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>After six weeks of preparation, the move of the Concord Masonic Temple on Galindo Street is projected to begin on May 24th and be completed on the morning of May 25th between 6am and 7am.
The following information is from the Concord Historical Society:
The move is a significant engineering project as the building consists of two floors, each of which is 4,000 square feet and is estimated to weigh approximately 225 tons. It will be placed on steel beams and 15-ton jacks, moved by 40-ton hydraulic dollies equipped with brakes, and a tractor trailer will be used to transport the building the approximate 400 yards it must travel. It will then be placed on a new foundation at its new home, 1928 Clayton Road (The address re-designated by the city to commemorate the Temple’s first use in 1928).
The Concord Historical Society will restore the Masonic Temple during the next two years, to create the Concord History Museum and Resource Center, including retaining the first floor dance floor to serve as a place for functions. A new parking area for the Museum will be constructed on the Galindo property also owned by the Historical Society. The Resource Center and Museum will be operated in conjunction with the adjacent Galindo Home which was restored and opened as a museum in 2012. The Galindo Home, Galindo Garden, Masonic Temple History Museum and Resource Center and the related parking will comprise a “history campus” which will be owned and operated by the Concord Historical Society for the benefit of all Concord’s citizens, schools, scholars and the media.
Background information:
On April 17, 2013 after a public hearing, the City of Concord Planning Commission approved the Master Plan of the Concord Historical Society for the Galindo Home and Gardens to include moving the Masonic Temple from its Galindo Street location, across Clayton Road, Concord, to an undeveloped parcel next to the Galindo Home. The empty lot currently known as 1900 Clayton Road was recently purchased by the Society for this purpose.
The Masonic Temple is a significant part of Concord’s history, having functioned as the town’s dance hall for generations of teenagers and young adults, beginning in 1930 through the 1960’s. Its dance floor and stage was the location of one of the first public performances of Concord’s favorite son, Dave Brubeck. The Historical Society plans to celebrate that heritage with its annual Black & White Ball, sock hops, performances by Brubeck Institute and other local musicians, history lectures, and other cultural presentations.
The Galindo Home is an 1856 Victorian Farmhouse which is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places and contains the furniture and furnishings of the original Galindo family, one of the founding families of Todos Santos, renamed Concord. This property was originally a portion of a Spanish land grant to a participant in the 1776 DeAnza Expedition.
The restored first floor auditorium in the Museum and Galindo Home’s garden will be available for rental for weddings, anniversaries and other gatherings, and used for Concord Historical Society’s own fund raising activities.
The society is soliciting sponsors for the move and restoration of the Masonic Temple. The total restoration is expected to take 2 years with a projected cost $400,000, not including the cost of the move ($100,000) and the new building foundation ($120,000).
photo credit: “Flash”