MORTON — The Masonic lodge in Morton — an old, well-loved and, in times past, well-used building — has been dedicated to a new purpose and given a new name, the Tiller Arts Center. The acquisition of the building, which is adjacent to the Roxy Theater and down the block from the BCJ Gallery of Fine Arts, is the next step in realizing the mission of Fire Mountain Arts Council to promote arts education and economic development in the region.
On Saturday, FMAC invited interested guests, arts aficionados and patrons for a sneak preview tour of their newly acquired building. Several members of the Mason Lodge were on hand to answer questions about the building, its past and what its presence has meant to the community of Morton.
A decline in membership had made it difficult for the Masons to support the cost of the building. The Masons had approached the FMAC several times over the years in hopes that the council would be interested in purchasing the property.
When the Roxy Theater was purchased by FMAC in 2003, the initial plan was to add on to the back of the building. The group needed dressing rooms and storage space, so they turned to the Masons for help.
“Live performances take a lot of staging space,” said Carl Ericksen, president of the Fire Mountain Arts Council. “The Masons have been very gracious to us, allowing us to borrow their basement space for nearly every performance we have had here. We really want to thank the Masons for the contribution they have made to this community.”
“We said, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to buy the Masons lodge building and fix it up?’ And everyone thought we were crazy. Well, you have to be a little crazy to dream this big,” Ericksen said. “Thanks to the Morton Action Committee and the pioneer Tiller family descendants for making this dream a reality. The Tiller Family got together, under the leadership of Betty Hutchison, and put up the down payment and purchased the building for us.”
Built in 1954 to replace the original lodge that was lost in a fire, the building contains many decorative features handcrafted by the members. Mahogany-inlaid wainscoting surrounds the upstairs room and the floor, jigsaw cut and installed by former Morton Mayor Elmer Jastad, is a replica of the floor found in King Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem. Handcrafted doors greet you at every turn; the attention to detail and craftsmanship is a point of pride for the lodge members.
The Masons placed a time capsule behind the cornerstone of the building and have stipulated in the sale of the building that if the building is ever demolished the capsule will be returned to the lodge members.
The building is approximately 4,400 square feet with a large space on the upper floor and a kitchen, another large room and store rooms on the lower level. The spaces will be available for rent to the public.
Betty Hutchison, a Tiller family descendant, will manage the building and space rental. She had contacted Tiller descendants all over the country and received donations ranging from $25 to $2,100.
Justine Reed, director of the Eatonville Dance Center, will offer dance classes at the Tiller Arts Center starting Wednesday.
“We hope to attract a wide variety of events here,” Ericksen said. “We would like to have a martial arts studio, hold art classes, and maybe buy some electric kilns. We can hold receptions here, sponsor a dinner theater, we have a lot of plans for this building. We have a lot of work to do here and a lot of opportunities.”
