09/03/2026
** Special Announcement **
Easements Atlanta recently accepted a preservation easement on the historic c. 1937 Prince Hall Grand Masonic Lodge at 330 Auburn Avenue NE.
Easements Atlanta (EA) was honored to accept the preservation easement donation from the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Georgia, making this EA’s second holding in the
Sweet Auburn neighborhood. This agreement ensures the historic character of the property will be protected, including significant interior spaces, the latter of which is a first for EA. Collaborating
with Trust for Public Land, the Prince Hall Grand Masonic Lodge was the recipient of funding from the African American Civil Rights Grant Program, which includes a twenty-year term easement as a
component of the National Park Service grant requirements. This partnership between Trust for Public Land and the leadership of the Prince Hall Masonic Grand Lodge has resulted in the restoration of the building so that it could be programmed as part of Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park.
“This is a profound and meaningful partnership for our organization; to be included on the stewardship team of a property with such a storied history is an incredible honor,” said Sarah
Borcherding, Executive Director of EA. “Additionally, the inclusion of interior spaces in the easement [on the first, second, and third floors] reinforces the historic and cultural significance
of the property. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference offices, the Prince Hall Masonic meeting rooms, Eastern Star meeting rooms, along with the WERD
studio and Walker Beauty Salon are now protected. Preserving these physical spaces facilitates the interpretation and memory of the pivotal history this building witnessed on Auburn Avenue.”
“This building has stood at Auburn Avenue and Hilliard Street since 1937 as proof of what Black Atlantans could build for themselves at a time when doors elsewhere were closed to them,” said Primus James, the 19th Most Worshipful Grand Master of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Georgia. “John Wesley Dobbs and the brethren who raised these walls intended them to serve the whole community, and they did—as a Masonic home, as a place of business for Black entrepreneurs, and as the headquarters from which Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference carried the movement forward. In granting this easement, the Craft makes a promise that the rooms where that history happened will remain intact long after all of us have passed. We are grateful to Trust for Public Land, the National Park Service, and Easements Atlanta for standing with us in keeping that promise.”
“Places like the Prince Hall Grand Lodge are more than historic buildings—they are tangible connections to the people, organizations, and movements that shaped Atlanta and our nation,” said George Dusenbury, Vice President, Southern Region at Trust for Public Land. “This preservation easement is an important investment in keeping the legacy of Atlanta’s Black leaders, entrepreneurs, and civil rights advocates alive. We’re proud to have helped bring resources to protect this important place, ensuring that future generations can experience and learn from the history that unfolded here.”
David Yoakley Mitchell, Executive Director of the Atlanta Preservation Center, and an Easements Atlanta board member, shared this thought on the donation, “The Sweet Auburn
NHLD holds national significance as a place of historic African American institutional and community buildings. From its inception as a black business district, Auburn Avenue was the
home to several African American Masonic/fraternal organizations. These organizations formed an important piece in the cultural and financial makeup of the street, and they represent the
achievements of African American leaders of the city, state, and nation and were an important part of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s formative years. The Prince Hall Grand Masonic Lodge
represents a significant part of our shared past and serves to inform future generations of the stories of segregation, entrepreneurship, the civil rights movement, and organizations that
strengthened the community and provided leadership and support throughout its history. Easements Atlanta makes sure we don't forget that.”
Constructed in 1937 (completed in 1940), the Prince Hall Grand Masonic Lodge was the vision of John Wesley Dobbs, the Grand Master of the Prince Hall Masons. The building not only housed
assembly space for the Prince Hall Masons but also provided safe meeting and commercial space for many other Black organizations and businesses during the Jim Crow era. In 1963, it became the headquarters of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with the offices of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Designed by Charles Hopson and constructed by Alexander D. Hamilton, the buff-colored brick building features an array of classical and masonic symbolism on the primary facade. An
addition in 1955 expanded the upstairs area, as well as adding commercial space along Hilliard Street. The building recently underwent a multimillion-dollar rehabilitation and is now
included in the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park.
