| Freemasons' Hall | |
|---|---|
The main entrance |
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical |
| Location | 23 Blegdamsvej Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Construction started | 1923 |
| Completed | 1927 |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Reinforced concrete |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Holger Rasmussen |
Freemasons' Hall (Danish: Frimurerordenens stamhus) in Copenhagen, Denmark, is the headquarters of the Danish Order of Freemasons and a meeting place for the Masonic Lodges in the Copenhagen area.
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The Danish Order of Freemasons had moved between various addresses and at the beginning of the 20th century was based in Klerkegade.
When the municipal authorities in Copenhagen sold off a strip of land along Blegdamsvej, previously part of Fælledparken, the lodge acquired a piece of land. In 1920 a competition was held among its architect members for the design of a new headquarters. Martin Nyrop, architect of Copenhagen City Hall and himself a freemason, sat on the panel of judges.[1] The winning entry was submitted by Holger Rasmussen, a relatively unknown architect who had mainly designed modest buildings for Danish State Railways. The Masonic lodge was of a different stature entirely. The Freemason's Hall was built from 1923 to 1927.[2]
Built to a rather austre Neoclassical design, the Freemason's Hall is a large grey block. The front toward Blegdamsvej is dominated by an over-dimensioned entrance section flanked by two monumental Ionian columns. The building is typical of its time. Reacting to an excess of detail in Historicism, Neoclassicism had made a comeback in Danish architecture in about 1915 and lasted until the mid-1930s. Another example of the style is Hack Kampmann's Copenhagen Police Headquarters from 1924.