East Toledo’s Masonic Temple once held a stately presence on Fourth and Main. With support from LISC, a local developer is reclaiming its historic prominence in the neighborhood, converting it into 42 units of affordable senior housing.
When first completed in 1913, East Toledo’s Masonic Temple held a stately presence on Fourth and Main. But if you saw it today, it would be hard to look past the shards of glass, cracked marble entryway, and crumbling bricks to see what it meant to the neighborhood.
The temple was so deeply in disrepair that neighbors had repeatedly called for its demolition. But Ambrea Mikolajczyk of ARK Restoration & Construction (ARK) had a different vision. With a $450,000 LISC predevelopment loan, Mikolajczyk and ARK are stabilizing the property and converting it to 42 units of affordable senior housing. Units will be priced for residents at 50 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI) and, when completed, the ground floor will offer onsite community amenities, with plans for a gym, a salon and even a hoped-for medical clinic.
“The former Masonic Temple has sat vacant for many years, even though it is situated in a great location,” said Victor Abla, LISC Toledo director of housing, who pointed to significant investments by Metroparks Toledo to build up greenspace in the surrounding area. “ARK’s vision to create affordable housing close to amenities will add critical homes for seniors, furthering the community’s priorities,” he added.
LISC has been a longtime supporter of ARK, first partnering on a construction loan to convert an abandoned Wonder Bread factory to a vibrant mixed-use development—even when uncertainty in the early days of the pandemic threatened the viability of the project. Today, the old factory is home to 33 apartments, with residents even moving from the suburbs or out of state to live in the neighborhood.
ARK has shown the same kind of commitment to the revitalization of the Masonic Temple. For Mikolajcyzk, who left her pharmaceutical job in 2017 to pursue restoration work full time with husband Kevin, the best part of these projects is seeing neglected and overlooked buildings transformed into lively neighborhood anchors. They have the power to bring energy, jobs, and economic growth to areas that have long faced underinvestment, she said.
“Through the Masonic Temple restoration, ARK is building reinvestment in an area that had been overlooked for decades, and that is incredibly powerful,” said Sarah Allan, LISC Toledo senior program officer. “LISC is proud to support local, BIPOC and woman-owned developers like ARK who are committed to building more vibrant communities.”