Bay Cities Lodge No. 337

The brothers of Bay Cities Lodge traditionally hold a Valentines Day/Widows Night party near Valentines Day every year.

We are hosting this event on, of all days, Valentines Day, February 14, at 5:30 pm. This is a no-charge event to honor our wives, widows, and families.

This year, bring a mask and wear your formal clothing! Encouraged attire is a dark suit for men and a dress or gown for women.

On Sunday, February 8, the brothers of Bay Cities Lodge is hosting a Football End of Season Viewing Party for our members and friends.

People will be arriving 1:00pm at the Richmond Masonic Hall to bring food and cook, while some of our guests will be watching the pregame show and visiting friends. When the food is cooked, we eat. PLEASE STAY FOR LUNCH AND ENJOY THE GAME! Join us for a pleasant afternoon. Please arrive by 3:30pm or you will miss kickoff.

We expecially invite our friends from other area Masonic Lodges and Eastern Star Chapters if they are already not attending a Party someplace else.

Thank you for considering Richmond Masonic Hall for your special function.

Our facility was built by the hands of freemasons during the 1960’s. Our building contains a large event room and we have parking for over 100 cars neaby.

The Richmond Masonic Hall is the perfect gathering place for weddings, receptions, banquets, galas, seminars, conferences, business meetings, fundraisers, quinceñeras, and cultural festivals.

We offer two rooms for your community event:

Our large event room is a 220 seat dining accomodation, with accessess to a preperation area.

Our small event room is a 40 seat dining accomodation, suitable also for use as a conference/class/workroom), which also has a small commercial kitchen with small preparation quarters.

Both event rooms have access to ample parking lot, great rates, and knowledeable staff. Our Masonic Hall is conveniently located near Interstate 80, an ideal community meeting place.

For information, please contact our Hall Manager at (510) 230-8740.

One of our friends from Alameda Lodge has shared with us a list of all upcoming Masonic events in the Bay Area through Mid-March.

The Bay Cities brothers and their ladies will be working in the kitchen at 5:30 am on Saturday, February 21. We are one of many local groups that assist the Greater Richmond Interfaith Program with their community feeding program.

GRIP is a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic coalition of congregations from varied faiths working together as a diverse and inclusive coalition dedicated to helping those of our community in need to transition to self-sufficiency.

Click the link below to view our current Trestleboard. You must have Adobe Reader to view the Trestleboard and print it on your computer’s printer.

Back in 1947, our country was reeling from many major changes. Word war II brought war to our nation. Over 400 thousand Americans died as a result of war casualties. Furthermore, the cold war was beginning…in June of 1948 the Berlin airlift started.

Meanwhile, California and the Bay Area were growing substantially. People who lived here started having children and others came from other states for jobs. California population grew from 6.9 Million in 1940 to 10.6 Million in 1950. There was a great demand for houses being built in areas north of Berkeley and Albany and East of Richmond.

Masonic membership grew rate greater than the population, and Many new lodges opened:

Membership in the area served by our 11 lodges grew from just over 1,000 in 1920 to nearly 4,000 in 1950.

 Carquinez Lodge# 337 (Founded 1899) meeting in Crockett
 Pinole Lodge #353 (Founded 1903) Meeting in Pinole
 McKinley Lodge #347 (Founded 1902) meeting in Richmond
 Charter Rock Lodge #410 (Founded 1910) in Berkeley
 Alpha Lodge #431 (Founded 1912) in Richmond
 Thousand Oaks Lodge No.478 (founded 1920) in Berkeley
 Stephens Lodge #451 (Founded 1923) in Berkeley
 Shattuck Lodge # 471 (Founded 1923) in Berkeley
 Harbor Lodge #502 (Founded 1923) in Richmond
 Point Lodge #503 (Founded 1923) in Richmond
 Albany Lodge #686 (Founded 1945) in Albany

Bay Cities Lodge continues to embrace our changing neighborhoods and offer to all qualified men the benefits of freemasonry. Feel free to ask us; we would be happy to answer any questions you may have.

The decade ending in 1920 was a period of much suffering, and lot of change. In 1918, World War One ended, with an American death toll of more than 116 thousand. During 1918 and 1919, over 650 thousand Americans died of the Spanish Flu. The 18^th Amendment ended most legal alcohol consumption, and the 19^th Amendment finally gave American adult women the right to vote.

In response to these events, freemasonry changed and new masonic organizations were created. In 1919, Frank S. Land and a group of young boys, including some orphans of freemasons, started what later became the first Chapter of DeMolay International. Also created about this time were two organizations for girls: the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls and Job’s Daughters.

In California, freemasonry became more popular. The number of California Freemasons quadrupled from 21,579 in 1899, to 85,181 in 1921. American freemasonry was entering its golden age. The number of American freemasons reached over 3 million by 1924. By that time, nearly 6 out of every 100 American males were freemasons.

Lodge membership in our area grew from 25 members from 1 lodge in 1899, to over 2,000 members from 7 lodges by 1921, which included:

As the Covid-19 pandemic eases, and we cautiously start attending meetings again, the members of Bay Cities Lodge No. 337 are remembering our past and building a better tomorrow. Our members want to have a direct and beneficial impact to our communities, through our charities, and on a personal level. We meet on the first Tuesday of the month for stated meetings at the Richmond Masonic Hall, 5050 El Portal Drive, in Richmond at the edge of El Sobrante.