A Brief History of Retail in Downtown Rochester

Masonic Block

Date Visited:  July 21, 2019

Stop:  #25

Our quest was now going to take us into downtown Rochester.  We were limited with the amount of time we had left before David would have to head back to Grand Rapids, so we had to be selective about what markers we would try to get to on this visit.  There is a total of eight historical markers in the downtown Rochester area, and we had already visited one of them a couple days earlier (see Western Knitting Mill, Stop #20 blog). We decided to hit a cluster of 3 markers along Main Street located just a couple of blocks from each other.  The first was the marker for the Masonic Block.

This marker is located on the south wall of the Masonic Block Building, which in turn, is located on the northeast corner of South Main Street and East Fourth Street.  The second floor of the building housed the local Masonic Lodge in its early years, thus the name of the building. It was built in 1899-1900 with funds raised by the Rochester Building Association.  The architect chosen for the building was Edward R. Prall from Pontiac, Michigan. He chose a Romanesque Revival style featuring rock-faced sandstone trimmed with limestone. Edward is also known for designing the Traverse City Opera House, which is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  He apparently had a knack for designing buildings of historical significance.

Shortly after completion, the building was extended in the back and housed an implement warehouse and harness shop.  This space later became the location of the Rochester Post Office, and was used for that purpose until a new Post Office was erected on the corner of Walnut and Fourth in 1937.  Through its history, the Masonic block has housed on its first floor

1. The Rochester Savings Bank from 1900 to 1925 (first chartered bank in Rochester)
2. Jennie Mowers & Company, a store that sold dry goods, shoes, and millinery (1900 to 1910)
3. A Kroger grocery store from 1925 until 1949
4. Carpenter's Men's Wear (opened 1950)
5. The Lucille Shoppe (1952 to 1973)
6. The Bright Ideas home furnishings store
7. And, a number of boutique businesses

Today, the first-floor tenants include a boutique clothing store, a yogurt shop, and a designer jeweler store.

After the Masonic lodge vacated the second floor in 1959 (the longest tenured occupant in the Masonic Block Building) it was used for professional offices and the Rochester School of Ballet, among other things. 

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