Masonic Temple (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

Last updated

Philadelphia's Masonic Temple
Masonic Temple in Philadelphia.jpg
(2015)
Street map of Philadelphia and surrounding area.png
Red pog.svg
USA Pennsylvania location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location1 N. Broad Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Coordinates 39°57′13″N75°9′47″W / 39.95361°N 75.16306°W / 39.95361; -75.16306
Built1868-73
Architect James H. Windrim (exterior)
George Herzog (interior)
Architectural style Norman [1]
NRHP reference No. 71000727 [2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMay 27, 1971
Designated NHLFebruary 4, 1985
Designated PHMCDecember 5, 2007 [3]

The Masonic Temple is a historic Masonic building in Philadelphia. Located at 1 North Broad Street, directly across from Philadelphia City Hall, it serves as the headquarters of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, Free and Accepted Masons. The Temple features the Masonic Library and Museum of Pennsylvania, and receives thousands of visitors every year to view the ornate structure, which includes seven lodge rooms, where today a number of Philadelphia lodges and the Grand Lodge conduct their meetings.

Contents

Prior Masonic Temples in Philadelphia

Freemasonry existed in Philadelphia since the early 1700s. The original Masonic temple in the city was built in 1811 on Chestnut Street between 7th and 8th Street, but burned down in 1819. [4] It was rebuilt in 1820. A second Masonic temple was built on Chestnut Street in the 1850s, dedicated in 1855 [5] [6] and sold in 1873, once the new temple was completed.

Construction

The Temple was designed in the medieval Norman style by James H. Windrim, who was 27 years old at the time he won the design competition. [1] The massive granite cornerstone, weighing ten tons, was leveled on St. John the Baptist's Day, June 24, 1868. The ceremonial gavel [7] used on that day by Grand Master Richard Vaux was the same gavel used by President George Washington in leveling the cornerstone of the nation's Capitol building in 1793.

The construction was completed five years later, in 1873, and dedicated on September 29th of that year. [8] The interior, designed by George Herzog, was begun in 1887 and took another fifteen years to finish. [1]

The bold and elaborate elevations on Broad and Filbert Streets, especially the beautiful portico of Quincy granite, make it one of the great architectural wonders of Philadelphia. The exterior stone of the building on Broad and Filbert Streets is Cape Ann Syenite from Syne in Upper Egypt. [9]

On May 27, 1971, the Temple was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [2] It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985. It was cited in its landmark designation as one of the nation's most elaborate examples of Masonic architecture. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Washington Masonic National Memorial</span> Museum, observation in Alexandria, Virginia

The George Washington Masonic National Memorial is a Masonic building and memorial located in Alexandria, Virginia, outside Washington, D.C. It is dedicated to the memory of George Washington, the first president of the United States and a Mason. The tower is fashioned after the ancient Lighthouse of Ostia in Ostia Antica. The 333-foot (101 m) tall memorial sits atop Shooter's Hill at 101 Callahan Drive. Construction began in 1922, the building was dedicated in 1932, and the interior finally completed in 1970. In July 2015, it was designated a National Historic Landmark for its architecture, and as one of the largest-scale private memorials to honor Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reading Terminal</span> Former rail station in Philadelphia

The Reading Terminal is a complex of buildings that includes the former Reading Company main station located in the Market East section of Center City in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It comprises the Reading Terminal Headhouse, Trainshed, and Market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania</span>

The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, officially The Right Worshipful Grand Lodge of the Most Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania and Masonic Jurisdictions Thereunto Belonging, sometimes referred to as Freemasons of Pennsylvania is the premier masonic organization in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Grand Lodge claims to be the oldest in the United States, and the third oldest in the world after England and Ireland, having been originally established as the Provincial Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania in 1731. This claim is disputed by both the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts and the Grand Lodge of Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Detroit Masonic Temple</span> Masonic building in Detroit, Michigan

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masonic Temple (Jacksonville)</span> United States historic place

The Masonic Temple is a historic Masonic temple in Jacksonville, Florida. It is located at 410 Broad Street. Constructed by the Grand Lodge between 1901 and 1912, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on September 22, 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Opera House (Wilmington, Delaware)</span> United States historic place

The Grand Opera House, also known as The Grand or Masonic Hall and Grand Theater, is a 1,208-seat theater for the performing arts in Wilmington, Delaware, United States. The four-story building was built in 1871 by the Delaware Grand Lodge of Masons to serve as a Masonic Temple and auditorium. The construction cost was $100,000. It was designed in Second Empire style by Baltimore architect Thomas Dixon and incorporates symbolism from Freemasonry into the cast-iron facade. Its central pediment contains an Eye of Providence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masonic Temple (Quincy, Massachusetts)</span> United States historic place

The Quincy Masonic Temple was a historic Masonic temple at 1170 Hancock Street, Quincy, Massachusetts. It was built in 1926 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. The building was home to three "Blue" Masonic Lodges, two Appendant Bodies: York Rite, Grotto, and two Youth Groups: DeMolay and Rainbow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">College of Physicians of Philadelphia</span> Oldest private medical society in the US

The College of Physicians of Philadelphia is the oldest private medical society in the United States. Founded in 1787 by 24 Philadelphia physicians "to advance the Science of Medicine, and thereby lessen human misery, by investigating the diseases and remedies which are peculiar to our country" and to promote "order and uniformity in the practice of Physick," it has made important contributions to medical education and research. The College hosts the Mütter Museum, a gallery of 19th-century specimens, teaching models, instruments, and photographs, as well as the Historical Medical Library, which is one of the country's oldest medical libraries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph A. Bailly</span> American sculptor

Joseph Alexis Bailly was an American sculptor who spent most of his career in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He taught briefly at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, which has a collection of his sculpture. His most famous work is the statue of George Washington in front of Independence Hall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James H. Windrim</span> American architect

James Hamilton Windrim was a Philadelphia architect who specialized in public buildings, including the Masonic Temple in Philadelphia and the U.S. Treasury. A number the buildings he designed are on the National Historic Landmarks and/or the National Register of Historic Places, including the Masonic Temple in Philadelphia and the National Savings and Trust Company building in Washington, DC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willis G. Hale</span> American architect

Willis Gaylord Hale was a late-19th century architect who worked primarily in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His flamboyant, highly-ornate style was popular in the 1880s and 1890s, but quickly fell out of fashion at the dawn of the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masonic Temple (Muncie, Indiana)</span> United States historic place

Muncie's Masonic Temple is a historic fraternal lodge building located in Muncie, Indiana. The building is now only used by the Cornerstone Center for the Arts. The Muncie Masonic Temple is in the Gothic Revival style, and was designed and built during the height of the City Beautiful Movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allentown Masonic Temple</span> United States historic place

The Allentown Masonic Temple is an historic Masonic building located in the city of Allentown in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broad Street Historic District (Philadelphia)</span> Historic district in Pennsylvania, United States

The Broad Street Historic District is a historic district in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is bounded roughly by Juniper, Cherry, 15th, and Pine Streets, covering an area about one block on either side of Broad Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auburn Masonic Temple (Auburn, California)</span> United States historic place

The Auburn Masonic Temple, also known as the Auburn Masonic Hall and the John H. Robinson Memorial Masonic Temple, is an historic two-story Masonic building located at 948 Lincoln Way on the Central Square in Auburn, California. In 1913 Eureka Lodge No. 16, Free and Accepted Masons, chartered in 1851, bought two adjoining one-story redbrick commercial buildings on this site for $17,000 and commissioned architect Allen D. Fellows to add a second-story to them with a unified facade with an entrance to the second floor placed in on the left side of the first floor street front. Fellows designed the expansion in the Beaux-Arts style of architecture with brick walls and a terracotta facade and it was built in 1914-1915 by Herdal Brothers of Auburn and dedicated on April 25, 1916. The terracotta was supplied by Gladding, McBean and Company which is still in existence. The first floor, which once housed a J. C. Penney store, continues to be used for retail and office space while the second floor continues to be used by Eureka Lodge and other Masonic-related bodies. On December 19, 2011, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auburn Masonic Temple (Auburn, Washington)</span> United States historic place

The Auburn Masonic Temple is located at 10 Auburn Way South in Auburn, Washington. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015 and is significant for various reasons. The building is "an unusually sophisticated, urban version of fraternal architecture for a town of less than 3,500. It remains today the only fraternal hall in the city still in its original use."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masonic Temple, Brisbane</span> Heritage-listed building in Brisbane, Queensland

The Masonic Temple is a heritage-listed masonic temple at 311 Ann Street, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Lange Leopold Powell of Atkinson, Powell and Conrad and was built from 1928 to 1930 by George Alexander Stronach & Son. It is also known as the Masonic Memorial Temple. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Capitol cornerstone laying</span>

The United States Capitol cornerstone laying was the Freemasonry ceremonial placement of the cornerstone of the United States Capitol on September 18, 1793. The cornerstone was laid by president of the United States George Washington Leder of the Lodge of the Continental Army, assisted by the Grand Master of Maryland Joseph Clark, in a Masonic ritual.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Gallery, John Andrew, ed. (2004), Philadelphia Architecture: A Guide to the City (2nd ed.), Philadelphia: Foundation for Architecture, ISBN   0962290815 p.62
  2. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  3. "PHMC Historical Markers". Historical Marker Database. Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. Archived from the original on December 7, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
  4. "Digital Library | Historical Society of Pennsylvania : Item : The Conflagration of the Masonic Hall print, 1819 [7541]". digitallibrary.hsp.org. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  5. "Dedication of a new Masonic Hall in Philadeiphia" . Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  6. "Dedication of a new Masonic Hall in Philadeiphia". The New York Times. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  7. "The George Washington Gavel". potomac5.org. Potomac Lodge No. 5 F.A.A.M. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  8. "THE PHILADELPHIA MASONIC TEMPLE.; DEPARTURE OF KNIGHTS TEMPLE FOR PHILADELPHIA". The New York Times. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  9. Masonic Temple: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Publ. by the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania.
  10. "NHL nomination for Philadelphia's Masonic Temple". National Park Service. Retrieved March 24, 2017.