Henry Rhode constructed the Masonic building in 1860 with Florian Meyer serving as contractor. Constructed of limestone blocks covered with stucco, it rises three stories and is crowned with a projecting stone cornice. 

After the death of Rhode in 1862, the La Fayette Lodge No. 34, A.F. & A.M. and the I.O.O.F. Lodge No. 30 purchased the building in 1866. The Masonic Lodge occupied the third floor from July 24, 1866, to May 1939. In 1871, the Lodge sold the property to J. M. Farquahar but continued to occupy the third floor. In 1939, the property was sold to William and August Hermes. 

Among the occupants of the building over the years were attorney Joseph Brown (founder of the J. C. Brown Abstract Company, later known as the Fayette County Abstract Company), the National Farm and Loan Association, the Brenham Production Credit Association, and the Soil Conservation Service. Fayette County Abstract Co. occupied the building from 1940 through 1973. 

The building received the Recorded Texas Historic Landmark designation in 1962 and is currently serving as a lawyer’s office.