Tower Homestead and Masonic Temple
Encyclopedia
Tower Homestead and Masonic Temple, also known as Harding Residence and Masonic Temple, is a historic home and Masonic Temple
located at Waterville
in Oneida County, New York
. The house is an 85 by residence and consists of three attached sections: a central Greek Revival
style, two-story central section built in 1830; an older Federal
-style wing built about 1800; and a west wing built in 1910 by Charlemagne Tower, Jr.
The homestead also includes a small brick building built as a law office by Charlemagne Tower
and later used as a schoolhouse, a barn, two horse barns, the old gardener's house, a small bathhouse, two modern garages, and a modern nursing home (1973). The Masonic Lodge building was built in 1896 by Reuben Tower II. It features a 103 feet (31.4 m), three-stage tower.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1977.
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
located at Waterville
Waterville, New York
Waterville is a village in Oneida County, New York, United States. According to the 2000 census, its population was 1,721.-Geography:Waterville is located at ....
in Oneida County, New York
Oneida County, New York
Oneida County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 234,878. The county seat is Utica. The name is in honor of the Oneida, an Iroquoian tribe that formerly occupied the region....
. The house is an 85 by residence and consists of three attached sections: a central Greek Revival
Greek Revival architecture
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
style, two-story central section built in 1830; an older Federal
Federal architecture
Federal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the United States between c. 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815. This style shares its name with its era, the Federal Period. The name Federal style is also used in association with furniture design...
-style wing built about 1800; and a west wing built in 1910 by Charlemagne Tower, Jr.
Charlemagne Tower, Jr.
Charlemagne Tower, Jr. was an American businessman, scholar, and diplomat.-Biography:Charlemagne Tower was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on April 17, 1848 to Charlemagne Tower Sr. and Amelia Malvina Tower. He was the first of seven children.He spent his childhood in Orwigsburg and...
The homestead also includes a small brick building built as a law office by Charlemagne Tower
Charlemagne Tower
Charlemagne Tower, was an American lawyer, soldier, and businessman.-Early life and start of law career:Charlemagne Tower was born on April 18, 1809 in Paris, Oneida County, New York, the eldest of the eight children of Reuben Tower, a New York State Legislator, and Deborah Taylor Pierce...
and later used as a schoolhouse, a barn, two horse barns, the old gardener's house, a small bathhouse, two modern garages, and a modern nursing home (1973). The Masonic Lodge building was built in 1896 by Reuben Tower II. It features a 103 feet (31.4 m), three-stage tower.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1977.