In 1853, the Grand Lodge of Minnesota was established, paving the way for the growth of Freemasonry in the region. Just two years later, in 1855, a dispensation was granted to found Winona Lodge, at a time when the town of Winona had a modest population of 350. By 1857, Winona Lodge was officially established, coinciding with Winona’s incorporation as a city. Remarkably, within six years of its founding, the city’s population had grown to 3,000.

The journey toward a permanent Masonic Temple in Winona began in April 1906 when Winona Lodge No. 18 formed the Winona Masonic Benevolent Association (WMBA). The association’s mission was clear: to promote social and cultural benevolence and to facilitate charitable efforts. At the time, lodge meetings were held on the third floor of the “Old Post Office Block,” an arrangement that would soon change.

On May 26, 1906, the WMBA purchased a parcel of land, previously occupied by a house and barn, for $9,000. This acquisition marked the beginning of an ambitious project to construct a grand Masonic Temple. Initially, the Chicago architectural firm Huehl & Schmidt was selected to design the building. However, after more than a year of collaboration, the projected costs exceeded the budget. In August 1908, the project was reassigned to architects Warren Powers Laird and C.F. Osborne of Philadelphia. Laird’s familial and Masonic connections to Winona lent a personal touch to the endeavor, and within two months, a new design was finalized.

By October 1908, the WMBA had hired local contractor John Lohse to construct the temple, with a projected cost of $40,050. On November 21, 1908, a large cornerstone, engraved with the symbolic square and compass, was ceremonially laid. The project benefitted from the expertise of Charles G. Maybury, a prominent local architect and one of Winona County’s earliest settlers, who served as Superintendent of Construction. Maybury’s influence was instrumental in creating the Beaux-Arts style temple, aligning with the Period Revival architecture popular at the time.

By mid-1909, as construction advanced, attention turned to the temple’s interior. A large, two-story central lodge room became the heart of the building, featuring a fully outfitted stage with a proscenium arch and fly loft for state-of-the-art scenery and stage equipment. Sosman & Landis of Chicago provided 98 canvas drops capable of forming 59 different scenic backdrops to enhance Masonic rituals. Complementing this was a three-manual Weikhardt organ, purchased in 1910 for $13,000, which added a musical dimension to the ceremonies.

The temple was completed in December 1909, and on January 7, 1910, the first Scottish Rite meeting was held in the new facility. The Scottish Rite membership in Winona had grown significantly by this time, from an initial 15 members to 400. Among the notable members initiated that year was Dr. Charles Horace Mayo, a co-founder of the Mayo Clinic and an active supporter of Freemasonry.

The Winona Masonic Temple quickly became a social and cultural hub for the city. It hosted Masonic events, community dances organized by the Acacia Club, and regional Masonic conferences. The building also served broader community needs. Its ballroom, capable of accommodating 600 people, became a venue for various civic events, including charity balls, political speeches, and lectures. During emergencies, such as the fires that destroyed the State Teachers College (later to be known as Winona State University) in 1922 and the YMCA building in 1946, the temple provided temporary accommodations for displaced organizations.

By the 1930s, the Great Depression began to impact Masonic membership nationwide, and the Winona Scottish Rite bodies were not immune. Despite this decline, the temple remained a focal point during World War II, hosting charitable and patriotic events. However, by the late 20th century, the building had outgrown the needs of the remaining Masonic bodies. In 1979, the WMBA sold the temple to the City of Winona, retaining the second and third floors for Masonic use. The city repurposed the first floor as a Senior Citizens Center, ensuring the building’s continued relevance.

Recognized for its architectural and historical significance, the Winona Masonic Temple was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997, preserving its legacy as a cornerstone of community and Freemasonry in Winona.

In 1979, facing declining membership and increasing maintenance costs, the decision was made to sell the Masonic Center to the City of Winona. The lodge retained the right to rent space for meetings and other events.

In 2017, the lodge transitioned to a smaller building located at 926 West 5th Street in Winona, providing exclusive access for lodge members and affiliated bodies seeking meeting space. Currently, the lodge offers space for the Order of the Eastern Star and hosts several community events, including the annual "100 Miles of Garage Sales" for the Winona Shrine and the "It's Not Just Turkey" community dinner.