The oldest masonic lodge in the District of Columbia, 1212 Wisconsin Ave. has been home to Freemasons since 1859. The lodge is also the owner of the "George Washington Gavel," which is the instrument George Washington used to lay the cornerstone of the US Capitol in 1793, though, currently, the gavel is in safekeeping in a bank and not on display. The lodge holds meetings for members on the first and third Wednesday of each month at 7:30 pm.