Clear to partly cloudy. Low near 60F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph..

Clear to partly cloudy. Low near 60F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.

Michael and Rachel Krediet (right) have overseen the renovation of Mankato’s Masonic Lodge, which has included the creation of a new dining hall for weddings and other public gatherings (bottom left). The Masons have had a presence in Mankato for 150 years.

The new space’s dining hall will host weddings and other public gatherings.

The mysterious veil over the masonic lodge is lifting in Mankato as the group opens its space to the public.

The lodge is currently used for official meetings about 12 times per month. But now they’ve decided to allow the building to be used much more by opening it up to public events.

The Masons have had a presence in Mankato for 150 years.

Michael and Rachel Krediet (right) have overseen the renovation of Mankato’s Masonic Lodge, which has included the creation of a new dining hall for weddings and other public gatherings (bottom left). The Masons have had a presence in Mankato for 150 years.

The new space’s dining hall will host weddings and other public gatherings.

The mysterious veil over the masonic lodge is lifting in Mankato as the group opens its space to the public.

The lodge is currently used for official meetings about 12 times per month. But now they’ve decided to allow the building to be used much more by opening it up to public events.

The Masons have had a presence in Mankato for 150 years.

For nearly 150 years, the corner of Second and Hickory streets in Mankato has been home to the Masonic Temple. In fact, the local lodge was begun in 1856 — two years before Minnesota statehood. Still, even longtime Mankatoans have likely never been inside the building.

That may change soon because the local lodge has spent lots of money over the last couple of years to transform the Masonic Temple into the Historic Masonic Hall, an event center for weddings and other social and business gatherings.

Ten-year Mason and second-generation construction company owner Michael Krediet headed up the project that ranged from shoring up the foundation and replacing the parking lot to repairing cracks in the dome of the second-floor lodge room and bringing everything more up to date.

A $25,000 grant from the City of Mankato and matching funds from the building’s tenants was just the beginning of what went toward the renovation.

He is quick to credit the hard work of the Masons building committee, which worked with their 110 members, plus affiliated Order of the Eastern Star and Job’s Daughters groups, to be sure changes made met the goals and needs of the organizations.

“The overall remodel was with the purpose of getting us to a point that we could rent this space out as an event space. And then still utilize it ourselves,” he said.

The three organizations combined were having about 12 meetings per month. For the rest of the time, the space in the grand building was unused. Earlier efforts to find full-time tenants for some of the space were unsuccessful, and the event center idea will bring the building back to its original use, he said.

“This building is made for entertaining,” he said. “It was designed that way. It just flows.”

But improvements and updates were needed, said Krediet and his wife, Rachel, who has taken on the event booking responsibilities. Restrooms were reconfigured, finishes on floors and walls were updated and some doorways widened, all with the idea of creating a historic, distinctive event space.

The main floor’s kitchen has countertops that are the envy of local caterers, Rachel said, and the interconnected rooms allow for a lounge space, private conference room with updated technology and electrical service, and a grand room in which up to about 200 people can be served. The Masons have purchased new round banquet tables and distinctive black chairs, and a conference table that seats a dozen or more.

Upstairs, the lodge room can seat about 65, in addition to permanent theater-type chairs around the outside of the room, and can be decorated for a wedding space. Adjacent rooms are designed as dressing rooms for wedding parties. Others contain historic Mason items.

One feature of the lodge room that took some additional care is the cloudy mural painted on the domed ceiling. Cracks that ran around the dome were repaired, twice, and nationally known painter Wendy Waszut-Barrett from Historic Stage Services touched up the mural in spots affected by the repairs. She “specializes in the evaluation, restoration and replication of scenery for historic theaters,” Rachel said.

Waszut-Barrett feared the original repairs wouldn’t allow for effectively matching the paint, so they repaired it again before she hand-mixed touch-up paint colors.

Only upon closer examination, Rachel said she realized the main part of the lower wainscoting in the main level was actually wallpaper. Thankfully it was in good shape, but she was unable to find a perfect match for wainscoting in an adjacent room. Still, the wallpaper she found, with a texture that matches the upper wall, is very close.

Because some doorways were expanded, they needed more wood to make the expanded framework, Michael said. Goodrich Construction matched it so closely it’s impossible to tell the new from the old.

“Some people have a weird connotation of Masons, so we want to make the main floor a bit more neutral,” Rachel said. “We’ve kind of stripped down the main level a little bit more, and then left (Masons) stuff upstairs. That’s where our primary pictures were,” Michael added.

Just as the building committee members used their personal expertise when making those decisions, Rachel, who said she loves organizing events such as her kids’ birthday parties, will bring her skills to bear on scheduling events.

She said her involvement with Masons dates back to when their daughters, now 15 and 17, were in Job’s Daughters.

“I just fell in love with the building. It’s a great place. And I just want to see it successful and last for years,” she said.

The first public reveal came in February when they had a booth at the bridal show across the street at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center. They also held an open house at the building to share it with upcoming brides and grooms. In May, they hosted people going out to explore the newly installed CityArt Sculpture Walk.

Everyone will be welcome at the Historic Masonic Hall.

“One of the things I love about the Masons is that they believe everyone is equal,” Rachel said. “And we have a reception space, obviously, but we also have our lodge room that can be used for ceremonies. So, we would love to be a place that the LGBTQ community could be. Sometimes they feel ostracized from churches.”

For information about booking, people can visit historicmasonichall.com/ or contact Rachel Krediet at events@historicmasonichall.com.

Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.

Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox.

First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.