Masonic Building

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker says about the Masonic Building in Kerrville, Kerr County. Now settle in, because this particular stretch of limestone has a story that just keeps going. It starts, as so many good Hill Country stories do, with Charles Schreiner.

In 1890, Schreiner formed the Kerrville Masonic Company, and what they put up was no ordinary meeting hall. This building was quarried right out of the local limestone, and whoever designed it had a flair for the dramatic. We're talking late Italianate-style architecture, rough and smooth-dressed stone side by side, arched windows and doorways, stone quoins at the corners, and a projecting pressed metal cornice up top catching the Texas light.

A building that knows it's bein' looked at. Kerrville Lodge No. 697, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, claimed the second story as their own, and they held court up there for decades. But 1927 rolled around and the Lodge packed up and moved on over to Schreiner's former house.

The space they left behind? The Lodge rented it out to the Odd Fellows, which, if you think about it, is a pretty wry turn of events in a building built by Masons. Meanwhile, the ground floor was doing its own kind of work.

Over the years it housed the local post office, C. C. Butt Grocery, and Texas Power and Light.

Three different kinds of business, one sturdy limestone address. The property stayed in the Schreiner family all the way until 1959. That's a long time for one family to hold onto a building, and that building held onto its character the whole while.

Still standing there in Kerrville, rough stone and smooth stone and those arched windows looking out, like it's seen everything, and figured it probably has.

What the marker says

This locally quarried limestone building is a good example of late Italianate-style architecture. The façade features rough and smooth-dressed stone, arched windows and doorways, stone quoins and a projecting pressed metal cornice. Charles Schreiner formed the Kerrville Masonic Company in 1890, and Kerrville Lodge No. 697 A.F. & A.M. met here on the second story until 1927, when they moved to Schreiner's former house and rented this space to the Odd Fellows. The ground floor has housed the local post office, C.C. Butt Grocery and Texas Power and Light. The property remained in the Schreiner family until 1959.Recorded Texas Historic Landmark-2008