The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization and secret society founded in Washington, D.C., on February 19, 1864. The Knights of Pythias is the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was founded by Justus H. Rathbone, who had been inspired by a play by the Irish poet John Banim about the legend of Damon and Pythias. This legend illustrates the ideals of loyalty, honor, and friendship that are the center of the order. It was segregated and African Americans were excluded. They formed their own Colored Knights of Pythias.
The Pythian Home of Missouri, also known as Pythian Castle, in Springfield, Missouri, was built in 1913 by the Knights of Pythias and later owned by the U.S. military. German and Italian prisoners-of-war were assigned here during World War II for medical treatment and as laborers. Some prisoners were kept in the detached powerhouse and laundry room behind the castle. The laundry room is still owned by the U.S. Army.
The Cass Park Historic District is a historic district in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, consisting of 25 buildings along the streets of Temple, Ledyard, and 2nd, surrounding Cass Park. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005 and designated a city of Detroit historic district in 2016.
The Opera House at Boothbay Harbor, also known historically as the Boothbay Harbor Opera House, Knights of Pythias Hall, The Opera House, and as the Pythian Opera House, is a historic meeting hall and multifunction building at 86 Townsend Avenue in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. Built in 1894, it has housed government offices of the town, and the meeting spaces of fraternal organizations, prior to its present use as a performance venue. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 30, 2008.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Performing and Cultural Arts Complex is a historic building in the King-Lincoln Bronzeville neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. It was built in 1925 as the Pythian Temple and James Pythian Theater, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places and Columbus Register of Historic Properties in 1983. The building was renovated into the King Arts Complex in 1987, and was vacated in 2019. Community leaders restored the building's use as an arts center in 2021.
The Pythian Temple, built in 1906 for Commencement Lodge Number 7 of the Knights of Pythias, is an historic building located on Broadway in the Theater District of Tacoma, Washington. It was designed by noted Tacoma architect Frederick Heath.
The Knights of Pythias Building is an historic three-story redbrick Knights of Pythias building located at 315 Main Street in Fort Worth, Texas. Also known as the Knights of Pythias Castle Hall, it was built in 1901 on the site of an 1881 structure, the first Pythian Castle Hall ever built, which had burned earlier the same year. The building housed the city's first offset printing press, and coin-operated laundry. On April 28, 1970, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The building is also a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (RTHL). In 1981, it was restored and is now part of the Sundance Square area of downtown Fort Worth. The lead tenant in the building today is Haltom's Jewelers.
Knights of Pythias Building, Knights of Pythias Lodge, Pythias Lodge Building, Knights of Pythias Lodge Hall, or Knights of Pythias Temple may refer to:
The Knights of Pythias Building, also known as the Knights of Pythias Hall is an historic Knights of Pythias lodge hall located in Virginia City, Nevada, United States. It was built of cast iron and stuccoed brick in 1876 by Nevada Lodge No. 1 of the Knights of Pythias, which had been formed on March 23, 1873. It was also used the city's other Knights of Pythias lodges: Lincoln Lodge No. 6 formed in 1874, and Triumph Lodge No. 11 formed in 1879. It is one of the few unaltered false-fronted buildings remaining in Virginia City. The Knights of Pythias Building is a contributing property in the Virginia City Historic District which was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1961 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.
The Masonic Temple is a historic Masonic temple in the village of Mechanicsburg, Ohio, United States. Built in the 1900s for a local Masonic lodge that had previously met in a succession of buildings owned by others, it is the last extant Mechanicsburg building constructed for a secret society, whether Masonic or otherwise, and it has been designated a historic site because of its well-preserved American Craftsman architecture.
The Highlands Masonic Lodge, also known as the Pythian Building, is a historic building located in Denver, Colorado. Built in 1905 and constructed in the Classical Revival style, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.
The Knights of Pythias Lodge Hall, also known as Pythian Castle, in Weiser, Idaho is a building built in 1904. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
The Pythian Castle Lodge, also known as Crystal Palace, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, was built in 1927 by the Knights of Pythias, a fraternal organization. In 1988 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Henry Gassaway Davis House, also known as the Knights of Pythias Lafayette Lodge Number 3 and Calanthe Temple #8 Pythian Sisters, is a historic home located at Piedmont, Mineral County, West Virginia. It was built in 1871, for U.S. Senator and vice presidential nominee Henry G. Davis (1823–1916). It is a three-bay, four-story Second Empire style brick duplex. It has a simple mansard roof and 12 gabled pedimented dormer windows on the concave slopes. The front façade features dual stone-and-slate stairs, ascending to two centered paired six-by-nine-foot framed one-story entry porches.
Beacon Theatre, also known as the Broadway Theatre and Pythian Lodge, is a historic theatre building located at Hopewell, Virginia.
The Arista Hoge House in Staunton, Virginia is a private residence first built in 1882, with a massive and historically significant facade added in 1891. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1982. It is located in the Gospel Hill Historic District. Its historic significance lies in its unique architecture
The Gobble and Heer–Spurgeons Building is a historic building located in Fairfield, Iowa, United States. It housed two long-time businesses and its significance highlights the commercial development of the city's public square. The building is a three-story, brick, Queen Anne commercial building that was built by Ed Hunt and E. A. Howard on the north side of the town square in 1892. They did not occupy the building themselves, but rented to Harry Booker for his clothing store and the Bevering Cigar Store. Lee T. Gobble and Charles H. Heer bought the clothing store from the Booker estate in 1899. Both the clothing store and the cigar store remained in the building until the 1930s when the entire first floor was taken over by Spurgeons. The upper floors were a mix of offices, apartments, and a lodge hall for the Knights of Pythias and the Pythian Sisters on the third floor. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.
The Saratoga Masonic Hall is a two-story brick building in downtown Saratoga, Wyoming that houses Saratoga's Masonic lodge. Established in 1892, the lodge was the fourteenth to be established in Wyoming. After a time in rented space, the lodge bought the Couzens and Company Block in 1893, using the second floor for meetings and leasing the ground floor to storekeeper A. Johnson Dogget. From 1895 the ground floor was used as a school. The Masons allowed a variety of other organizations to use the building, including the Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, Pythian Sisters, Union Fraternal League, Modern Woodmen, Women of Woodcraft, Job's Daughters, the Republican Party and the Ku Klux Klan.
The Circleville Historic District in Circleville, Ohio in Pickaway County, Ohio is a historic district which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Its 35 acres (14 ha) area included 69 contributing buildings.
