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Solicitation of funds from Grand Lodge of Texas AF & AM

Bro. Stewart P.M.

Lead Moderator Emeritus
Staff Member
Sell the current building, take the money from the sale plus the 3m in the fund now and buy or build another, more modern building. The GLoT is like a figure head, often seen but seldom used. It's not like the MWGM and his officers are there daily, they are too busy traveling the state.
In fact, if you want to save money, curb their travels somewhat.

I am under the impression that the Officers travel costs are paid by themselves, not by the Grand Lodge. At least in Texas anyhow.
 

jaanthony

Registered User
This question was brought up at our stated meeting "why so much, I'm willing to donate but I want to know what it's being spent on." The answer I gave was bringing the building up to code. It is not my belief that the building be sold or that we relocate.

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OKGRSEC

Registered User
Solicitation of funds from Grand Lodge of Texas AF & AM

Ah, the old "Grand Lodge isn't worth it" argument...again. Universal across every state. The majority of our members don't want to spend more than $20 a year for dues, bitch about electronic vs hard copy newsletters & don't want to spend a dime for building maintenance (including their own lodges).

If you think you can run a Grand Lodge staff and Grand session out of a strip mall, go spend a little time sitting with Gr Sec & staff. Sit down & ask questions before coming to any conclusions. While expensive (and getting more so each year) they are the most substantial symbol of our fraternity, and in many cases, historic treasures. Normally we could get federal aid to keep them up, but there are always strings attached.

The longest tradition of Masonry isn't ritual: it's complaining about Grand lodge. Freemasonry is a democracy ; if you don't like it, put in a resolution to get it changed. And be graceful enough to accept the results.
 

Mike Martin

Eternal Apprentice
Premium Member
Here in England, we realised that our Freemasons' Hall (London) needed to be as self supporting as possible, which is why if any of you have ever watched:
the UK TV programmes: Spooks, Poirot and Foyle's War, the Films, Green Zone (Matt Damon), Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy (John Malkovitch), Johhny English (Rowan Atkinson), Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jnr) you have not only seen the front door countless times but much of the interior corridors and Grand Temple.

Each year London Fashion Week and many media events are hosted in our building, in fact Freemasons' Hall London is one of the most sought out film locations in London
 

dfreybur

Premium Member
Here in England, we realised that our Freemasons' Hall (London) needed to be as self supporting as possible, which is why if any of you have ever watched:
the UK TV programmes: Spooks, Poirot and Foyle's War, the Films, Green Zone (Matt Damon), Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy (John Malkovitch), Johhny English (Rowan Atkinson), Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jnr) you have not only seen the front door countless times but much of the interior corridors and Grand Temple.

Each year London Fashion Week and many media events are hosted in our building, in fact Freemasons' Hall London is one of the most sought out film locations in London

This applies to lodges as well as grand lodges. My mother lodges rents to the TV industry (Unsolved Mysteries, JAG when I was a local) plus to weddings and all sorts of societies. The building pays for itself. A lodge in the district owns a strip mall with the lodge on the second floor. That building also pays for itself. In comparison I've seen smaller buildings take down at least two lodges. One couldn't maintain their building so they merged with my mother lodge and we sold the building to a church. I'm also a member of a lodge that went the other way. We couldn't afford to maintain our building so we sold it to a bank, became a tenant and eventually merged with our landlord lodge. Sure enough lodges that have buildings that turn a positive cash flow are lodges that flourish in the long term.

The California GL building covers most of its expenses and for many years rented at a net profit.

Magnificent or not a building is going to run at a profit or at a loss. The ones that run at a loss eventually become albatrosses on their lodges. It might happen in a few years or it might happen in a few decades. As a life member (called endowed member in Texas) I'll still be on the books long after I'm dead and that helps me have a long term perspective. Buildings that turn a profit are much more expensive to build or acquire but can we afford any building that will eventually become an albatross?
 

JFS61

Premium Member
Re: Solicitation of funds from Grand Lodge of Texas AF & AM

Ah, the old "Grand Lodge isn't worth it" argument...again. Universal across every state. The majority of our members don't want to spend more than $20 a year for dues, bitch about electronic vs hard copy newsletters & don't want to spend a dime for building maintenance (including their own lodges).

If you think you can run a Grand Lodge staff and Grand session out of a strip mall, go spend a little time sitting with Gr Sec & staff. Sit down & ask questions before coming to any conclusions. While expensive (and getting more so each year) they are the most substantial symbol of our fraternity, and in many cases, historic treasures. Normally we could get federal aid to keep them up, but there are always strings attached.

The longest tradition of Masonry isn't ritual: it's complaining about Grand lodge. Freemasonry is a democracy ; if you don't like it, put in a resolution to get it changed. And be graceful enough to accept the results.

Well said. If you've got a problem with Grand Lodge, take it up with them - Don't take it out on the building
 

Bill Hosler

Registered User
My mother Grand lodge, the Grand Lodge of Indiana has a pretty decent set up. In 1909 The Brethren of Indianapolis wanted a new temple. The GL, Indy York Rite and blue lodges went in together and build a new temple a block from the Indianapolis Scottish rite cathedral. Each group owns a share of the building which is governed by a building committee which oversees the maintenance..etc The Grand Lodge has their offices on the ground floor of the building along with the auditorium and the Blue lodges, York Rite..etc occupy the remaining floors.

Around 2006 a per capita of $2.00 per member in the state was assessed to refurbished the building to get it ready for the centennial celebration in 2009. The building was completely renovated and the Indiana Masonic museum was moved from the Masonic home in Franklin (which was usually closed, no one ever went there) to the Grand Lodge building and will soon be open to the public.

http://www.indytemple.org/centennial/
 

relapse98

Registered User
to turn our backs on the legacy our forefathers entrusted us with because it has become "inconvenient"

Is the legacy Texas Masonry or a building?

I will fully admit that we may not be able to find a buyer for the building, but why must we maintain such a stupendous edifice? Apparently we aren't able to maintain it to the degree it should be maintained. Don't see why we couldn't have a much more modest office/library/museum somewhere and have Grand Lodge in different cities each year.
 

dfreybur

Premium Member
Is the legacy Texas Masonry or a building?

Bingo.

I will fully admit that we may not be able to find a buyer for the building, but why must we maintain such a stupendous edifice? Apparently we aren't able to maintain it to the degree it should be maintained. Don't see why we couldn't have a much more modest office/library/museum somewhere and have Grand Lodge in different cities each year.

Waco has the advantage of being centrally located based on population. Waco has the disadvantage of being small. There isn't a big convention market for the building to be used for enough other events. I take it the building was erected long before the big convention center a few blocks north so at one point it had some amount of convention business to help pay for itself.

Without a building GL could be held in rotating locations. Houston, Dallas, etc. Spread the inconvenience of travel around. Illinois tried that for a while then eventually settled on Springfield as centrally located. Even though it's the state capital Springfield is tiny to this big city boy and it's larger than Waco.
 

BryanMaloney

Premium Member
Re: Solicitation of funds from Grand Lodge of Texas AF & AM

Well said. If you've got a problem with Grand Lodge, take it up with them - Don't take it out on the building

What if the problem with Grand Lodge is expenditures on dead stones (buildings) instead of live men (Freemasonry)?
 

BryanMaloney

Premium Member
Note that Indiana also rents out Freemasons' Hall to other groups, and thus manages to finance it at least in part that way. Freemason's Hall (and the Scottish Rite Temple) in Indianapolis are both popular places to rent for events. I used to live in Indy, some years ago (before I petitioned).
 

Bill Lins

Moderating Staff
Staff Member
I take it the building was erected long before the big convention center a few blocks north so at one point it had some amount of convention business to help pay for itself.
I don't know that they ever utilized it for that reason, although they should have.

The reason I suggest moving GL to Austin is, besides being the seat of state government, it is more centrally located in terms of transportation- airlines actually go there. That's important for folks in El Paso, the Panhandle, and the RGV.
 
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Bill Lins

Moderating Staff
Staff Member
This applies to lodges as well as grand lodges. <snip> The building pays for itself. <snip> Sure enough lodges that have buildings that turn a positive cash flow are lodges that flourish in the long term.
That's the future, whether we like it or not. The economic model we've used for so long no longer works, primarily due to increases in the cost of insurance, maintenance, & utilities. If Lodges are going to be required to own buildings (something I strongly oppose) those buildings must be able to pay for themselves. We must loosen the restrictions regarding usage of Lodges by others.
 

Bill Hosler

Registered User
Note that Indiana also rents out Freemasons' Hall to other groups, and thus manages to finance it at least in part that way. Freemason's Hall (and the Scottish Rite Temple) in Indianapolis are both popular places to rent for events. I used to live in Indy, some years ago (before I petitioned).

You are right. But it is hard to rent out because the GL of Indiana doesn't allow alcohol in the building. It really limits the amount of business you can get.

I was the manager of the temple in Fort Wayne. It took years to get the approval to allow alcohol in the building for wedding receptions. We were months away from closing our doors until that passed now the building is in its way to recovery.


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Bro_Vick

Moderator
Premium Member
I don't know that they ever utilized it for that reason, although they should have.

The reason I suggest moving GL to Austin is, besides being the seat of state government, it is more centrally located in terms of transportation- airlines actually go there. That's important for folks in El Paso, the Panhandle, and the RGV.

Excellent point, when the Grand Lodge was established in Waco, it was because all trains passed through there, but who takes the train anymore? I mean beside hipsters. Getting flights to Austin, Dallas, Houston is far easier than anything to Waco.

S&F,
-Bro Vick
 

BryanMaloney

Premium Member
How many Freemasons does it take to change a light bulb?
Candles were good enough for our forebears, they are good enough for us!
 

JFS61

Premium Member
Excellent point, when the Grand Lodge was established in Waco, it was because all trains passed through there, but who takes the train anymore? I mean beside hipsters. Getting flights to Austin, Dallas, Houston is far easier than anything to Waco.

S&F,
-Bro Vick

It was located in Waco as it was considered the most neutral of the large cities in the state at that time - Houston would not have tolerated a GL in Dallas (or Fort Worth) or vice versa.
 
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