The cornerstone for the Masonic Temple for Huguenot Lodge #381 on Main Street south of Amboy Road was laid with great fanfare on June 12, 1909. There was a gathering of hundreds with marching bands, speechmaking and pageantry. The Huguenot Lodge was named for French Protestants forced to leave their country because of religious intolerance who settled in Staten Island’ s south shore in the 1700s.
The temple was completed in 1910 by architects Charles Thrall and Charles Schmeiser. Thrall was Superintendent and chief designer for Atlantic Terra Cotta Works elsewhere in Tottenville, and colorful terra cotta is featured all over the exterior. Such was the importance of Atlantic Terra Cotta to Tottenville’s economy that a small railroad station on what was then called Staten Island Rapid Transit was built near the plant in the 19th Century. Plans call for a new station replacing both the Atlantic and Nassau Stations that will open in 2015.
2/21/14