The Masonic Temple is a historic Masonic Lodge located in Muncie, Indiana. The building is now only used by the Cornerstone Center for the Arts.HistoryThis Masonic Temple is the third building by the Masons in the city of Muncie. The land was acquired by the Masons to accommodate the increasing rise in membership. Beginning in 1920, construction ended in 1926 culminating in a cost of around $1 million. Well-known local architect Cuno Kibele was commissioned for the project.ConstructionCornerstone Center for the Arts is in the Gothic Revival style.The first rough estimates for the construction were around $250,000. Each organization within the fraternity was to have its own assembly room. Plans were changed, however, when the Ball brothers offered up a $150,000 donation in order to add an auditorium to the structure. Frank C. Ball, in particular, stated that his hope was to provide a place for high-level entertainments to be held in Muncie and that he saw the construction of the new Masonic temple as a perfect place."Several years ago when our brothers Will and Ed were with us we talked several times of providing an auditorium for the benefit of the citizens of Muncie, where recitals, lectures, concerts, and entertainments of various kinds, of a high order, could be given. The control and management of such an auditorium was a difficult one to decide, and it was not decided until the time when the Masonic Order was planning to build a new temple. Ed, who was deeply interested in Masonry (he being Thirty-third Degree Mason), suggested that we build an auditorium in connection with the temple and place it under control of the Masonic Order."ArtworkGustav A. Brand created a total of twenty-two murals for the interior of the building.
