Bangor Fire Burned!
Twenty years ago, a huge fire changed downtown Bangor forever. In 2004, a massive fire destroyed the historic Masonic Hall, a building that had stood since 1870 at the corner of Main and Water streets. Firefighters battled the blaze for hours, and by the next morning, the building was covered in a thick layer of ice. Photographer Kevin Bennett captured a striking image of the frozen building, showing the extent of the destruction.
The fire began on the evening of Thursday, January 15, believed to have started in the basement and quickly spreading to the first floor. Firefighters arrived at 8:30 p.m. and fought the flames for four and a half days. The building housed the Masonic Lodge, the Masonic Learning Center, as well as businesses like Yankee Shoe Repair and the Riverside Art Gallery. While the Bangor Masons relocated their headquarters in 2009, the cobbler and the gallery never reopened. Fortunately, no one was injured.
By the following Friday, it became clear that the building was beyond saving. A crane and wrecking ball arrived, and the rest of the structure was demolished. Smoke still rose from the rubble for four more days. The Brewer, Holden, and Orono fire departments assisted the Bangor Fire Department, using over 10 million gallons of water to extinguish the blaze.
Even after months of investigation, the state fire marshal couldn’t determine the cause of the fire by May 2004. To this day, the exact cause remains a mystery.
This fire was one of the largest and most challenging fires in recent Bangor history, though advancements in firefighting technology and building safety contained it to just the Masonic Hall, unlike the Great Bangor Fire of 1911 that devastated a third of downtown. The Masonic Hall itself was a historic gem, featuring a third-floor lodge room with stained glass windows, along with valuable items like Paul Revere silverware, antique furniture, and a custom chandelier.
Debris from the fire remained for over three months before it started being removed in April 2004. Today, the lot where the Masonic Hall once stood remains empty, owned by Haymarket LLC, a property management firm that also owns other downtown commercial buildings.
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