Our Hall
Myrtle Lodge # 108 received its masonic charter in 1898. The building housing our Masonic Hall was built in 1914 and was masonically dedicated in 1915.
The Masonic Hall has played significant roles in the building of community in Issaquah. First, serving as a fraternal lodge, the hall was the site of socializing and the development of community ties. A newspaper photo and caption in the Issaquah Historic Society files shows that this property had a false front until it was removed in 1965. A renovation also replaced original wood double hung windows with aluminum windows.
A 1940 Assessor photo of the building shows M.B. Castleberry Hay Feed Straw business at this site. The Issaquah post office leased space in Masonic Hall for some twenty two years from 1940 until 1962. At other times the lower story has housed other businesses, such as theater, a plumbing shop, a TV repair shop, and a food market. As of 2011, the upper story of the building continues to be used for Masonic Lodge purposes, and the lower story is used by the Issaquah Brewhouse.*
Building Description - This large two story building is sited close to the main intersection of the current Front Street and Sunset Way. Originally a western false front faced the street; without it the building currently has a medium pitched 36′ wide front gable building that runs 90′ deep into the lot. Original pairs of double hung 1-over-1 windows have been unsympathetically replaced with aluminum windows. Flat horizontal wood siding clads the front facade; original rustic drop wood siding clads the side. The commercial storefront has been altered with new aluminum windows and brick veneer.*