It was still in use as a meeting place in 2005 and was deemed significant "for its long and continued use as a Masonic Lodge in Austin" and "for its architecture as a good representation of an early twentieth-century Beaux-Arts fraternal building."[2]
The Historic Landmark Commission of Austin studied the proposition to build a tower building on top of the Royal Arch Masonic Lodge[3] and approved a certificate of appropriateness for the project in November 2019. Both the interior and exterior of the original building will be renovated.[4][5] The local Masons should get a 99-year lease on the building, and two floors reserved for their ceremonies.[6] The project was criticized (‘desecration of an actual landmark’) for the height of the tower planned (40 stories including the original building) and the structural engineering risks linked to the complete excavation of the original building, but the new construction should unlock an annual $1.5 million in property tax revenue for the city of Austin, and should contribute to the revival of the area.[6][7] Similar completed projects include the Hearst Tower in Manhattan.[5]
