Wyandotte Odd Fellows Temple - Wyandotte, MI - Wikipedia Entries on Waymarking.com

The Odd Fellows Temple is a tall three-story plus raised basement limestone-trimmed red brick building whose fac;ade exhibits an eclectic combination of Commercial Brick with Neoclassical and Renaissance-inspired features. The building was constructed in two stages, in 1911 and 1921. The structure has a rectangular footprint, with flat roof and central piano nobile entrance. It contains a basement, entry level, and two-story second-floor auditorium. The front fac;ade is built with walls of dark red brick with limestone corbelled stringcourse, a limestone cornice, and a parapet with low central gable. Decorative detailing includes stone egg and dart molding, cartouches and figural embellishments on either side of the original tiled front entrance. Above the entrance, the stone lintel displays "1. 0.0. F. TEMPLE" in incised letters. Two shields mark the third story front fac;ade corners. The brickwork on the front fac;ade is of a higher quality than that of the side and back elevations, which are finished in common brick of a more orange color with less precise mortaring. The foundation is of stone in the front, and brick on the side and rear elevations, resting on what is thought to be a concrete base below ground level. While all windows have been replaced, they remain in their original fenestration pattern, which consists on the front fac;ade of rectangular groupings of two and three, and along the sides in singular arched windows at each level, including a row of round-arch windows in the second-third stories for the auditorium. The original 1911 building was one story in height above the basement; its complete fac;ade remains intact up to the second-story window sillcourse. In 1921 the addition of the upper stories containing the auditorium was completed, with the original glazed red brick and limestone finishes closely matching, and the new parapet matching the 1911 version. The original exterior front staircase has also been entirely replaced, going through what appears to be a total of three incarnations from its original . 1911 composition. What exists today is a wide entrance staircase that echoes the original, and closes off a central front basement entrance. A modern addition to this area is a concrete wheel chair ramp along the front of the building that leads to an original entrance of the east side.

The Odd Fellows Temple is located in a historic residential neighborhood of traditional gridiron plan, consisting of large two story Victorian homes and numerous churches. It faces north on Chestnut Street. The building sits on its original site one-half block east of Wyandotte's main street, Biddle Avenue, and one block north of the downtown commercial district. The surrounding landscape is level land and is flanked on the east by the Detroit River. The IOOF building stands approximately two and a half blocks from the river. Immediately surrounding the building and on the same city block are two churches to the south and west, a store separated by an alley to the east. Across the street to the north, a private residence and parking lot face the building.

The IOOF Temple is a three:-story brick and limestone building that, constructed in 1911, combines Neoclassical and Renaissance stylistic features along with common Commercial Brick detailing. The structure, measuring fifty feet wide by 120 feet deep, has a rectangular footprint oriented perpendicular to the street on a lot size of fifty feet by 140 feet deep. It is three bays wide, has both gabled and flat roofs, and a central piano nobile entrance. The building contains a basement, entry level, and second floor with full tWo story auditorium and taller fly loft in the rear.

The temple was initially constructed as a single-story-plus-basement structure. An additional story for ceremonial, educational, and entertainment purposes, planned from the start, was built in 1921 to serve as a ballroom and auditorium, which was used for a variety of activities from live performing arts to movie film. Also included in this construction phase was a kitchen and cafeteria with a 300-person serving capacity in the basement, along with billiards tables and other recreational enhancements.

The building was renovated again when the Odd Fellows vacated the property and the Masons occupied it. They made significant interior changes in 1948, especially in regards to the auditorium, including the addition of balconies and the enclosure of the mezzanine. It is in this time capsule-like state that the building has remained. It is in good physical condition, with masonry walls, wood joists, arid steell-beam supports running along the length of the structure and acting as ceiling supports. The original structural materials are present.-NRHP Nomination Form

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