Masonic Lodge

Fiji’s free masons met for the first time in Levuka in 1871, inspired by a ship’s captain who considered it high time Fiji hosted its first meeting of Lodge Polynesia.  At first the society had no permanent home so early meetings were held all over town.  But when money and land were donated by generous benefactors, the Masonic Hall was finally built in 1913.  It was Levuka’s most unusual building because of its Roman architecture amidst the town’s British bungalows.   

The building withstood the ravages of time until 2000, when it was burnt to the ground by suspicious locals who distrusted the society’s secretive rituals, handshakes and symbols. Even as a stone shell, the ruins make for an interesting peek into Levuka’s unique history.