Columns to be removed at Masonic Temple in Aurora

More than a week after a fire burned the Lincoln Masonic Temple beyond repair, crews working to demolish the charred remains are expected to salvage a key part of the nearly century-old Aurora landmark.

Aurora officials said the four large, west-facing columns at the main entrance of the building were slated to be removed Wednesday before demolition continues Thursday.

“Demolition began on the temple with the goal of salvaging some parts of the structure, like the grand columns and the cornerstone,” Mayor Richard Irvin said Tuesday.

It will take weeks to complete the demolition of the five-story building at 104 S. Lincoln Ave., a site atop a hill in a neighborhood on the city's near east side.

On the night of Oct. 7, a bystander reported the fire in the upper floors of the grand structure that had been vacant for more than a decade. The blaze left the building, an example of Neoclassical architecture, a total loss and a structural hazard.

Within days, the city hired St. Charles-based Alpine Demolition to raze the building. As part of the contract, the company was asked to salvage the columns and the cornerstone.

“We believe there to be a time capsule within the cornerstone,” Aurora Chief Development Officer John Curley said. “And we've had requests for other items to be salvaged as well.”

Curley said an emblem on the west facade has been salvaged. During the demolition, efforts will be made to “salvage what we can,” he said. Crews also will work to protect the cornerstone until it can be recovered.

An environmental company assisting Alpine will do air sampling throughout the project.

“We're not expecting any contamination of any sort to leave the site,” Curley said. “And we're doing the air sampling to demonstrate that that's the case.”

Built starting in November 1921, the temple opened in March 1924 as a lodge for groups within the Aurora Masonic Alliance, a collection of 10 fraternal organizations with nearly 1,000 members.

Designed by architect William Q. Bendus, the temple was built of steel, brick and wood, and had a facade of custom-formed cast concrete.

Masonic organizations sold the temple in the 1980s, and it was used as a banquet hall until it closed in 2006, according to Landmarks Illinois.