Behind that Classical Revival facade of the Kilbourn Masonic Temple hides an older house, wrapped up by the Masons in 1911. Originally built as a residence, the house was transformed in 1911 when the Masons remodeled it, wrapping a Classical Revival facade around and completely enclosing the former home. That renovation was designed by H. Paul Schnetzky and Son, and the structure then served as the meeting hall for Kilbourn Lodge #3 — a lodge that traces its roots to one of the first three organized in Wisconsin in 1843.
The Masons no longer meet here, but the building’s life has continued: it was once a fraternity house for the Kappa Sigma chapter at Marquette University and today is rented as living space for residents and students. The city recognized its significance when it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986, and when the temple celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2011 it was automatically deemed a landmark in the city of Milwaukee. Students and residents now rent living space inside, in a house the Masons wrapped in that Classical Revival facade back in 1911.