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Cleaning House

cambridgemason

Premium Member
Premium Member
As not only being a curator and collector of Masonic Aritfacts, but been buildng superintendent of my Masonic Temple for years, I look at some of our buildings with open eyes.
Granted for many of us going to Lodge is once a month or for some less than that, and for those workers in the quarries more than once a month. When I come into a lodge building, I like to look around, and look at the walls, ceilings, furniture, floors, etc.. I have been in some pretty dirty and unoriginized buildings in my times. Why should this be? When we are at a new era of FreeMasonry, when so much is written about us, the web, and other programs that promote us in the publics eye, why should our Temples sit unattended. Now I have seen some great looking buildings, and I know first hand that money is tight with all. But you know a little water and soap goes a long way. If your building can not afford someone on full time or even part time to keep clean your building than do it yourself. Get a party going, we had one last year at my building, over twenty members and a few non members came down. We cleaned house, even though we have full time employees it is a huge building. We are going to do it again this year with the rear yard, front fence and fire escape painting. Why should the public go into a building that we Masons either own or rent and find it dirty, that bathrooms smell, kitchens not cleaned, or even the dinner tables having stains on them from the last meal your Lodge served. A little paint can go a long way, paint the front doors, or a few walls inside once and a while, NOT every 20 years. If you can not afford these items put forth the word. Members will help and donate. Pick up the book piles and straighten out rooms. And those coats left behind from members that may have died 5 years ago, get rid of them out of the coat closet or off the coat racks. Let us take some pride in our buildings, remember you may go there once every month, but hundreds if not thousands may pass by your building every month. If the front looks unkept then clean it up, I would think twice about going into a building that does not look like it is kept up, if you do not have the pride in your surroundings, what about your Lodge. And PLEASE, clean the ladies room, have it so you can eat off the floors, trust me our ladies do have a say in our members ears. I have heard a lot of complaints over the years from members wives and ladies. Even if you do not have time to clean every corner, then use a little heavy duty cleaner, or ammonia or bleach, if it may not be completely clean at least it can smell clean. Wash the windows, wash the pictures, PLEASE if your Lodge has a display case, PUT SOMETHING IN IT, YES, I have gone into lodge buildings with empty display cases. Whats up with that? And if something is in them(thanks) but clean them and change them around once and a while. If you have pictures and other items thrown in a closet, take them out an hang them up, the members will look at them and so will the public. Empty the trash barrells, and above all pick up paper and other debris, hate to see a piece of paper of the floor that I saw there a month ago. Do some dusting, yes men, I said dusting. It will not hurt your mannly pride to dust, just call it wiping down, we do it to our cars, why not the furniture of your Lodge room. Look at you candidates prep room, is it clean and originized. Does it have benches or seats and plenty of areas to hang clothing. And when all is done and over for the night, check the candidates room, put away the white aprons, hang and PLEASE once a while clean the uniforms. Pick up any papers, and put away or throw away those unwanted white shirt hangers, that every Temple seems to have a ample supply of if they ever want to go into the dry cleaning business. Step in the candidates shoes and look at the room, yea most won't care, they are not there to see a room, but recieve a degree, but then why give them a dirty area to get prepared in. I have some expensive suits, hate to have them get dirty just because someone can not clean the room I am getting prepared in. If your building has brass hardware on the doors, etc. then clean it, a can of brass cleaner is only 5 bucks and rags at home depot another 8 bucks, and if you dont have 13 dollars, some ketchup will do. At least they will shine for a while til the next burst of energy comes forth. Our buildings are one of our jewels of the Fraternity, and YES, our buildings do in a way say something of us as Masons. If we can not keep the appreance up than what does that say of us as a whole fraternity. An interior decorator once gave me some good advice, keep the bathrooms clean, mirror cleaned, and the entrance clean. As long as they walk into a clean entrance sometimes they will be more forgiving on other areas. Take a look around, walk around your building, inside and out, I know most are in good clean shape, but a little TLC does not hurt.
 
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Hippie19950

Premium Member
This something we have started at our Lodge. First it was repairing a light fixture upstairs in the lodge Room. Then a new sign BIG enough you could see it day or night, but not HUGE and gaudy. Then a new solid core door for the entrance downstairs, with a new casing. The door finished in original wood grain by applying a clear urethane finish to it, and the casing painted white. We have a few of the Ladies coming in to help out with the clean up etc, and they have agreed to donate, make, and buy new curtains to replace those that are so old, they are falling apart from their own weight. Our carpet is in good shape, just needs a very good cleaning. We have chased the little varmints out, and no messes found between times we go inside. Still a ways to go, but we have a group who wants to do it, and we are going to get it done! It just takes someone standing up in Lodge, suggesting it, and the WM telling the Brethren help is needed, and they show up, even if to tell you you're doing it wrong, but they showed :)
 

cambridgemason

Premium Member
Premium Member
good thing to hear brother hippie, just as a side note, we painted our front doors this year with a special paint and color. The old color was a flat red/brown color. Just days after the paint job was done, three men, one each day for three days, who walk by the Temple almost every day, stopped and noticed the new color, which really stands out. They, who were interested in Masonry, said they never knew that this was a Masonic temple, came in and applied to one of the Lodges. We just raised them to be Master Masons. Another visiting Mason from France was driving by and he said he noticed the color of the doors and noticed that it was a Masonic Temple, stopped and came in for a visit. Now just because some paint may have helped with bringing in some new blood, it does show that a little TLC, here and there does help. We are located on Massachusetts Avenue, in one of the many squares in Cambridge, just about 3/4 outside of Harvard Square, home of Harvard University which thousands walk and drive by monthly. We do have a facebook account for any that wish to view some of the pics and info on our Temples upcoming 100th anniversary. Just login in on facebook and click on Cambridge Masonic Temple.
 
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