Masonic Temple of Philadelphia
| Masonic Temple of Philadelphia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| National Register of Historic Places | |||
| National Historic Landmark | |||
 The Masonic Temple of Philadelphia |
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| location | Philadelphia | ||
| Coordinates | 39 ° 57 '13 " N , 75 ° 9' 47" W | ||
| Built | 1873 | ||
| architect | James H. Windrim | ||
| Architectural style | Norman style | ||
| NRHP number | 71000727 | ||
| Data | |||
| The NRHP added | May 27, 1971 | ||
| Declared as an NHL | 4th February 1985 | ||
The Philadelphia Masonic Temple is a historic Masonic event and ritual building in downtown Philadelphia . The temple, built in the style of historicism, was completed in 1873 and serves as the meeting place for the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. It has been listed as a National Historic Landmark since 1985 .
history
A Masonic lodge had existed in Philadelphia since 1732. The meetings took place in different taverns and halls until the Masonic Temple was built. The foundation stone for the temple, which was designed by the Freemason and architect James H. Windrim , was laid in Center City, Philadelphia , in 1868 . The construction took place in the neo-Romanesque Norman style and lasted until September 1873. The costs were a huge fortune at 1.6 million US dollars at the time, which is why the lodge only had sufficient funds to start with the interior design after 14 more years. Responsible for the interior design, which was carried out from 1889 to 1904, was the renowned interior designer George Herzog , whose father was the landscape painter Hermann Ottomar Herzog . In 1902, the Masonic Temple was one of the first buildings in Philadelphia to be fully electrified .
On May 27, 1971, the temple was added to the National Register of Historic Places . On February 4, 1985, the Masonic Temple of Philadelphia was recognized as a National Historic Landmark, with the magnificently decorated and detailed interior design being a cultural asset of national importance.
architecture
The seven halls of the lodges are designed in different styles, some of which imitate well-known buildings. One room was based on the Temple of Luxor and was designed by Hermann Ottomar Herzog. The other, oriental hall is based on the Alhambra . The Corinthian Hypostyle Hall is the largest and serves as the meeting room for the Pennsylvania Grand Lodge. There is also an Ionic hall with 24 ivory-colored columns, one in the Norman style with round arches and one in the Gothic style with pointed arches and pinnacles . The Renaissance hall equipped with leaded glass windows ends with a vaulted ceiling .
Masonic Library and Museum of Pennsylvania
The building is home to the Masonic Library and Museum of Pennsylvania . This collection of 70,000 books and documents contains, among other things, the first printed book by the Freemasons of America, which was written by Benjamin Franklin , and a Geneva Bible . One focus of the exhibition is the Founding Fathers of the United States and their connections to Freemasonry. It also contains sculptures, paintings and photographs. Another highlight is the mason apron of George Washington and an engraving by Paul Revere .
Web links
- Tour of Temple. In: Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania website. Retrieved September 16, 2014 .
Individual evidence
- ^ A b c Morris J. Vogel: Cultural Connections: Museums and Libraries of Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley . Temple University Press , Philadelphia 1991, ISBN 978-0-87722-840-0 , pp. 206 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
- ↑ Robert Morris scaler: Philadelphia's Broad Street South and North . In: Images of America . Arcadia Publishing , Charleston 2003, ISBN 978-0-7385-1236-5 , pp. 64 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
- ↑ according to the National Register of Historic Places . Retrieved September 16, 2014
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↑ Philadelphia's Masonic Temple. (No longer available online.) In: National Historic Landmarks Program (NHL). National Park Service , archived from the original on October 28, 2003 ; accessed on September 16, 2014 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Listing of National Historic Landmarks by State: Pennsylvania. National Park Service , accessed February 12, 2020.
- ↑ Robert Morris scaler: Philadelphia's Broad Street South and North . In: Images of America . Arcadia Publishing , Charleston 2003, ISBN 978-0-7385-1236-5 , pp. 65 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
