# Your Lodge property.



## Traveling Man (Jan 24, 2010)

Does your Lodge own the building and “real property” the lodge sits upon? 

The reason for this question has to do with the recent ruling regarding the *Halcyon Lodge lawsuit*. Please note: I am discerning what protections your Lodge has in place… Not who is right.


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## HKTidwell (Jan 24, 2010)

When I look at the Tax appraisers site it list us as being the owner, however somewhere I read something about before a lodge moves, builds, etc must have Grand Lodge approval.  I'll have to look through the laws later on.


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## Bill Lins (Jan 24, 2010)

Generally, the building & real property a Lodge uses belongs to that Lodge, with a few exceptions. However, if a Lodge demises, its interest/equity in its building & real property passes to the Grand Lodge (Art.255). 

Bro. Hugh posted: "I read something about before a lodge moves, builds, etc must have Grand Lodge approval."  This is correct (Art.340).


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## HKTidwell (Jan 24, 2010)

Bill_Lins77488 said:


> Generally, the building & real property a Lodge uses belongs to that Lodge, with a few exceptions. However, if a Lodge demises, its interest/equity in its building & real property passes to the Grand Lodge (Art.255).
> 
> Bro. Hugh posted: "I read something about before a lodge moves, builds, etc must have Grand Lodge approval."  This is correct (Art.340).


 
I knew it was somewhere in the laws but couldn't remember where exactly and had not had the time to look into it.


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## Traveling Man (Jan 24, 2010)

Bill_Lins77488 said:


> Generally, the building & real property a Lodge uses belongs to that Lodge, with a few exceptions. However, if a Lodge demises, its interest/equity in its building & real property passes to the Grand Lodge (Art.255).
> 
> Bro. Hugh posted: "I read something about before a lodge moves, builds, etc must have Grand Lodge approval."  This is correct (Art.340).


 
That’s why it was smart for the original “real property” owner to stipulate in the trust that the real property shall revert back to the families trust if there ever was a demise of the lodge. The grand lodge never ever owned the building  nor the land it sits upon (neither interest or equity). The only thing the grand lodge holds title to is it’s franchise (charter, in name only).


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## cambridgemason (Jan 25, 2010)

depends on how your association that owns the building,(if it is seperate from the lodge) by laws read.  The building that I am president of is a corp. under the corp. laws of Massachusetts.  We can do anything we wish to our building, that is also selling it, but the only thing no profits and any money from the sale of our building can go to the hands of any brethren.


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## Bill Lins (Jan 25, 2010)

cambridgemason said:


> depends on how your association that owns the building,(if it is seperate from the lodge) by laws read.  The building that I am president of is a corp. under the corp. laws of Massachusetts.  We can do anything we wish to our building, that is also selling it, but the only thing no profits and any money from the sale of our building can go to the hands of any brethren.


 
Brethren, please remember that Grand Lodge laws vary by jurisdiction. While cambridgemason's statements above may be correct in Massachusetts, they are NOT correct under the Laws of the Grand Lodge of Texas.


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## JTM (Jan 26, 2010)

the Brazos Valley Masonic Library and Museum owns our lodge.


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## cambridgemason (Jan 26, 2010)

how does Texas vary from Mass. when it comes to ownership of buildings.  here in Mass. NO lodge can own the building, they must form a seperate idenity from the Lodge.  Some have trustees that manage the building, others have associations that make up either repres. from a lodge or lodges.  In some cases my GL can step in and take over.


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## JTM (Jan 26, 2010)

our lodge owns the property that someone put a gas station on, and we rent it to them.  

then in bryan, the lodge owns the building there, and rents the bottom floor out to a barber.

i don't know how/what the rules are, just that it exists.


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## Bill Lins (Jan 27, 2010)

Here, a Lodge can (and, in most cases, does) own its own property. It can also have a separate entity, such as a library & museum or a Masonic Building Association, own & manage the property. In every instance, however, permission of the Grand Lodge is required before buying, selling, leasing, or entering into just about any kind of contract regarding the property or the usage thereof.


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## TexMass (Jan 27, 2010)

cambridgemason said:


> how does Texas vary from Mass. when it comes to ownership of buildings.  here in Mass. NO lodge can own the building, they must form a seperate idenity from the Lodge.  Some have trustees that manage the building, others have associations that make up either repres. from a lodge or lodges.  In some cases my GL can step in and take over.


 
That's my understanding as well.  My lodge, Corner Stone, is owned by trustees.  If the lodge ever turns in it's charter then the building is to be sold and all proceeds to be donated to charty.  Our lodge is about 100 yards from Duxbury Bay and comes with beach rights.  Sweeeeeeet.


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## Bill Lins (Jan 28, 2010)

TexMass said:


> Our lodge is about 100 yards from Duxbury Bay and comes with beach rights.  Sweeeeeeet.


 
Sweet it is, indeed! :biggrin:


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## jbolt (Apr 27, 2010)

Good work! I thought so, but thanks for the detective work


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## dfreybur (Nov 18, 2013)

The building of one of my lodges is owned by a temple corporation where several bodies own stock.  The stock was as they met at the time so the minority ownership has long since come to have little correlation with the bodies that meet there.

The building of one of my lodges is owned by a temple corporation where the only share of stock is owned by the lodge.

A couple of my lodges are tenants in a building owned by another body.  One of them still has a temple corporation that has since become a investment portfolio management group.


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