The House That Men Built

As I said last week, I had an interesting conversation about a hot topic of contention in various parts of the state, which is the renting of Masonic Halls by Eastern Star Chapters. To provide some background, long ago, in the before time, Masonic Lodges had very steep initiation fees. Most of that money was used to purchase land and construct Masonic Halls all over the country. Here in California, many, if not most, towns have a Masonic Hall, usually located on what was the main street of the town, back in the before time. Some of these locations are still prime real estate, such as the Grand Lodge Building in San Francisco, which sits across the street from Grace Cathedral, and some of these locations have become the older and more tired part of town, especially in those areas that have not revitalized their downtown core over time. Most of these buildings were paid for long ago and are owned free and clear by the Lodge, which administers the building by means of a Temple Board, usually appointed by the Master of the Lodge. The Temple Board is responsible for setting and collecting rents, for the upkeep and maintenance of the property, for obtaining insurance and for doing all those other things that property managers usually do. So here is where recent conflict has arisen. I do not yet have all the facts on what was told to the Temple Boards by the Grand Lodge, so I may be missing some information, but I will try to be accurate on what I have heard. Evidently, some time in the recent past, a directive was passed down that Temple Boards should find out what the fair market rental value (FMRV) of their facilities is and make sure to charge that when they rent out their buildings. Presumably this is to fund ongoing maintenance and expenses, since most of the buildings are paid for. But there seems to be some disagreement whether a discount may be offered for groups that are part of the Masonic Family, as opposed to the rate charged to the public at large. Some people tell me that no discount is supposed to be given, regardless of any affiliation. Some people tell me that a discount from FMRV is allowed for youth groups but not for adult groups. And some people tell me that all Masonic Family groups, including yours truly's Order, should be allowed a discounted rate over that charged to the general public. So there is some confusion on what is and what is not allowed. A lot of Chapters are being told that their rent is going up. Of course in these economic times, any increase in expenses is going to be viewed with concern and dismay. But some Chapters seem to feel that they are not getting information on why the rent is going up. Most people can handle the fact that there are needs and expenses in connection with owning property, but it is frustrating to be told that you have to pay more without any understanding of the situation. The end result of the whole thing seems to be that there is a need for some better communication between the two groups on what is going on. Perhaps some of the Lodges with these issues could let the Chapter choose a representative to come to their Temple Board meetings, not just the Worthy Matron who may be too busy to attend, but any one member chosen by the Chapter, just so someone hears the discussion of how the rent is set and how the money is used and needed. And maybe the sacrifices made by the wives of all those men who paid in all those dues to build those buildings, many of whom are members of the Eastern Star, and the funds paid by Eastern Star members to furnish and fixture many of those Halls needs to somehow be acknowledged also. Next weekend I will be in Livermore and Hayward.