The Herman L. Rowley Memorial Trust, the public charity formed in 1955 that operated the Masonic Home in Perry for 65 years, has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, according to court records.
The trust, doing business as the Rowley Masonic Nursing Home LLC, filed for administrative dissolution with the state of Iowa in 2019. Filings indicate the charity lost almost $6 million over its final five years.
The trust’s 2020 filing for IRS tax-exempt status showed total assets of about $19.2 million and total liabilities of about $20 million. A meeting of creditors is scheduled for Jan. 27.
The property was purchased in November 2020 by the Perry Lutheran Home-Rowley Campus LLC for about $10 million and is now operated as the Perry Lutheran Homes Eden Acres Campus.
The original Rowley Masonic Home at 3000 Willis Ave. was built in 1957. Construction of a $20 million, 72,000-square-foot addition to the facility began in January 2014 on the 22-acre campus at 1300 28th St.
The nursing home was operated by a board of directors through the Grand Lodge of Iowa, the governing body of Freemasonry within the state of Iowa, with a trust agreement administered by the Dallas County District Court and the local Otley Lodge 299 A.F. & A.M.
The Herman L. Rowley Memorial Trust Board of Trustees Chairperson Neil Paulsen was not available for comment on the bankruptcy proceedings, but he thanked the community for its support at the time of the property’s sale in 2020.
“We would like to thank those in and around the Perry area for their support of Rowley Masonic Community,” Paulsen said. “It has been a true honor to serve our residents and their families for more than 60 years. We also are deeply appreciative of our fellow Masonic bodies, including the Masons of Iowa, who have acted as true advocates for Rowley Masonic Community from the beginning through this transition.
