Royse City Lodge No. 663, A.F. & A.M.

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about this one: straight from the record, with maybe a little color in the delivery. Royse City Masonic Lodge No. 663. Now that name's been around longer than most things you'll see standing in Rockwall County.

The lodge held its first meeting way back in 1888; no building to speak of yet, just the brotherhood gathering wherever they could. They made do for a good long while. Then in 1922 they went ahead and purchased a town lot right here, and within three years they had something to show for it.

By 1925, a proper structure was standin' on that ground. Designed by A. M.

Kimzey and built by J. E. Harris (two names worth remembering, because what those men put up was not your ordinary meeting hall).

This is a two-part commercial and institutional building, and it wears its ambitions right there on its face. Classical revival. Mission style.

Truncated towers rising at the corners like a building that couldn't quite decide whether it wanted to be a fortress or a cathedral, so it split the difference and became something all its own. Brick pilasters. Arched windows.

The kind of craftsmanship that makes you slow the car down even when you're in a hurry. Now here's the part that says something about how a community works. In 1941, the city itself acquired the lower floor.

The lodge didn't go anywhere, though; they kept right on occupying the upper floor. Two institutions sharing one building, one below, one above, each going about its business. That arrangement has held.

And the building's still there to prove it.

What the marker says

Royse City Masonic Lodge No. 663 held its first meeting in 1888. The lodge purchased a town lot here in 1922 and erected this structure in 1925. It was designed by A. M. Kimzey and built by J. E. Harris. The 2-part commercial/institutional building exhibits classical revival and mission style elements with its truncated towers, brick pilasters, and arched windows. The city acquired the lower floor in 1941 and the Masonic lodge continued to occupy the upper floor. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1994