215 North Washington Street is the home of the Susquehanna Masonic Lodge #130, A.F. & A.M. Temple which was chartered in 1867. The contract for building this went to C.C. Smith of “Stafford,” who was the low bidder in June 1906. The cornerstone of this building was laid on August 14, 1906, and the structure was planned for the uses it currently serves—the Lodge and banquet rooms on the third floor, six rental offices on the second floor, and two retail shops on the ground floor. Prior to the existence of this building, the Lodge met in a couple of other places in town, such as the Odd Fellows Hall on Franklin Street and also at the Spencer Hotel. One of the aspects of the building that makes the building a community landmark, is the large Art Nouveau lettering above the entrance.

The Masonic Temple Building, made of brick with Indiana limestone trimmings, was the first home of the Havre de Grace Banking and Trust Company in 1910, with Isaac Hecht (1864-1913) as its first President. He served until his death and was succeeded by Murray Vandiver (1845-1916). Isaac Hecht was the owner of the Hecht Hotel at 667 Green Street and Murray Vandiver was the owner of a large home at 301 South Union Avenue, now the Vandiver Inn. It’s also known that Supt. J. Wesley Carver had an insurance office and telephone service here in 1916 as did “Fahey and Brown,” attorneys, and the Home Friendly Society. Another office in 1916 was Parker & Redman, plumbers. By 1925, Frederick Lee Cobourn, a well-known attorney, and later a judge, moved his office here from 211 North Washington Street.

A memorable event of 1925 was the Annual Firemen’s Carnival, hosted by the Susquehanna Hose Company. Each night of the two-week Carnival, a fireman jumped from the roof of the Masonic Building into a life-saving net below held by his fellow firefighters. It is not known for how many years this entertainment continued but it is no longer done!

#213: The ground floor, south of the Lodge entrance door, was the Adolf T. Baynes (1904-1987) 5 and 10¢ store around the 1930-1940s. He moved his store further south on Washington Street afterward. In 1946 this was the location of City Auto Supply, which sold Goodrich synthetic tires that they advertised “outwear prewar tires.” In the 1960-1970s there used to be a jewelry store here named and owned by Z. Witt. They sold Stieff Silver, Lennox China, and Tiffin Crystal, and also had a toy and gift store on the other side of the main entrance, at 217. They had moved here from further south on the street. In the 1990s into early 2000s, B & H Jewelry operated in this space, where Bert and Frank Breining sold and repaired jewelry. In the early 2000s, it became Kirkendall’s Pest Elimination, run by Gary & Donna Kirkendall, until they moved out in April 2017.

#217: In the early 1960s this became the home of Harford Insurance Agency and other businesses followed. In the early 2000s for a short time, this was Unique Boutique, followed by the Broken Heart Café and Gallery, operated by three friends. Jana’s Java, a coffee shop, followed in 2007 with occasional entertainment and board games for customers to play. The Concord Point Café, run by the Carl Lucas family, is now on the first floor, having taken over Jana’s Java in 2012. In 2018, the Concord Point Café expanded into the ground floor of 213 North Washington Street and they continue to provide refreshments, board games, and occasional entertainment or events.

In 2019, the Havre de Grace Masonic Building Preservation Foundation, Inc. was formed for the purpose of preserving, restoring, and modernizing this Masonic Building.

County Records
Built 1940. 7,359 sq ft, retail store, 3307 sq ft lot.