Preserving History, Serving Community: The Advance Temple’s Ongoing Journey
We are thrilled to share the story of our beloved Advance Masonic Temple’s recent transformation, a project that has not only refreshed our building’s appearance but also strengthened our ties with the Astoria community.
Jamshed Ghadiali’s article, “Advance Temple, Astoria, Queens” (Spring 2023, The Empire State Mason, p. 53), highlights the dedication and ongoing efforts of Advance Service Mizpah Lodge #586. Our lodge is proud to serve Astoria through annual Thanksgiving turkey drives, quarterly Red Cross blood donations, and school supply drives for local schools, to name a few. As Mr. Ghadiali notes, the work is far from finished, our historic building always needs more resources, helping hands, and time.
Our recent facelift also caught the eye of the local publication Give Me Astoria. In “Astoria’s Advance Masonic Temple Takes Building to the Next Level” (January 2023, Issue 29, p. 38), Barry Ward details the vibrant new paint, gilded signage, lively designs on our columns and portico, the striking, new black-and-white entrance, and beautiful new double wooden doors. While the article mentions 1930 as our construction date, we are proud to clarify that our cornerstone marks the true year: 1915.
We are especially grateful for the positive response from our many neighbors. There has since been an addition of stained glass windows, which glow warmly at night. Just one of the many ways we’re continuing to enhance our corner of Astoria. Our more recent focus has been on updating our rental venue spaces to better welcome the community, with new floors, furnishings, and more underway.
As always, we are proud to do our part to beautify Astoria and give back to the community that supports us. There’s more to come as we continue our mission of service and fellowship.
