Masonic Widows and Orphans Home Historic District
a.k.a. Masonic Home and School of Texas
Roughly bounded by E. Berry St., Mitchell Blvd., Vaughn St., Wichita St. and Glen Garden Dr., Fort Worth, TXThe Masonic Widows and Orphans Home Historic District is a largely intact eleemosynary facility similar to many that developed during the Progressive Era of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is nominated under Criterion A in the area of social history as a representation of facilities built and operated by fraternal organizations for the care of orphans and widows of its members. The property is eligible under Criterion C in the area of architecture as a largely unaltered collection of institutional buildings and structures of eleemosynary facilities containing two buildings from the first phase of development (1899-1920) and the remaining from the second phase of development (1920-1941). The post 1941 buildings reflect the shift in the philosophical and psychological thought for child welfare and social services. Many of these practices continue to the present.
Local significance of the district:Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.