The Michigan Masonic Home Association was established in November 1885 to raise funds for a home and health care facility for aged Masons. In 1891, Michigan's first Masonic Home opened on Reed's Lake near Grand Rapids. After fire destroyed it in 1910, Alma businessman and philanthropist Ammi W. Wright donated the former Alma Sanitarium as a replacement, and the Masons used that building for twenty years. In 1929, construction began on a new home on this 116-acre site, and the first residents moved into the new facility in 1931. Since 1931, several additions have created a diverse residential and nursing care facility operated by the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Michigan.