Masonic Village at Lafayette Hill History

Founded as The Masonic Home of Pennsylvania in 1871, this facility was originally a haven for poor and sick Pennsylvania Freemasons and their family members, relocating in 1976 from Philadelphia to Montgomery County.

To fulfill the original vision of the Pennsylvania Masonic founders, which was to offer three Masonic Homes across the Commonwealth, plans began in 2002 for the Masonic Home of Pennsylvania and the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania to become one Masonic Homes family. A task force was formed to review daily operations to enhance services currently provided at all locations. A survey was conducted of members in the five-county area nearest to the Masonic Home of Pennsylvania and the Masonic Eastern Star Home-East in Warminster to determine at which location prospective residents prefer to receive nursing, assisted living and retirement living services.

The results indicated that there was sufficient interest in both facilities to support the continuation of services at both locations. The decision was made to move forward with the union. The Lafayette Hill community became part of the Masonic Villages on Jan. 1, 2004.

In 2006, renovations to the healthcare and assisted living areas were completed, which included a new dining room for assisted living residents and an updated one for healthcare residents. A new therapy suite and spa were also built. By summer 2007, 21 new retirement living apartments were converted from 13 previous assited living apartments and a retirement living dining room and bistro were constructed. The Kenneth Mills Auditorium, bowling alley, recreation room and administrative offices were refurbished during this phase. The second part of this phase includes upgrades to the remainder of the retirement living apartments.

In 2007, pre-marketing began for 85 new retirement living apartments proposed to be built and connected to the front of the existing building. The new apartments would extend our services to up to 170 additional seniors and if sufficient interest is shown, construction could begin as early as fall 2008.