Moolah Temple

Last updated
Moolah Temple of the Mystic Shrine
Location3821 Lindell Boulevard, St. Louis, Missouri
Built1912−1914
Moolah Temple, c. 1922 Moolah temple.jpg
Moolah Temple, c. 1922
Moolah Theatre in 2012 Moolah Temple.jpg
Moolah Theatre in 2012

The Moolah Temple, formally the Moolah Temple of the Mystic Shrine, is a historic building located at 3821 Lindell, in St. Louis, Missouri. It was built in 1912 for use as a meeting place, and is "a brick and tile building in the Moorish style. [1]

Contents

It was built by the Moolah Shriners as the 28th Shrine Temple to be chartered. Moolah Temple as a name also refers to the organization, which met in the late 19th century at various Freemason buildings and had over 133 members attending meetings at a point. In 1912 the organization took steps towards forming its own building. The Lindell Boulevard location was chosen and Ernest Helfensteller, Jr., of Helfensteller, Hirsch and Watson, was chosen as architect. The building was completed and the first meeting was held in March 1914. The building was used by the Moolah Shriners until 1988, when it relocated to a renovated junior high school on Fee Fee Road. [2] The building operated as a movie theater until 2020, after a $17.2 million renovation in 2004, [3] [4] and 40 apartments.The building also lays home to Moolah Lanes — the oldest operating bowling alley in the city of St. Louis.

It is a contributing building in St. Louis's Midtown Historic District, listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The district's NRHP nomination describes the building's architecture as "colorful". [5]

The building faces on Kenrick Garden, a city park established in 1896. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Capitan Theatre</span> Cinema in Hollywood

El Capitan Theatre is a fully restored movie palace at 6838 Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood. The theater and adjacent Hollywood Masonic Temple is owned by The Walt Disney Company and serves as the venue for a majority of the Walt Disney Studios' film premieres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central West End, St. Louis</span> Neighborhood of St. Louis in Missouri, United States

The Central West End is a neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri, stretching from Midtown's western edge to Union Boulevard and bordering on Forest Park with its outstanding array of free cultural institutions. It includes the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis on Lindell Boulevard at Newstead Avenue, which houses the largest collection of mosaics in the world. The Central West End is represented by three aldermen as it sits partially in the 17th, 18th, and 28th Wards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Center Arts District, St. Louis</span> Neighborhood of St. Louis in Missouri, United States

The Grand Center Arts District is located in the Midtown St. Louis Historic District north of the Saint Louis University campus. Referred to colloquially as Grand Center, the neighborhood's formal name is Covenant Blu Grand Center. The neighborhood's is a member of the Global Cultural Districts Network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fox Theatre (St. Louis)</span>

The Fox Theatre, a former movie palace, is a performing arts center located at 527 N. Grand Blvd. in St. Louis, Missouri. Also known as "The Fabulous Fox", it is situated in the arts district of the Grand Center area in Midtown St. Louis, one block north of Saint Louis University. It opened in 1929 and was completely restored in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Powell Hall</span> Concert hall, former theater and movie theater in St. Louis, Missouri

Powell Hall is the home of the St. Louis Symphony. It was named after Walter S. Powell, a local St. Louis businessman, whose widow donated $1 million towards the purchase and use of this hall by the symphony. The hall seats 2,683.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old North St. Louis</span> Neighborhood of St. Louis in Missouri, United States

Old North St. Louis is a neighborhood just north and slightly west of the downtown area of St. Louis, Missouri. It is known for Crown Candy Kitchen, historic 19th-century brick homes, and its community gardens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midtown St. Louis</span> Neighborhood of St. Louis in Missouri, United States

Midtown is a neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri. It is located 3 miles (4.8 km) west of the city riverfront at the intersection of Grand and Lindell Boulevards. It is home to the campus of Saint Louis University and the Grand Center Arts District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DeBaliviere Place, St. Louis</span> Neighborhood of St. Louis in Missouri, United States

DeBaliviere Place is a neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri.

Preston J. Bradshaw (1884–1952) was one of the most eminent architects of St. Louis, Missouri, during the 1920s. Among his numerous commissions as an architect, he is best known for designing hotels and automobile dealerships in the region. Like many hotel architects of his time, he eventually moved into the actual operation of hotels, becoming owner and operator of the Coronado Hotel in St. Louis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert B. Groves</span> American architect

Albert Bartleton Groves, also known as A.B. Groves or Albert B. Groves, was an American architect who practiced in the St. Louis, Missouri area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Heritage (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)</span> United States historic place

The Heritage, formerly known as the Journal Record Building, Law Journal Record Building, Masonic Temple and the India Temple Shrine Building, is a Neoclassical building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It was completed in 1923 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. It was damaged in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. It houses the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum in the western 1/3 of the building and The Heritage, a class A alternative office space, in the remaining portion of the building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York City Center</span> Theater in New York City

New York City Center is a 2,257-seat Moorish Revival theater at 131 West 55th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, one block south of Carnegie Hall. City Center is a performing home for several major dance companies as well as the Encores! musical theater series and the Fall for Dance Festival. The center is currently headed by Arlene Shuler, a former ballet dancer who has been president since 2003. The facility houses the 2,257 seat main stage, two smaller theaters, four studios and a 12-story office tower.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Masonic Temple (St. Louis)</span> Historic site in St. Louis, Missouri

The New Masonic Temple is a historic building in St. Louis, Missouri, built in 1926. Like many other buildings built for Freemason meeting places, it shows Classical Revival architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Link & Haire</span>

Link & Haire was a prolific architectural firm in Montana, formally established on January 1, 1906. It designed a number of buildings that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottish Rite Cathedral (St. Louis)</span> Historic site in St. Louis, Missouri

The Scottish Rite Cathedral, at 3633 Lindell Boulevard in St. Louis, Missouri, is a historic, significant building that was designed by architect William B. Ittner. It was completed in 1924. "A fine example of neo Classic style, the building has a frontage of 235 feet and is approached by a broad flight of steps. Its auditorium, which seats 3000 persons, is notable because no posts obstruct the view. Features are an extremely wide proscenium and a fine organ. The granite and limestone structure was erected at a cost of $2,000,000."

Helfensteller, Hirsch & Watson was an early twentieth-century American architectural firm from St. Louis, Missouri. It succeeded Hirsch and Helfensteller which had been founded in 1903. The firm's partners included Ernest Helfensteller, William Albert Hirsch and Jesse N. Watson. The firm quickly gained prominence with its 1912 design of the Moolah Temple in St. Louis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Grand Central Theatre</span>

The New Grand Central Theatre was a movie theatre at 705 North Grand Avenue in St. Louis, Missouri. It was designed by St. Louis architects Helfensteller, Hirsch & Watson and was built in 1913.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midtown Historic District (St. Louis)</span> Historic district in Missouri, United States

The Midtown Historic District in St. Louis, Missouri is a historic district that was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Francis Xavier College Church</span> Historic church in Missouri, United States

St. Francis Xavier College Church is a Catholic church in the Midtown neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri, United States. The church was built by the Society of Jesus in 1836: the current building dates from 1884. It serves as a parish church in the Archdiocese of St. Louis and for the Saint Louis University community. It is a contributing property in the Midtown Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places and it is listed as a City Landmark in St. Louis.

References

  1. 1 2 "Lindell Blvd history".
  2. "Moolah Shriners, A fraternity for men to have fun and help kids". Moolah Shriners. Retrieved 2018-02-22.
  3. "Chase Park Plaza Cinemas | St. Louis Cinemas | Movie Times in St. Louis".
  4. "Moolah Temple Cinema in St. Louis, MO - Cinema Treasures". cinematreasures.org. Retrieved 2018-02-22.
  5. Carolyn Hewes Toft and Katherine Neilson Kurtz (August 22, 1977). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Midtown / Midtown Historic District" (PDF). p. 22 for text, p. 112–113 for photo and caption.

Coordinates: 38°38′21″N90°14′21″W / 38.63917°N 90.23917°W / 38.63917; -90.23917