OFFICE
1229 Emerson Street
Evanston, IL
Located within Evanston’s once–red-lined zone, the Mount Moriah Masonic Temple at 1229 Emerson Street carries a profound social, racial, and cultural legacy dating back to its opening in 1929. The two-story, 11,400-square-foot brick and concrete structure was designed by Walter T. Bailey, the first licensed African American architect in Illinois.
When DMAC Architecture & Interiors purchased the building in 2015, it required significant renovation but retained strong structural integrity and key original elements. Our adaptive-reuse design reimagines the second floor as an open studio, where the column-free span, 14-foot ceilings, and restored herringbone parquet floor now frame a collaborative workspace. Desks line the east and west brick walls, while a long communal table anchors the center of the room, emphasizing light, volume, and connectivity.
To enhance natural light, we maximized openings—replacing divided-light windows with full-glass assemblies on the front façade and enlarging selected openings along the back elevation. Salvaged bricks were reused to create a woven brick infill, transforming the rear into a more active “second façade” engaging the residential neighborhood.
The first floor, once heavily partitioned into small offices, was opened into six continuous bays stretching front to back. As a street-level, community-connected space, it is designed to host small events, exhibitions, and pop-up art shows. At the rear, a triangular “Pocket Park” of permeable hardscape and planted landscape extends the program outdoors, creating a flexible gathering space that further strengthens the building’s connection to its surroundings.
