NEW WESTMINSTER FREEMASONS HALL

A long road of setbacks and triumphs 

The building you are standing in front of presently is the most current manifestation of Freemasonry in New Westminster.  To get to this point, two previous buildings were destroyed by fire in the years 1891 and 1898.  Each rebuild brought us closer to what you see today.  Freemasonry consists of Lodges. Not only Lodges of brick and mortar but groups of men.  In 1860, men who had come to New Westminster from Europe and the USA following the new Gold Rush, petitioned the Grand Master of England for a warrant to create a Lodge here.  In 1861, Union Lodge No. 1201 (ER) was formed, becoming the first Lodge of Freemasons in what was to become the Province of British Columbia 10 years later. This was 10 years before the formation of the Grand Lodge of BC & Yukon and so was originally on the English Registry under the United Grand Lodge of England.    

Over 100 years of Fellowship and Fraternity 

The modern structure you see in front of you still has the facade, and the soul, of the third building built by local Freemasons.  The original 1911 building has been used and enjoyed for over 100 years and has now taken on this modern form.  Freemasonry in New Westminster has a long and storied past and so does this building.  Perhaps in another 100 years, someone else will be standing here learning about the history of this great building and the people who gave it its soul.  You can learn more about the multiple Lodges and concordant bodies that meet here and even some controversy in their role in the formation of the Grand Lodge of BC further down the page.