Masonic Temple (Huntington, West Virginia) Explained

Masonic Temple-Watts, Ritter, Wholesale Drygoods Company Building
Location:1108 Third Avenue, Huntington, West Virginia
Coordinates:38.4229°N -82.4405°W
Built:1922
Architect:Mills, Wilbur T.
Builder:Moore Construction Co.
Architecture:Early Commercial
Added:August 26, 1993
Area:less than one acre
Refnum:93000614

The Masonic Temple—Watts, Ritter, Wholesale Drygoods Company Building in Huntington, West Virginia, which has also been historically known as Watts, Ritter Wholesale Drygoods Company Building and more recently known as River Tower, is a commercial building. It is located at 1108 Third Avenue, in Huntington, Cabell County, West Virginia. It was built between 1914 and 1922 as a five-story brick building.

The building is constructed of steel-reinforced concrete with yellow and orange brick facing and terra cotta trim, with an additional two stories added in 1926. It originally housed a large wholesale business with a retail store on the first floor. The Watts, Ritter Wholesale Drygoods Company occupied the building until the firm's closing in 1959.

The building was listed in 1993 on the National Register of Historic Places as "Masonic Temple--Watts, Ritter, Wholesale Drygoods Company Building".[1]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Ritter, Wholesale Drygoods Company Building. March 1993. 2011-07-23 . Nancy Recchie. State of West Virginia, West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Historic Preservation.