Masonic Hall
Building used as Post Office, c. 1940s
Location126 Jeff Davis Avenue, Long Beach, Mississippi
Coordinates30°20′57.76″N 89°9′3.48″W / 30.3493778°N 89.1509667°W / 30.3493778; -89.1509667
Official name(former) Hancock Bank [Former Masonic Hall (Southern Star Lodge No. 500, F&AM)][1]
DesignatedJuly 25, 2008
Reference no.047-LNG-0007-ML[2]
Masonic Hall (Long Beach, Mississippi) is located in Mississippi
Masonic Hall (Long Beach, Mississippi)
Location of Masonic Hall in Mississippi

The Masonic Hall in Long Beach, Mississippi, also the former home of Southern Star Lodge No. 500, F&AM and the Hancock County Bank Building, is a historic building that was designated a Mississippi Landmark in 2008.[3]

The building was built in approximately 1926[4] as the second branch of Hancock Bank.[5] The building was designed by architect William T. Nolan.[6] The bank catered to local red radish exporters. The area's red radishes became popular bar snacks in the northeastern United States and earned Long Beach the nickname as the "Radish Capital of the World."[7] In 1931, the bank was robbed by three bandits, drawing press attention from as far away as The New York Times.[8] The bank closed its Long Beach branch in the 1930s.[7][9]

In 1942, the building was purchased by members of the Southern Star Lodge No. 500 Free and Accepted Masons. The Masonic lodge used the building's second floor as a meeting hall until 1960 (when it moved to a new location) and leased the first floor as post office. The building also was used for a time as Long Beach's public library.[10]

In November 1998, the Long Beach Historical Society placed its first historical marker in front of the building, which was identified at the time as the oldest commercial building on the city's main street, Jeff Davis Avenue.[10]

In the late 1990s, the renovated building reopened as a coffee and pastry shop known as "The Old Bank," with the old built-in safe still intact.[10][5] In 2001, the shop was renamed "Bankhouse Coffee" and has been operated under that name since that time by Shawn Montella.[11] The proprietors of the coffee shop also roast their own coffees in a 1906 Royal Roaster at the shop.[12][13] The coffees roasted at the site are sold commercially under the brand name "Coast Roast."[14]

References

  1. ↑ MDAH Historic Resources Inventory Fact Sheet: Formwer Masonic Hall {Southern Star Lodge No. 500, F&AM} Retrieved 2014-04-29.
  2. ↑ "Mississippi Landmarks—Harrison County". Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Retrieved 2014-04-29.
  3. ↑ "Mississippi Landmarks" (PDF). Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-10-09.
  4. ↑ Some sources list its construction date as 1924. Other sources indicate that Hancock County Bank opened at the location in 1927. The architect's files at Tulane indicate a project date of 1926.
  5. 1 2 "Old Bank Opens in Long Beach". Sun Herald. January 5, 1999.
  6. ↑ "William T. Nolan Office Records, Folder 12" (PDF). Southeastern Architectural Archive at Tulane University.
  7. 1 2 "The Hancock Story: A Legacy of Strength, Stability, Service, & Opportunity". Hancock Bank.
  8. ↑ "Bandits Rob Mississippi Bank" (PDF). The New York Times. January 23, 1931.
  9. ↑ Leo W. Seal (1987). The Hancock Bank: leading the way on Mississippi's Gulf Coast. Newcomen Society of the United States.
  10. 1 2 3 Burton, Keith (November 24, 1998). "Society Unveils Landmark: Second Marker Will Be Dedicated Dec. 8". The Sun Herald (Biloxi, MS).
  11. ↑ "Coast Roast branches out to New Orleans area". Coast Roast Coffee.
  12. ↑ Kate Magandy. "Roasting beans at Bankhouse Coffee". Sun Herald TV. Archived from the original on 2012-03-28.
  13. ↑ "Classic cooker offers a feast for the senses". Sun Herald. September 21, 2008.
  14. ↑ "Coast Roast home page". Coast Roast Coffee.
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