D.C. Prince Hall Masons Retain Historic Site

One of the District’s Freemasonry organizations has won the right to retain ownership of its historic location in the heart of the District’s U Street corridor — a bustling neighborhood that has been in a development boom since the turn of the century.

The Prince Hall Free and Accepted Masons and Eastern Stars of the District of Columbia— through its charity arm, the Prince Hall Free and Accepted Masons and Order of the Eastern Stars Educational Charitable Foundation— received approval from the D.C. Council earlier this year to retain its tax-exempt status, primarily as a real property entity, at its building located at the corner of 10th and U Streets N.W. 

Glenn Ruffin, who serves as the most worshipful grand master of the Prince Hall Masons in the District, said the U Street building has a special meaning for African Americans in the city.

“The story of our building at 1000 U Street is not just about bricks and mortar, it is a testament to the unwavering commitment, resilience of D.C. men of vision,” Ruffin told the Informer.

The retention of the tax-exempt status comes at a time when the U Street corridor is sustaining a growth spurt that began with the opening of the Metro’s Green Line that took place in 1991 and accelerated during the 2000s. During this change the demographics shifted, with neighborhoods becoming gentrified and changing from being predominantly Black to many white residents. 

Despite the change in neighbors, U Street has long been a business haven for African American owners and consumers, due to its pre-civil rights era reputation of being the “Black Broadway.” 

Ruffin emphasized the importance of preserving U Street’s African American history. 

“The U Street Building has a historic value to Black people,” he said. 

A Short History of Prince Hall Freemasonry in D.C.

Ruffin said any discussion about the U Street Building would be incomplete without understanding the history of Prince Hall freemasonry in the District. Prince Hall, a free Black man in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, set up the first freemasonry unit for African Americans in 1784.

“Black men from Washington, D.C., discovered this group known by some as Black Freemasonry and in 1823 requested to join,” Ruffin said. “ The group traveled to Philadelphia and requested to establish a Masonic presence in D.C.”

He explained their request was granted in 1825, with the creation of Social Lodge No. 1 being the first, and by 1848, the Grand Lodge of Prince Hall Freemasonry was established.

Jesse Mitchell, founder of the modern Industrial Bank of Washington, became a mason in 1910, according to Ruffin, opening the door for the entrepreneur to begin working with Albert Cassell, a Black architect,  to build the U Street temple in 1922. The building was completed in 1929.

“It was a testament to our collective vision and determination,” Ruffin said.

Fifty years later, the temple was designated and listed in the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of the Interior. 

Former D.C. Mayor Marion S. Barry, a member of the lodge, facilitated the foundation getting its tax-exempt status, said Ruffin. In addition to Barry, prominent members of Prince Hall Freemasonry in the District include former District Mayors Walter E. Washington, Vincent C. Gray and Anthony Williams; bandleader Duke Elllington, D.C. Del. Walter Fauntroy, former D.C. Council member Frank Smith, and  D.C. Council member Robert White (D-At Large).

Marquis McCants, who leads the foundation, noted the building at one time housed a restaurant, a bowling alley, a ballroom that could be rented out for use by other organizations and offices for other African American businesses.

“Most Black community organizations held their events in Black neighborhoods,” McCants told The Informer. “The temple was the center for socialization.”

The Need for D.C. Council Action

McCants said the temple’s tax-exempt status needed to be updated because the foundation changed its name but didn’t note the change in the paperwork.

“In 2022, we at the foundation wanted to keep the tax exemption but when we changed the name, the exemption did not come with that,” he said.

Foundation leaders had to go through the bureaucratic process to get the change done. The process was helped when D.C. Council member Brianne Nadeau (D-Ward  1) introduced legislation granting the exemption in 2024 and reintroduced the measure in 2025.

The measure passed without controversy in the summer. 

Ruffin said while Nadeau sponsored the legislation, it was D.C. Council member Anita Bonds who pushed aggressively for its passage.

“Anita Bonds was there for us all the way,” Ruffin said. “We had the support of Chairman Phil Mendelson and Kenyan McDuffie and Charles Allen, but it was Bonds who was phenomenal in what she did for us.”

In addition to the legislators’ advocacy, Ruffin noted there was another person critical in getting the exemption through. 

“The Order of the Eastern Star Grand Worthy Matron Angela B. Tyson has been helpful during the process,” he said,  “and has been tremendously supportive.”