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LOCH MASONIC TEMPLE

Other Name

Location

20 VICTORIA ROAD, LOCH, SOUTH GIPPSLAND SHIRE

Level

Rec for HO area contributory

Statement of Significance

What is significant?

The Loch Masonic Temple at 20 Victoria Road, Loch, built in 1922, is significant. The building is a hipped, red brick Interwar hall with a lower transverse front gable with a rendered parapet across the frontage and the North Western corner, including a flat triangular pediment centred above the projecting entry. The entrance includes a set of brick stairs with rendered balustrades meeting a narrow entry door, while above the door height along the Western wall is rendered with square cornices. Other key features include:

Small windows
Piers either side of entry capped with Ionic volutes
Corbelled architraves
Postwar additions, including supper room, to rear (Western hip)

Non-original alterations and additions, other than those specified above, are not significant.

How is it significant?

The Loch Masonic Temple at 20 Victoria Road is of local historic, aesthetic and social significance to the South Gippsland Shire.

Why is it significant?

Historically, the Loch Masonic Lodge was the third Lodge to be established in South Gippsland after being completed in July 1924 and the first meeting to be held in the new building on 14 August of the same year. This Temple was one of three Masonic Halls in South Gippsland to be built during the Interwar period, demonstrating the significance of the Masonic organisations within the Shire community at this time. This Temple demonstrates the growth of Loch as a community during the Interwar period . (Criterion A)
Aesthetically, the combination of brick and rendered Interwar architectural features give the building a unique character within Loch. This building is a superior example of an Interwar hall within South Gippsland Shire and significantly contributes to the character of Loch. (Criterion E)
Socially, Masonic organisations were, and continue to be a significant part of the social fabric of the South Gippsland Shire community. Over time, this building has also been used by other community groups such as the Girl Guides, enhancing its social significance for the community of Loch. (Criterion G)

Group