, only the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, the Scranton Cultural Center Masonic Temple, and the Allentown Masonic Temple can lay claim to this measure of artistic talent. All of them are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
It was truly a pleasure to work with the Masons on this project, and they deserve much credit for their wonderful stewardship of this unique historic resource.
