Union of Strict Observance Lodge No. 3, Free and Accepted Masons of Michigan, is one of Detroit’s oldest Masonic lodges. Our lodge traces its origins to 1851 and has worked continuously in the city ever since, helping to shape generations of Detroit men through the principles of brotherly love, relief, and truth. Today we meet in the historic Detroit Masonic Temple at 500 Temple Street, where we continue the work begun by our founders more than a century and a half ago.
Key Facts at a Glance:
Name: Union of Strict Observance Lodge No. 3
Jurisdiction: Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Michigan (https://michiganmasons.org/)
Location: Detroit Masonic Temple, 500 Temple St., Detroit, Michigan 48201, 5th Floor East
Founded: November 20th, 1851, with the lodge working in Detroit by the early 1850s and remaining active to the present day
Meeting Night: Regular business meetings on the first Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m.
Temple: One of the original Blue Lodges to take up residence in the current Detroit Masonic Temple, when it was dedicated in 1926, the largest Masonic building in the world.
Membership: Men 18 years of age or older, of good character and reputation, who profess a belief in a Supreme Being and seek moral and spiritual improvement.
Historical Overview
Union of Strict Observance Lodge Nº 3 has served the City of Detroit since the early 1850s, when the lodge first met above 225 Jefferson Avenue in what was then a growing frontier town. Recognized in Grand Lodge records from 1851 onward, No. 3 quickly became a steady part of Michigan Masonry.
As Detroit expanded, the lodge moved with it. When the Detroit Masonic Temple was built—cornerstone laid in 1922, dedication in 1926—Union Lodge of Strict Observance Nº 3 became one of the original Blue Lodge tenants. We continue our work today on the fifth floor of the largest Masonic building in the world.
Through war, economic hardship, and the many rises and falls of the city we call home, Lodge Nº 3 has remained continuously active. For more than 170 years, our lights have never dimmed, and the work has never ceased.