Masonic Lodge, 91 Crumlin Road, Belfast, BT14 6AD

The Masonic Lodge is a large, two-storey building in plain Art Deco style, constructed between April 1939 and February 1940 to designs by the renowned local architect John MacGeagh. It stands on the north side of Crumlin Road, to the west of the former county gaol, and represents a good example of Art Deco architecture.

The building is constructed in red facing brick with areas of artificial (sandstone-like) stone. The symmetrical south-facing front façade features a tall recessed central doorway, reached via a short flight of tiled steps with granite flankers. The recess is lined in artificial stone and is flanked by two outer columns of similar material with simple modern-style capitals and bases, which support a large artificial stone panel. The central panel, created by sculptor Morris Harding, depicts stone masons at work in Art Deco style. Between the columns are iron gates bearing large Masonic symbols. The rear of the recess contains a large panelled timber double door with a large multi-paned rectangular fanlight above it.

Flanking the doorway recess are tall narrow windows with recent metal frames and narrow stone surrounds; these originally featured multi-paned frames, as did the first-floor windows. The ground floor incorporates two small shops to the far left and far right, contained within neatly finished modern-style frontages. The first floor displays a long central row of windows with three pairs of metal-framed lights separated by stone piers, with another pair of windows on either side in similar style. Above the central row is a small stone panel bearing the Masonic symbol of square and dividers. A high stone-capped parapet conceals the slated hipped roof.

The west elevation is partially obscured by neighbouring properties. It comprises a two-storey hipped roof return section abutting a large L-shaped flat-roofed single-storey section extending further west and north. The west face of the flat-roofed section is largely blank but features a large metal-framed window and a timber-sheeted door with plain fanlight roughly centre-left, with a slightly lower projecting section to the far left containing small windows to the west and south faces, both protected by security grilles. The north face has a large metal-framed window to the left, a much smaller two-pane window, and a timber-sheeted door with rectangular fanlight to the far right. The east face of the flat-roofed section contains a large metal-framed window and a projecting square bay with smaller metal-framed windows. A lean-to portion rises against the upper first-floor level of the west face of the return, with a metal-sheeted door to its short north face. The exposed upper first-floor section of the return's west face contains a row of metal-framed windows. The ground floor of the return's north face features a large metal-framed window with obscured glazing, and a plain metal-sheeted fire escape door to the first floor on the left; a new fire escape is currently under construction. The east face of the return, facing the neighbouring gaol, appears to be completely blank, as is the exposed east face of the main front section. The exposed rear (north) face of the main front section contains a shallow single-storey flat-roofed projection with a timber-sheeted door and a small metal-framed window to the first floor.

The roofs of the main front section and return are hipped and slated. Brick chimneystack rise from the north-east corner of the return and near the north-west corner of the flat-roofed section. Metal rainwater goods feature a typically Art Deco zigzag pattern to the hoppers at the front. Simple metal railings with gates surround the front entrance, with the metal gate posts topped by simple urns. To the rear is a yard used as a car park, surrounded by a very high wall constructed in brick, breeze block, render, and corrugated metal, with a vehicle gateway to the north-west corner.

The hall replaced an earlier Masonic hall of circa 1890–92 which stood on the opposite side of Crumlin Road. The window frames to the front façade were replaced circa 1999–2000. The building is currently shared by a number of lodges. The extent of listing includes the hall and railings.