Yesterday the City Council approved the landmarking of historic Mason Square in Uptown Shelby. The historic building was constructed as the Shelby Masonic Temple, between a formal groundbreaking in 1924 and its completion in 1925. It sits on a prominent corner of the historic Court Square at the intersection of East Warren and South Washington Streets.
It was Shelby's tallest building, at four stories, and has served as home to a number of commercial enterprises in addition to meeting the needs of the Masons for a meeting and assembly hall until 1984. It featured the first electric elevator in town.
Most notably, the building features Egyptian Revival architectural style, with a number of distinctive carvings on the building's surface, as well as columns flanking the Washington Street entrance.
Officially landmarked buildings have certain protections that are key to maintaining the character of an historic commercial or residential district such as Uptown Shelby. In fact the building is already listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and was listed as a contributing structure in the Central Shelby District of the National Register of Historic Districts. The designations provide distinction and honor, but also carry requirement to ensure that the exterior remains stable and is not changed to remove the historic character.
There are two more local historic landmarks on Historic Court Square in Uptown: The Old Court House itself (which will be transformed into The Earl Scruggs Center: Songs & Story of the Carolina Piedmont in 2011), and the original City Hall & Fire Station at 5 East Marion Street. Uptown's other historic landmark building is the Old Shelby Suppy Building on North Lafayette Street, between First Baptist Church and Ascension Lutheran Church.
Next time you are walking around Uptown Shelby, take a few minutes to look up at the pretty unique carvings and columns. There are very few buildings in the United States with this type of detailing, and only one other in North Carolina. Celebrate the uniqueness of Mason Square and our historic buildings in Uptown Shelby.
It was Shelby's tallest building, at four stories, and has served as home to a number of commercial enterprises in addition to meeting the needs of the Masons for a meeting and assembly hall until 1984. It featured the first electric elevator in town.
Most notably, the building features Egyptian Revival architectural style, with a number of distinctive carvings on the building's surface, as well as columns flanking the Washington Street entrance.
Officially landmarked buildings have certain protections that are key to maintaining the character of an historic commercial or residential district such as Uptown Shelby. In fact the building is already listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and was listed as a contributing structure in the Central Shelby District of the National Register of Historic Districts. The designations provide distinction and honor, but also carry requirement to ensure that the exterior remains stable and is not changed to remove the historic character.
There are two more local historic landmarks on Historic Court Square in Uptown: The Old Court House itself (which will be transformed into The Earl Scruggs Center: Songs & Story of the Carolina Piedmont in 2011), and the original City Hall & Fire Station at 5 East Marion Street. Uptown's other historic landmark building is the Old Shelby Suppy Building on North Lafayette Street, between First Baptist Church and Ascension Lutheran Church.
Next time you are walking around Uptown Shelby, take a few minutes to look up at the pretty unique carvings and columns. There are very few buildings in the United States with this type of detailing, and only one other in North Carolina. Celebrate the uniqueness of Mason Square and our historic buildings in Uptown Shelby.
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