1900 3rd Ave
Anoka, MN, USA

Colonial Hall and Masonic Lodge No. 30

Colonial Hall and Masonic Lodge No. 30 consists of two historic buildings located at 1900 3rd Avenue, South in Anoka, Minnesota. Both were owned by Anoka Lodge No 30 AF & AM, which was chartered on October 25, 1859. Colonial Hall, also known as the Aldrich House for its association with the house's first owners and occupants, local medical and civil leaders Dr. Alanson and Dr. Flora Aldrich, is a two-story wooden building built in 1904 in a combination of Colonial Revival and Greek Revival styles by local renowned architect Fredrick Marsh. The Aldrich House was purchased by the Anoka Lodge in 1921, and in 1922, construction began on the present two-story redbrick Masonic temple, which is located behind but to the north of the Colonial Hall. Designed and built in the Georgian Revival style, it was completed and occupied in 1923.

On December 31, 1979, Colonial Hall and Masonic Lodge No. 30 was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In the 1980s, the Anoka County Historical Society's offices and library were housed in Colonial Hall.
As of July 2019, Anoka Lodge No. 30 was still meeting in the Lodge hall twice per month, along with Anoka-Shekinah Royal Arch Chapter #104, Zabud Cryptic Council #10, Order of the Eastern Star Marthas Chapter, Job's Daughters Bethel 48, and Anoka DeMolay Chapter.

In December 2012 the decision was made to sell Colonial Hall to a private party for restoration.

In 2016, Colonial Hall is occupied by a tenant, The Big White House, an antiques store.

Colonial Hall and Masonic Lodge No. 30 - National Register of Historic Places

Statement of Significance:

Colonial Hall, planned and built by Drs. Alanson and Flora Aldrich in 1904, is a significant historic and architectural building in Anoka. Historically this building is significant due to its association with the medical practice and the civic contributions of the Drs. Aldrich. Architecturally Colonial Hall represents the only well-preserved Anoka example of a Frederick Marsh designed Georgian Revival house. As the office and museum of the Anoka County Historical Society and the Anoka County Genealogical Society, Colonial Hall continues to make a historical contribution to the county.

Dr. Flora Aldrich, a descendant of the Hudson Valley Knickerbockers, and Dr. Alanson Aldrich, a native of Massachusetts, moved from New York to Anoka in 1883. Prior to 1883 they had studied and practiced medicine together in Baltimore, Chicago, New York, London, Paris, and Vienna. Their Anoka practice was devoted to the treatment of eye, ear, nose, and throat ailments.

Dr. Flora Aldrich, civically active throughout her residence in Anoka, served in 1890 as the first president of the Philalethia Society, a women's social club. She also served as Vice-President of Anoka 1 s first library board. As a noted author, Dr. Flora Aldrich contributed to various medical journals. In addition, she wrote My Child and I, a turn-of-the-century child rearing guide for mothers. Throughout her life she was a devoted member of both the Minnesota Medical Society and the American Medical Association.

Dr. Alanson Aldrich, who had established renown in his field in Europe and on the east coast before moving to Anoka, maintained a medical practice for thirty-three years in both Anoka and Minneapolis. Through his contribution to ophthalmology journals, Dr. Alanson Aldrich maintained a national reputation as an innovator in his field. He was a member of the Hennepin County Medical Society, the Minnesota Medical Society, and the American Medical Association.

In 1922, after the death of the Drs. Aldrich, Colonial Hall and its contents were sold to the Anoka Masonic Lodge. Soon after, the Masons constructed a two-story Masonic Hall to the northeast of Colonial Hall. In 1971 Colonial Hall was leased to the Anoka County Historical Society. The Masons retain ownership and continue to meet in the hall.