The first minutes of what was to become Reno Lodge record the meeting of a group men recognizing themselves to be Masons gathering at the Odd Fellows Hall for the purpose of asking permission to establish a Lodge under dispensation. The minutes are dated November 16, 1868. Their request was granted, and on September 23, 1869, the Nevada Grand Lodge issued a charter to Reno Lodge #13.

Subsequent minutes reflect that, in addition to the I.O.O.F. hall, meetings also were conducted above the Oasis Saloon, and in a building recorded as "Alhambra Hall."

On October 15, 1872, the Grand Lodge set the cornerstone of Reno Lodge's newly constructed two story Masonic Hall, located on the southeast corner of Commercial Row and Sierra Street. This building, now vacant and unoccupied, remains standing today as Reno's oldest commercial structure.

In 1904, a Masonic Temple Association was formed to secure a building site where a livery stable then existed. The property was located where the north bank of the Truckee River meets the West side of Virginia Street.

The Grand Lodge placed the cornerstone September 16, 1905. The first stated communication in the new Masonic Hall occurred December 8, 1906.

In October 3, 1953, the trustees were authorized by a vote of the Lodge to build a large addition immediately west of the existing structure. A devastating fire destroyed the older part of the Virginia Street structure August 15, 1955. The burned out structure was razed and replaced by the now existing three story building in 1967.

Today the newer structure and the four-story annex built in 1953 are joined and serve the needs of several Masonic Lodges and appendant bodies. The administrative offices of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge are located on the third floor. The building also has several thousand square feet of space available for commercial lease. Pictures of those two structures are available on the "LodgeList" page of this website.

Red Kittell, PM
Historian, Reno Lodge #13