Image: United Manawatu Lodge MRD 04

Description: The United Manawatu Lodge building (now Aqaba restaurant), 186 Broadway Avenue, Palmerston North, New Zealand, listed as an Historic Place – Category II by Heritage New Zealand. The Temple of the United Manawatu Lodge of the Ancient Order of Freemasons on Broadway opened on 24 July 1931. Designed by Ernst V West, the total cost of the building including furnishings and decoration was £4,194. The ‘1721’ above the entrance is the registration number of the Lodge, and the 'E.C.' stands for ‘English Constitution’. Egyptian motifs, popular in Art Deco, were later removed from many buildings designed in this neo-Egyptian style; the Manawatu Lodge is a rare exception. In 1987 the lodge members relocated to the Manawatu Kilwinning Lodge building on Church Street, taking most of the heart rimu interior with them, and this building was sold, becoming the Aqaba Bar and Cafe.
Title: United Manawatu Lodge MRD 04
Credit: Own work
Author: Mike Dickison
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0
License: CC BY-SA 4.0
License Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Attribution Required?: Yes