ZANESVILLE, Ohio — The “Majesty of Zanesville.”
That’s how Ron Cole describes the city’s Masonic Temple. Once the epicenter for aspiring artists is now the epicenter for hometown heartbreak.
"It’s the heart and soul of our art community,” Cole said.
Cole moved to Zanesville 10 years ago. A professional artist from Los Angeles, he found a home at the Masonic Temple.
“There’s a lot of older buildings that are in the state of Ohio, but I would hazard to say few that were as original as the Masonic Temple behind me,” he said. “And it’s just gone.”
Thursday night the 120-year-old building caught fire. The Zanesville Fire Department, according to assistant chief Doug Hobson, had to back out of the blaze after it was deemed unsafe for fire crews to enter. The fire department says one man and his animals had to be rescued from a third-floor window.
“It’s unfortunate for a great building like the Masonic Temple here in downtown,” Hobson said. “But, it’s very unsafe.”
Hobson says power and gas have been shut off for the entire block and the building, due to safety concerns, will be imploded.
“It’s beyond heartbreaking,” Cole said. “It’s a historical loss.”
Cole, as a thank you to the building before he moved out four years ago, painted a picture of the Masonic Temple in, what he calls, its “heyday” back in the late 1920s.
He describes the picture how he says he will remember the historic building: Majesty of Zanesville.
“It’s crushing,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of devastating things in my life, unfortunately, but this ranks right up there with one of the worst things I’ve ever seen.”
Hobson says the building should come down by midnight, Friday. He says power should be restored by mid-next week.
You can learn more about helping the community recover by clicking here.