by Clay Eals, The Seattle Times, June 30, 2022
NEAR THE SOUTH The Masonic Home was built in 1925-27 by the European-rooted Freemasons fraternal assembly as a statewide residence for elderly people.
“Des Moines would slowly become just another place without anything to denote it from the next town,” he says. What would Kennedy’s hometown be without the majestic, 95-year-old edifice, sparkling from its hillside for all to see from land and Puget Sound?
But in 1982, Des Moines annexed Zenith, and in a town known for massive retirement complexes, the Chateauesque, five-floor Masonic Home stands preeminent. City council member: The Masonic Home is Des Moines.