Posted January 17, 201015 yr The Carnegie library and city hall threads made me think of other buildings found in cities across the country. Let's start with Dayton's Masonic Temple. Built in Dayton's heyday between 1925-1928 at a cost of $2.5 million, the Temple overlooks the Great Miami River and downtown Dayton on a hill next to the Dayton Art Institute. Of the 450 builders who built the Temple, a majority were Freemasons themselves. Col. EA Deeds (Delco, NCR) was a big part of Dayton Masonic community. Here are interior shots from its website at dmcohio.org. These are of the Scottish Rite Auditorium. Its pipe organ is to undergo restoration. From this month’s Dayton Masonic Journal: We also have a proposal for the complete restoration of our world class and historically significant Skinner pipe organ in the Scottish Rite Auditorium. A foundation which specializes in helping to restore specifically pipe organs like our Skinner has been contacted and we have submitted a proposal for funding. Other foundations interested in preservation of such historically significant pipe organs are being contacted to determine their interest in this project. The Commandery or Templar Room Notice the huge murals on the walls: Main Dining Hall Lounges as of January 2010. From the Dayton Masonic Journal: Bids are being obtained for the restoration and refurbishment of the Great Lounge on the first floor. Proposals are now being evaluated for selection of an interior designer to assist with the restoration of the lounge. Additional proposals for the repainting of the lounge, restoration of light fixtures, electrical upgrades, carpets, furniture updating are being solicited and evaluated as received. this last photo is by "bkwdayton" on flickr: Here are some facts on the building: http://fortheloveofdayton.wordpress.com/2009/11/07/why-do-the-builders-build/ Interesting Facts Timetable: Groundbreaking: July 20, 1925 Cornerstone laid: May 19, 1926 Building open: April 1, 1928 Construction time: Two years, nine months Number of workers: 450, a majority of whom were Masonic Brethren Cost: $2.5 million in 1926 Today’s Cost: Over $40 million Style of Architecture: Grecian Size of Lot: Approximately 8 1/2 acres Dimensions of Building: 265 feet long by 190 feet wide by 80 feet high, equivalent to an 8-story building in height! Cubic Space: 5 million cubic feet Steel: 1,700 tons Cement: 85,000 bags Sand: 6,540 tons Gravel: 13,500 tons Stone: 55,000 cubic feet Bedford stone and 15,000 cubic feet hard limestone Marble: 20 train carloads of Vermont, Alabama and Tennessee marble used for interior floors, wainscotings, partitions and stairways Lime: 350 tons Plaster: 1,200 tons Wire: 500,000 feet Brick: 2 millions bricks Carpet: 5,000 yards Partition Tile: 1,600 tons Elevators: Two high-speed, self-leveling elevators
January 17, 201015 yr Gorgeous building on a gorgeous site. Why is it so hard for modern architecture to match this kind of grandness?
January 18, 201015 yr wow, thats an usually cool one rob. i always thought lorain had a bright, tidy masonic. this a shot from an old thread ink did: great idea for a thread -- i hope people keep adding to it!
January 18, 201015 yr Wow, two great building Robert and mrnyc. What style would you call the Lisbon building posted by Robert? The Lorain building is so bright and fine, looks like a giant piece of ivory carved by a giant.
January 18, 201015 yr What style would you call the Lisbon building posted by Robert? I'd consider it Richardsonian Romanesque, although it looks like the ground floor has suffered some unfortunate modifications. Although not as grand as the other Masonic temples posted in this thread, I've always liked the little Masonic Lodge in my hometown of Fort Thomas, Kentucky (just across the river from Cincinnati):
January 18, 201015 yr I love the Dayton Masonic Temple and it's grand & beautiful (no denying that!) but Springfield has a really neat looking Masonic Temple also. I don't have a picture of it. It looks like a castle if I'm not mistaken.
January 18, 201015 yr Kent: Source: wikipedia Cleveland: Source: aasrcleveland.org Source: aasrcleveland.org Source: organsociety.org
January 18, 201015 yr Nice shots of Cleveland above. Kent's is interesting too. I'm always surprised by the variety of styles, but then again the are master builders. I updated the first post with interior shots of the Dayton Temple.
January 18, 201015 yr Very cool thread idea! Dayton and Lima's Masonic Temples are beautiful. I'm not digging the exterior of Cleveland's, but those interior shots are awesome.
January 18, 201015 yr Nice shots of Cleveland above. Kent's is interesting too. I'm always surprised by the variety of styles, but then again the are master builders. I updated the first post with interior shots of the Dayton Temple. I know the Cleveland one pictured here is the one on Euclid Ave downtown (actually in Midtown)...but there are also Masonic Temple buildings in Cleveland Heights and Lakewood. Also, there is at least 1 abandoned Masonic Temple building (rather large, architecturally significant) in a Cleveland neighborhood that I know of. Maybe another one too , I'll have to find out. Is this the same for any other Ohio cities? To have more than one? I'll try to get pics of these if the clouds/fog ever go away.
January 18, 201015 yr The exterior photo of Cleveland's is unimposing, but the soot-shadows make it clear that it once had more elaborate ornamentation including cornices and columns. The interior looks ... well ... WOW!
January 18, 201015 yr The reason Cleveland's facade is so utilitarian is that it was never intended to be the front of the building. Noticing the big setback from Euclid Avenue, you might wonder what's missing... Here's what was intended back in the 1920's but never built:
January 18, 201015 yr I didn't know but Detroit's is the largest in the world. It's stunning... Detroit's downtown Masonic
January 18, 201015 yr The reason Cleveland's facade is so utilitarian is that it was never intended to be the front of the building. Noticing the big setback from Euclid Avenue, you might wonder what's missing... Here's what was intended back in the 1920's but never built: Quite possibly, Cleveland's was never finished because a mammoth one (i.e. Detroit) was just 2 hrs away by car.
January 18, 201015 yr Quite possibly, Cleveland's was never finished because a mammoth one (i.e. Detroit) was just 2 hrs away by car. Plus this little thing called the Depression... :-(
January 18, 201015 yr The reason Cleveland's facade is so utilitarian is that it was never intended to be the front of the building. Noticing the big setback from Euclid Avenue, you might wonder what's missing... Here's what was intended back in the 1920's but never built: Quite possibly, Cleveland's was never finished because a mammoth one (i.e. Detroit) was just 2 hrs away by car. The fate of Cleveland's temple shouldn't have been related to Detroit's since Masons use their temples quite often. The 2 hr commute would not be attractive. There are more grand rooms in Dayton's but I don't have pictures and there are none online.
January 18, 201015 yr How 'bout some from Indiana? I'll add to this post as I unearth more in my archives: Exquisite architecture in Bristol: The first floor is rented out: Decatur: Noblesville:
January 18, 201015 yr From the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History: “In 1993 there were 11 Masonic temples in the Cleveland area—in Brooklin, Lakewood, Lyndhurst, North Olmsted, Shaker Heights, and Strongsville and in Cleveland on Lorain Ave., Kinsman, State Rd., and Franklin Blvd., as well as the Masonic Temple on Euclid Ave”. Also in Clevelands (these resemble aspects of Dayton's).. The DeMolay Room and Exhibit Hall. Then Lakewoods and then Ohio City
January 18, 201015 yr A flickr user named Seth Gaines (not me) has some great photos of the Scottish Rite Cathedral: More on it from Wikipedia
January 18, 201015 yr Labor and material costs are prohibitive. ^Correct. I'm going to keep this in mind when people tell me how far we've progressed as a country.
January 18, 201015 yr Indiana Freemasons' Hall From their website: The current Indiana Freemasons' Hall (originally the Indianapolis Masonic Temple) as it looked shortly after its construction and dedication in 1909. The building contains 113,000 square feet of floor space, originally holding four lodge rooms, four social rooms, a 7th floor complex dedicated to the York Rite of Freemasonry, a dining hall originally capable of holding some 300 people, two kitchens, a ballroom/banquet hall (with warming kitchen) with a capacity of perhaps 100-150, the Grand Lodge Hall with seating for 1,100, and a rooftop promenade deck where the Knights Templar drill team practiced and dances were once held under the stars. The building was designed by Rubush and Hunter Architects, who were responsible for a number of other beautiful Indianapolis buildings including the Murat Shrine, the Old City Hall, the Indiana and Circle Theatres, the Circle Tower, and the Columbia Club. The building is designed in a Greco-Roman Neo-Classical style and though Time has worked its inexorable will against its sturdy Indiana limestone, the Freemasons of Indiana still call it home nearly a century after it was built. Fiat lux! Temple Foyer Auditorium 2nd floor banquet hall One of four lodge rooms The Ionic room Pillars of the Porch (I Kings 7:21) in the Ionic Room Beautiful Organ Social room, 5th floor This is one of what were originally four social rooms adjoining the four lodge rooms on the 3rd and 5th floors. The 3 North social room has recently been ceded to the Grand Secretary's office for storage of Grand Lodge records. This picture is of the 5 South social room, which was completely redecorated in 2005 by Ancient Landmarks Lodge No. 319 under the direction of its then-Worshipful Master, Hal Grigdesby, with an overall design by Susan Colvin Interiors of Indianapolis. Royal Arch room, 7th floor Commandery Armory, 7th floor This room is known as the Armory, and is the "anteroom" to the Red Cross Room and the Commandery Asylum. It is used for socializing before and after meetings. Hanging on the wall are composites of the Drill Teams of Raper Commandery No. 1 who attended (and still attend) the Triennial Drill Competitions. The oldest composite in the room is from 1910. There are trophies and other photos in the room going back to at least 1880. Red Cross Room, 7th floor Orator's station A beautiful bronze speaker's lectern, won by the Raper Commandery drill team at the 1916 Triennial in Los Angeles, California, and suitably inscribed at the bottom. One of two sphinxes Ventilator detail Clearly a great deal of thought went into the decoration of this room! Even the ventilator grilles are designed to look like reeds on the bank of the Nile. Exquisite Egyptian-theme detail on the light - look closely Knights Templar Asylum, 7th floor Ballroom, 8th floor And you thought the Freemasons just wore funny hats and drove little cars!
January 18, 201015 yr And you thought the Freemasons just wore funny hats and drove little cars! Well that, and the fact that they are part of the Illuminati!
January 18, 201015 yr And you thought the Freemasons just wore funny hats and drove little cars! Weel that, and the fact that they are part of the Illuminati! That and the New World Order, how could I forget?
January 18, 201015 yr My hometown, Avon Lake, sports the ugliest Masonic Temple ever. I don't have any pictures to share, though.
January 18, 201015 yr I dont know. The one in Lyndhurst is pretty ugly. Also there is apparently this old one on E.55th
January 18, 201015 yr I dont know. The one in Lyndhurst is pretty ugly. Positively beautiful compared to Avon Lake's! Here's a couple of Google Streetview screenshots. Sorry about the quality
January 18, 201015 yr Man Seth, that place is gorgeous. I got a tour of the complex I posed up-thread, but I never got any photos of the inside. I might ask for another tour so I can get some photos. It's a lot like the Indiana Freemasons Hall you posted.
January 18, 201015 yr A flickr user named Seth Gaines (not me) has some great photos of the Scottish Rite Cathedral: More on it from Wikipedia ^Some interior shots of the Scottish Rite Cathedral: BREATH-TAKING!
January 18, 201015 yr Maybe it's really nice inside like the Scottish Rite Cathedral in Indianapolis?
January 19, 201015 yr Elyria and Avon Lake must have had the same Masonic architect: http://tinyurl.com/yd3w4ts (Actually Elyria's is a little nicer from the side street, but Google Maps didn't map that street)
January 19, 201015 yr There are interior shots of Columbus' former Masonic Temple -- now the Columbus Athenaeum -- at this link: http://www.columbusmeetings.com
January 19, 201015 yr The Dayton Masonic Temple looks like Great Britain's House of Commons and House of Lords... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 19, 201015 yr Indianapolis has some beauties! The Indiana Freemasons Hall is beautiful, and the Scottish Rite Cathedral's beauty is shown off by its landmark location downtown. Didn't the Scottish Rite Cathedral have a serious fire several years ago?
January 19, 201015 yr The Murat Centre is one of the finest Byzantine structures in America. It is owned by the Shriners and is in Indianapolis as well:
January 19, 201015 yr Is anyone familiar with the history of this building on Harrison Ave in Westwood (Cincy)? I kinda remember seeing masonic symbols on it yet I can't seem to pull up any history on it. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=45211&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=40.27343,79.541016&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Cincinnati,+Hamilton,+Ohio+45211&ll=39.15009,-84.599608&spn=0.001206,0.002427&t=h&z=19&layer=c&cbll=39.15028,-84.599781&panoid=bVhjhcVZsD31o4Qy4gCtGQ&cbp=12,95.16,,0,-9.02
January 20, 201015 yr The Dayton Masonic Temple looks like Great Britain's House of Commons and House of Lords... Agreed. This might be the best hall I've ever seen. From London:
January 21, 201015 yr A couple more: The venerable variety - Mount Vernon (on the right): The not-so venerable variety - Galion (courtesy of Google Street View):
January 24, 201015 yr Cleveland: Newburgh Masonic Temple, 1916 http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/landmark/listDetail.php?identity=162 I ran across this a couple weeks ago; the building looks completely abandoned.
January 25, 201015 yr Miamisburg, where I grew up, has a cozy, little temple downtown on Second Street. Completed in 1869, it was originally an Episcopal church and had a cupola on top. That was removed and the front facade was added in 1901 when the Masons took possession of the building.
January 26, 201015 yr Wow, Newburgh looks like such a nice building. I assume its neighborhood is pretty well dead too. Thanks for sharing a few pics of Miamisburg's! I go through there every now and then and have always thought it was such a unique "style."
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