The diminutive Arrow Kilwinning Lodge sits amongst mature trees overlooking the small Otago township of Arrowtown, its formal exterior providing no clue to the magnificent interior within. The single storey stone building with its classical façade has been the meeting place for Arrowtown Freemasons since 1888. Concealed behind the restrained exterior, the Lodge Room is decorated with rare hand painted friezes and emblems depicting Masonic symbolism.

The Freemasons in Arrowtown held their first meetings in a hotel in the late 1870s. Discussion turned to a purpose built Lodge in the 1880s. George Brown designed the building with John McDonald completing the contract in 1888. The handsome building has served as a meeting place for generations of Arrowtown Masons since that time.

The Arrow Kilwinning Lodge is a small schist building rectangular in plan with an addition containing a kitchen and ablutions on one elevation. In common with other Masonic buildings the focus of the building is the Lodge Room. The Lodge Room with its layout based around the formal requirements and hierarchy for Masonic ritual has special significance because of the rare surviving interior decorative scheme which was restored in 2009, with the building rededicated in a formal ceremony in February 2010.

The Arrow Kilwinning Lodge has special aesthetic significance due to its hand painted decorative paint scheme in the Lodge Room, and for its prominent setting overlooking the business centre of Arrowtown. The decorative scheme with its Masonic symbols is a special surviving example of Masonic art. The Lodge links with the larger architectural history of Freemasonry both in New Zealand and internationally. The Arrow Kilwinning Lodge has cultural significance as an example of the cultural expression of the Freemasons. The design, decoration and use of the building are grounded in the culture of Freemasonry which went through a growth period in the later nineteenth century and early twentieth century. Built in 1888, it is an important reminder of the importance of non-governmental support systems and community networks which served an important community function in nineteenth century New Zealand.