Month: October 2017

While Wendy Waszut-Barrett is traveling for research and art acquisitions (October 14-29, 2017) she is reposting the first fifteen installments from “Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar Acquiring: The Fort Scott Scottish Rite Scenery for the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center.” Here is her eighth post from February 22, 2017.

Part 8: Our First Day on the Job in Fort Scott

I was unable to conduct a complete evaluation due to time restrictions imposed by the CEO on our August road trip. My preliminary evaluation only depicted the individual drops and I needed to accurately record how each drop was paired with others to stage a complete scene and the subsequent spacing. This was crucial to any understanding of the entire collection as a whole prior to its removal and transportation. It was also imperative that there be “before” pictures for both historical documentation and as a resource during restoration and installation. Furthermore, as Curatorial Director one of my tasks would be to create a publication documenting the acquisition, restoration, significance and artistic provenance of this scenery collection. Therefore, the first two days in Fort Scott were spent documenting all of the scenes.

The project’s lead rigger, Brandon, and his second, Todd, were on site that first day. The remaining two members of the crew were still in transit from Jackson, Tennessee, hauling up the necessary supplies and tools for the project. The first morning, after cordial but stilted introductions, we left for the Scottish Rite.

Upon entering the building, we noticed the chill. Our working environment was going to be a cold one. Before lowering anything, we decided to explore the theatre area and inspect our working environment. It was also an opportunity for us to gradually become acquainted with each other. Within the first fifteen minutes of our journey I knew that everything would be fine throughout the duration of the project. Our personalities were well matched. It was obvious that both men were smart, easy going, and had that perfect amount of self-deprecating humor to make any project entertaining.

There is something delightful about exploring all of the nooks and crannies in an abandoned building with others who also see it as an adventure. The space adjacent to the theatre had been a bank and only the old safe remained as a silent reminder of its past grandeur. The space was now a deteriorated shell, the windows all gone. Puddles suggested a recent rainstorm and the only remaining inhabitants were birds and vermin. We left the space feeling slightly deflated, barring the doors once again with a tree branch to prevent unwanted visitors into the theatre.

We went on to examine the staircase leading to the space above the auditorium ceiling. In all of my travels, I have crawled high above stages and balanced on planks above plaster ceilings. Every time, it was a treasure trove of artifacts left by the original workmen. Unexpected finds often included Prince Albert in a can, old newspapers, tools, and other abandoned artifacts long forgotten by various individuals. This investigation is always delightful when accompanied by fellow explorers, each seeking clues from a long-forgotten time. Although short and uneventful, this quest formed a basic foundation for the entire project.

Returning to the stage floor, we slowly began the time-consuming process of pairing drops to create the appropriate settings for each degree. We also tried to backlight any transparent area. Lighting was limited as many of the stage lights were missing. I would soon realize that we had not viewed the entire Fort Scott collection during our August visit. There were many more than 80 drops, 94 to be exact. That was eighteen percent more scenery than I had anticipated for this project. In the big picture, all of my estimations were off and it would be a challenge to complete the project before Thanksgiving.

This was a direct result of the CEO ignoring my expertise and request to complete a proper evaluation. Ironically, I would end up shouldering the blame for his ignorance.

To be continued…

While Wendy Waszut-Barrett is traveling for research and art acquisitions (October 14-29, 2017) she is reposting the first fifteen installments from “Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar Acquiring: The Fort Scott Scottish Rite Scenery for the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center.” Here is her seventh post from February 21, 2017.

Part 7: Arriving in Fort Scott

 On November 1, 2015, I drove into the parking lot of the Fort Scott Sleep Inn & Suites. This would be my home for the next three weeks. After unloading all of my supplies and setting up the suite as my out-of-town office, I contacted the local Scottish Rite representative. He welcomed me to town and offered to take me out for dinner at a local restaurant. He and his wife picked my up at 6:00 PM and we headed to a local bar and restaurant called Sharky’s. By the end of my stay in Fort Scott, I would have sampled everything offered on the Sharky’s menu.

I learned that John’s wife was the current mayor of the town, and they both were intellectuals. The couple had heavily invested in Fort Scott over the years, not only at the Scottish Rite, but also in the downtown area where there were continued attempts at revitalization. They had recently purchased a local storefront on Main Street and had high hopes for an upward swing in business, also being part owners in the Sleep Inn & Suites.

I was invited to a variety of upcoming social events, but had to respectfully decline – noting that I would have my hands full with supervising the scenery removal.

They also wanted to share a recent situation that had occurred in the Scottish Rite Theatre concerning a local resident who had lived in the building for a while. I was being told this tale as I might notice some things that appeared odd since my last visit – like a couch that had been placed in the balcony area. There were two reasons for sharing this story, the first was to suggest that the scenery might have been handled during the lodger’s stay. The second reason to share the story was my safety and the safety of my crew. Although I was assured that they were in possession of all building keys, I was to keep an eye out for uninvited visitors. If anyone was to enter the space not associated with the Scottish Rite, I was to contact John right away. This caused me some uneasiness about our upcoming working environment and what we were walking into as there might be more going on, such as a hostile undercurrent resulting from the sale of the scenery.

I was representing a business with millions of dollars at our disposal taking one of the last things of value from this small town. During our August visit, the CEO had made clear that Minnesota Masonic Charities’ had deep pockets to fund this endeavor; they could write a check for any amount to both purchase and restore the collection.

Fort Scott was an economically depressed community with a median income of $18,000-$24,000 per year, and the pride of the community was at stake. This had once been a booming town of industry and there were reminders everywhere of their thriving past. It could become a difficult project if we were not fully welcomed by the local citizens. It was a small enough town to realize that everyone knew what was going on in the community and all of the new projects– especially our initial offer to purchase the entire scenery collection for $2,500.

The mayor asked if I would be amenable to a newspaper interview. We discussed how this entire endeavor must remain a positive and noble effort to preserve the material heritage of both Fort Scott and the Fraternity. Not a large business swooping in to gut the town.

To be continued…

While Wendy Waszut-Barrett is traveling for research and art acquisitions (October 14-29, 2017) she is reposting the first fifteen installments from “Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar Acquiring: The Fort Scott Scottish Rite Scenery for the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center.” Here is her sixth post from February 20, 2017.

Part 6: Scenery Storage

Prior to my departure for Kansas, I had difficulty in locating an appropriate storage space for the incoming Fort Scott scenery acquisition. I needed a climate-controlled space for eighty drops, measuring 28’ long by 12’ wide. Furthermore, we needed to be able to back up a 30’ truck directly to the loading door. Transferring each 100-pound tube from the truck to the storage unit would be impossible if we had to navigate narrow corridors. The rolled backdrops and other scenic elements would be temporarily stored in this facility prior to their restoration and final installation in the new Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center for the grand opening on June 24, 2016.

All of my initial research suggested that finding a space to accommodate the Fort Scott scenery collection would be difficult at best. Not because these units were non-existent, but because of the logistics necessary to navigate the long rolls into any of the available storage bays that were climate-controlled. I also had come to the conclusion that we would need a minimum of two storage units – each holding a 6’-0” x 8’-0” custom-constructed system with 12” x 12” slots to accommodate each scenery tube. This design was similar to the one that I had used for the Winona Scottish Rite scenery project in 2014.

In September of 2015, I provided technical drawings to the CEO for the construction of two historical scenery storage units. He contracted Outhouse Exhibit Services, the same company that was hired to build all MMHC museum displays and who would eventually restore the Fort Scott scenery. Although the company had never handled any historic scenery before, the owner’s husband felt confident about building and installing the two storage racks based on my specifications. They would be placed prior to my arrival with the drops.

One of my greatest challenges as Curatorial Director for the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center was the lack of any supportive staff during the planning and construction of the complex. Since starting in my position as Curatorial Director on June 1, 2015, I was consistently working 50 hours or more each week. My job was only a part-time position, however, for 30 hours each week. My expertise in various areas meant that I was constantly called upon to weigh in on many of the projects pertaining to both the design and construction of the complex. There were too many tasks for one part-time person to complete, especially the time-consuming one of locating two scenery storage units. This job should have been able to be competed by anyone with time, something that I did not have while planning and preparing for my departure to Kansas. It was the only task pertaining to the scenery acquisition that I did not directly oversee. I would later regret having delegated it to anyone else. During late August of 2015, I handed off this one responsibility to the general director at the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center.

On October 8, the general director confirmed that he had finally located a climate-controlled storage unit in Bloomington, Minnesota. It was a secure space, measuring 10’ x 30’, with drive up access for a reasonable fee. I immediately reminded him that we would need at least two of these units as the entire collection could not fit into a single space, again mentioning that I was concerned with navigating the 25’ tubes into the storage rack. I specified the need to back a 30’ vehicle adjacent to the door of the storage unit and directly unload the drops into each storage system.

BellaTEX requested information pertaining to the space where they would be delivering the scenery collection in late October. After arriving in Fort Scott, I engaged in a daily ritual of asking the general director for pictures of the storage unit to pass along to the BellaTEX team. The general director’s standard response was “Don’t worry about it.” I did worry, as I could not provide any specific information or images as requested by the owner of BellaTEX. Out of growing concern at being able to provide the necessary information to the transportation crew, I ended up reaching out to the Outhouse Exhibit carpenter who would have to measure the storage units prior to effectively proceeding with the construction and installation of the storage racks.

On November 12, the Outhouse Exhibit Services’ carpenter sent the following email:

“Hello all, The length of the drops while rolled up is 25 feet. It will be difficult to turn them into the space as things are configured at that location because you would need to turn them in a 22 foot wide space…”

This news was a harbinger of doom, as we now had no space to store the scenery collection once it reached Minnesota. The project was nearing completion. We had removed the majority of the scenes and were starting to roll the drops for transportation. The scenery would arrive in Minnesota on Monday, November 24. It was a terrible situation for all involved and there was no solution in sight.

To be continued…

While Wendy Waszut-Barrett is traveling for research and art acquisitions (October 14-29, 2017) she is reposting the first fifteen installments from “Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar Acquiring: The Fort Scott Scottish Rite Scenery for the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center.” Here is her fifth post from February 19, 2017.
 

Part 5: Delays

Time was running out to secure a rigging crew and order the necessary supplies to transport the Fort Scott scenery collection to Minnesota. The search for a licensed and insured company to participate in this endeavor started two months earlier in August, when I initially estimated all of expenses associated with the project. Unfortunately, my preferred ETCP rigger and owner of 20/20 Theatrical, Paul Sannerud, was not available for the project. The next best option was Ty Prewitt, founder and owner of BellaTEX in Jackson, Tennessee (http://bellatex.com/).

Regardless of how well I knew and respected Prewitt, my worries stemmed from working with an unfamiliar crew. These men might not understand historical scenery and the careful handling of each drop as it was removed from a line.

It was not until October 2 that the CEO accepted Prewitt’s initial estimation for the removal and transportation of this collection, starting November 1. This was not a signed contract and meant that there would be another delay. The final contract was not submitted until October 15, 2015, and not signed until October 26 – a mere six days before my departure. Since September, there had been continued negotiations concerning insurance and liability, specifically addressing concerns of “who” would insure the drops during removal, transportation, and their unloading into storage bays? We were losing time and the project was in jeopardy.

My largest concern continued to remain the weather in Kansas. In Fort Scott, we would be working in an unheated building for three weeks without water. Due to the size of the theatre and height of the fly loft, it would be extremely difficult to heat the space. I knew that it would be a cool working environment, but desperately hoped that it would not become too frigid.

On October 26, I received confirmation that the contract was finally signed. I immediately emailed both BellaTEX and our Fort Scott representative to nail down all of the logistics surrounding my arrival and the commencement of the project. I booked rooms and ordered all of the supplies with my own credit card, as I was never provided a company one. This should have been a red flag for me as all of the other employees had company credit cards, offices in the main complex, and a desktop computer. I had none of these. I was offered a workspace in the basement and used my own laptop. In terms of expenses, I was to submit receipts for reimbursement at the end of the project. Regardless of the circumstances, I put my nose to the grindstone and hoped to meet all of the impending deadlines.

To put this scenery acquisition in perspective necessitates looking at my contributions during 2015 as both a Historical Consultant and the MMHC Curatorial Director. My plate was full with numerous MMHC projects during the planning and initial construction of the complex. All of my duties as an independent historical consultant simply carried over into my new role as Curatorial Director. Many of the responsibilities outlined in my job description as Curatorial Director would not begin until after the center opened on June 24, 2016. This was still eight months away.

For fifteen months, I had already worked nonstop with architects, interior designers, theatre consultants, and others to provide insight and examples of historic ornamentation, color palettes, painted décor, or other decorative details standard for Masonic edifices constructed between 1910 and 1930. I had also directed the theatrical consulting firm of Schuler Shook to create a Scottish Rite stage for an anticipated historical collection. This meant replicating an historical counterweight rigging system that could accommodate dozens of drops on lines spaced 4” apart, on center. A custom system was designed for the drops while motorized lines were used for the electrics.

Besides directing these visual elements, I had also functioned as a Masonic scholar, designing the thematic layout and selecting artifacts for the six-gallery museum exhibit planned for the opening, working with other Masonic scholars from Washington, D.C. to finalize the majority of graphics and text panels prior to my departure. In addition to both artistic and scholarly endeavors, I worked with the Director of Communications for Minnesota Masonic Charities as she continued to develop the MMHC website and marketing of this new corporate identity. I had been pulled into this aspect as I would be the first “employee of interest,” a marketing strategy to constantly keep MMHC in the news both before and after the opening. Part of this role meant participating in local radio interviews to raise awareness of the MMHC mission.

The scenery collection was simply another acquisition for the center and not the main focus of my job. Earlier acquisitions had included the St. Paul Scottish Rite Library composed of approximately 10,000 items that would form the basis for the MMHC library. I loved historic scenery, but the Fort Scott Scottish Rite collection was just one more task to complete on a pile of directives that was overflowing.

To be continued…

While Wendy Waszut-Barrett is traveling for research and art acquisitions (October 14-29, 2017) she is reposting the first fifteen installments from “Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar Acquiring: The Fort Scott Scottish Rite Scenery for the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center.” Here is her fourth post from February 18, 2017.

Part 4: The Art of the Deal – A Final Offer

The Valley of Fort Scott rejected the CEO’s $2500 donation for the scenery, countering with a request of $25,000 for the entire collection. They believed that selling drops for approximately $300 each was a very reasonable price. Although, if we did not want to pay that sum, they were willing to take their chances and auction off the backdrops individually, thus splitting up the collection.

The CEO was furious with this counter-offer and rationalized that their demand for more money was greedy and un-Masonic. He was ready to walk away from the entire offer and go with anything else that morning when I arrived at his office. It took over an hour to explain why this was a sound investment and would ultimately preserve an important artifact of Scottish Rite history. Midway through our conversation, I decided to take another approach; the price was still a “bargain” as even the fabric would cost more than $300 for each drop. That logic seemed to work.
The CEO agreed to the sum of $25,000. However, he stated that the transaction would be a “purchase” and not any kind of “donation.” I was directed to email a response to the Valley of Fort Scott, making sure they knew that WE were the ones preserving fraternal history and not selling it for profit. Inside my head, I could only think, “One gain for preserving theatre history, one loss for the Fraternity as a whole.”

This exchange was just one more incident that added to my growing uneasiness concerning the overall endeavor and working for the CEO of Minnesota Masonic Charities. Every interaction seemed to be based on winning a battle and not the actual preservation of fraternal history. I started to believe that none of my colleagues really understood the significance of this acquisition or any others that would be on display in the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center.

The next morning, on September 3, 2015, at 9:40 I composed a response and emailed our acceptance:
“Dear John,
It would be a disservice to both Freemasonry and Bro. Thomas G. Moses to auction off individual backdrops. To honor both the Fraternity and Bro. Moses’ contributions we agree to pay the requested sum of $25,000, thus preserving our combined cultural heritage. In addition to purchasing your collection, we will invest the necessary $250,000 to remove the scenery from your theatre, transport it to Minnesota, and restore the collection for many future generations to enjoy. We will need to schedule a lengthy time frame to remove the scenes, clean them, roll them onto tubes, and transport them to our storage facility. This process takes approximately three weeks with four people working full-time. This lengthy timeframe onsite is due to the fragility of the pieces and the safety of our workers.
Please draw up the necessary paperwork for the transfer of all 80 painted drops and all ancillary painted set pieces to the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center.
Sincerely,
Wendy Waszut-Barrett, Ph.D.
Curatorial Director, Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center”

The contract was for the sale of personal property between the “Joabert Lodge of Perfection of the Valley of Fort Scott, Orient of Kansas, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite” and “Minnesota Masonic Historical Society and Museum.” It was not finalized until October 16, 2017. This was the first in a series of contractual delays that fall. Time was running out to secure a rigging crew and order the necessary supplies before I left town on November 1. Something wasn’t right and I couldn’t exactly put my finger on it.

Throughout the fall, I continued to reflect on our Fort Scott road trip. Why drive me such a long distance if I could only spend a few hours in the Fort Scott Scottish Rite Theatre to evaluate the scenery for conditions and feasibility of transportation? I had been very up front that I needed an entire day to evaluate the collection, eight hours at a minimum.

Why had I not been sent alone to evaluate the scenery? It would have taken me the exact same amount of time – three days to travel, evaluate, and return – as I would not have ventured on to Guthrie? I was on salary for 30 hours a week, so there was no additional expense beyond my travel and lodging. It certainly would have been less expensive than sending four of us with four hotel rooms and all of our meals.

Plus, the additional “side trip” to Guthrie, Oklahoma for a nice steak dinner and a brief tour of the Masonic Temple was nice, but completely unnecessary. It also meant that we had to leave Fort Scott by noon to get to Guthrie on our second of three days. Bob Davis knew of our coming, but didn’t go out of his way to do anything other than a generic tour. It made no sense at all.

Later, I would come to realize that not demanding to take the necessary time to complete a proper evaluation would mean that our representative had failed to lower fourteen drops; ones that I had not caught in the three-hour rush. These were tied off scenes and our representative had made no mention of their absence during the evaluation. The collection was not comprised of the 80 drops that I photographed, but instead 94 instead.

Furthermore, many scenes did not contain the standard leg drop, cut drop and backdrop. In most cases, a painted cyclorama formed the final layer in a stage picture. This would become problematic in both rolling and transporting the collection due to the dirt that accumulated on the netting. I also knew that the inclusion of a painted cyclorama would have to be included in the scenery installation at the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center.

To be continued…

While Wendy Waszut-Barrett is traveling for research and art acquisitions (October 14-29, 2017) she is reposting the first fifteen installments from “Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar Acquiring: The Fort Scott Scottish Rite Scenery for the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center.” Here is her third post from February 17, 2017.

Part 3: The Art of the Deal – An Initial Offer

By noon on our second day, I assured the CEO that the Fort Scott Scottish Rite scenery was in beautiful shape, historically significant, and that it should withstand any rigors of removal and transportation. Negotiations immediately began onsite before our departure between the Minnesota Masonic Charities CEO and the Valley of Fort Scott representative.

The CEO offered the local Scottish Rite Representative $2,500 for the entire collection. He jokingly noted that this amount was more than twice that the Valley of New Orleans received for their collection that previous June. I saw the look of profound disappointment on our host’s face and couldn’t help but feel sorry for both him and the Valley.   Our Fort Scott representative promised to take the offer to the Valley and said that they would respond soon.

I wanted to remind all parties that regardless of the price, the money for the scenery should be a donation and not a direct purchase. A purchase would establish a “market value” for the collection and negatively affect other historical scenery collections nationwide. My greatest fear at the time, as is now, would be that all future damage occurring to historical scenery collections and their subsequent insurance claims would take into account the “market value.” Of significant import is the fact that the same insurance company covers ALL Scottish Rite theaters. Until June 2015, insurance claims were primarily based on their “replacement value” and not market value.

The majority of my replacement appraisals for entire Scottish Rite collections are between 1 million and 1.5 million dollars. Prior to the New Orleans scenery collection purchase for $1000, there had been no available information concerning the “sale” of Masonic scenery to reference. This is like the Scottish Rite shooting itself in the foot with a semiautomatic when the scenery sells for little or nothing.

Over the years, I had battled with this same insurance company on behalf of many other Valleys when collections were damaged from leaking roofs and burst pipes. Two past examples were Danville, Virginia and Yankton, South Dakota when each of their scenery collections suffered from water damage. In each instance the insurance company had initially offered very little to even repair the damage.

A further practical consideration concerns ensuing damage. This means that the water damage to scenery affects neighboring drops, ones that are not water damaged, thus causing ensuing damage to the remainder of a collection. The dusting pigment, as a result from water damage, coats the remainder of the drops after becoming airborne. This is also hazardous to the performer’s lungs or anyone else below on the stage.

My past work has always been driven by a desire to preserve a heritage that goes beyond any one individual or community. I have always tried to educate unsuspecting stewards of these large –scale art collections. My belief is that if the owners of historical scenery collections understand the cultural significance of their material heritage, they will take care of the artifacts. They only need the information to make an informed decision, but not everyone wants to hear what you have to say.

To be continued…

While Wendy Waszut-Barrett is traveling for research and art acquisitions from October 14-29 she is reposting fifteen installments from “Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar Acquiring The Fort Scott Scottish Rite Scenery for the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center.” Here is my first post from February 15, 2017, as we leave at 3AM!

Part 1: Early Contacts with the Valley of Fort Scott

My initial contact with the Fort Scott Scottish Rite began long before any involvement with the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center (MMHC). I received a call from the Sovereign Grand Inspector General (SGIG) of Kansas during the fall of 2011, asking about the market value of historic scenery. He was hoping that I could provide a complete evaluation of their scenery collection as they were preparing to sell the building and wanted an estimate on what the drops were worth. Due to a lack of funding, the evaluation and appraisal never took place.

By the fall of 2011, I had founded and was actively running a scenery restoration company, Bella Scena, LLC, and had restored over 500 historical backdrops nationwide. From a Masonic standpoint, I was an active Scottish Rite Research Society Member (SRRS), guest speaker at the 2003 SRRS meeting during the Biennial Supreme Council Session in Washington, D.C., and a published author in “Heredom,” “Scottish Rite Journal,” “Theatre Design and Technology” and other publications. Additionally, I had been awarded a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota, with my doctoral thesis being “Scenic Shifts Upon the Scottish Rite Stage: Designing for Masonic Theatre, 1859-1929.” I was also a freelance scenic artist and set designer.

After 2011, Fort Scott popped up again on my radar during January of 2014 when I assessed water damage at the Yankton Scottish Rite in South Dakota. The Masons told me about an auction being planned to liquidate all of the Fort Scott Scottish Rite assets that coming summer. We spoke of my attending the auction with some of the men as the Yankton Scottish Rite was interested in purchasing the collection and retrofitting it for their space. Unfortunately, the date of the auction coincided with a family wedding on the east coast and Fort Scott once again faded from my radar.

During the spring of 2015, Rick Boychuk, author of “Nobody Looks Up, the History of Counterweight Rigging Systems, 1500-1925,” contacted me after examining the Fort Scott Scottish Rite theatre rigging system.

We discussed the installation as a whole and its historic significance in both the evolution of counterweight rigging systems and the design of Masonic scenery. Boychuk mentioned that the Valley of Fort Scott was contemplating another auction – one to sell their remaining asset – the scenery collection.

At this same time, I had been directed by the CEO of Minnesota Masonic Charities to locate a Scottish Rite scenery collection for purchase and display at the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center. It was still in the planning and early construction stage. I was looking out of the state, as the Valleys in both St. Paul and Minneapolis would not have folded in time for the opening of MMHC– making those collections unavailable for the space. MMHC was being set up to accommodate both Valleys when they merged and each sold their buildings, as explained by the CEO of Minnesota Masonic Charities.

The Fort Scott collection was one of only two Scottish Rite scenery collections available at that time nationwide that could be restored in time for the opening of the building on January 24, 2016. The other Scottish Rite scenery collection was located in New Orleans, Louisiana.

During the spring of 2015, I contacted a fellow Scottish Rite Research Society member and the SGIG of Louisiana to help me attain images of the New Orleans Scottish Rite scenery collection. The New Orleans collection was posted online as “free,” and advertised through the League of Historic American Theatres (LHAT) page. I had received this information as my company was an allied service provider to LHAT. My contact with the New Orleans Valley Secretary stalled and I never received any information concerning their actual scenery inventory. That is why I turned to the Louisiana SGIG for help. Unfortunately, the entire scenery collection had been already sold for small sum of $1000 without the knowledge of the SGIG. It was sold to a group in Austin during June of 2015.

My search for a Scottish Rite scenery collection to display at Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center resumed in full force with the threat that were only one year away from opening and a space had been designed to accommodate an historical scenery collection.  I focused solely on researching the artistic provenance of the Fort Scott scenery collection, using my previous contact information from the initial call made by the Kansas SGIG in 2011. Luckily, the local representative remembered me and we scheduled an onsite visit to evaluate the collections for possible removal, transportation and restoration. By June 2015, I had also accepted the job as Curatorial Director for Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center.

The General Director of Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center and a local Scottish Rite mason accompanied the CEO and myself to both Fort Scott and Guthrie, Oklahoma. Guthrie was a side trip to do “a little research” for interior decoration pertaining to possible architectural ornamentation for the new building. Previous travels had brought us to Detroit, Michigan for MMHC architectural ornamentation research and to Washington D.C. In D.C. we examined other Masonic museums and fraternal displays. In DC, I also I pitched the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center museum project to nationally-recognized Masonic scholars as the CEO was interested in hiring someone who could contribute name recognition and credibility to the entire endeavor.

To be continued…

Moses painted scenery from Pennsylvania to the Pacific Coast during 1890. One of his many theater projects was in Altoona, Pennsylvania where he worked in 1888 for Louis Plack’s Mountain City Theatre. Located on Eleventh Street and Twelfth Avenues, it opened in February, 1888 with a production by Emma Abbott’s Opera Company. Plack managed the theatre until it was destroyed by fire on March 5, 1889. This was to be the first of Altoona’s many theatre fires. Plack then built the Phoenix Block, a business building, on the Mountain City Theatre site. By 1906 the complex was remodeled to include the Lyric Theatre. This building was also destroyed by fire on February 24, 1907. Again, it was rebuilt and subsequently named the Orpheum Theatre, the Embassy Theatre, and then the Penn Theatre.

It was also in Altoona during 1888 where Moses reconnected with Perry Landis while each was hoping to secure the same scenery contract with J. T. Baltzell and Charles B. Rouss.

They were the owners of the Eleventh Avenue Opera House. Moses and Landis’ chance meeting in Altoona resulted in Moses returning to the Sosman & Landis studio. He had originally left the studio to found “Burridge, Moses, and Louderback Studio.” In Altoona, Baltzell only awarded Sosman & Landis the scenery contract with the terms that Moses would paint all of the drops. Moses was a very well-known scenic artist by 1888 and would prove to be a valuable asset to Sosman & Landis. He had worked as a scenic artist all over the country and was greatly respected for his work after having been in the profession for 14 years by that point.

This background for Baltzell & Rouss’ Eleventh Avenue Theatre on Opera Block is worth mentioning as it was Altoona’s leading playhouse for a quite a period of time. It also parallels the construction Plack’s endeavor, the Mountain City Theatre that was undergoing a similar change about the same time.

The Eleventh Avenue Opera House was originally built in 1868 as a market house. In 1874 it was purchased by William T. Marriott and later sold to Rouss during the spring of 1888. Prior to Rouss’ ownership, however, a theatre had been constructed on the upper floor. It was Rouss, who practically rebuilt the entire building. The Opera House was four stories high, but only the upper portion was devoted to a theatrical enterprise. The reconstructed theatre opened on October 1, 1888 with an opening night performance featuring Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Florence in “The Mighty Dollar.” Baltzell & Rouss initially occupied the lower floor as merchants. A later tenant was the Imperial Dry Goods Company. The theatre itself was large, with a main floor furnished to include cane-seated chairs and a gallery.

The theatre’s first manager, E.D. Griswold, was succeeded by I. C. Mishler and Charles S. Myers as managers, who brought in many notable productions.

The Eleventh Street Theatre was destroyed by fire on June 14, 1907. A few months prior to its destruction, a law passed by the Pennsylvania Legislature prohibiting the use of any but a ground floor for theatrical purposes, ending this property’s use as a theatre.

Ok. So those are the two theatres outfitted by Moses in 1888. For Plack’s he was representing his own studio and for Baltzell & Rouss’ he was representing Sosman & Landis. Why was he back in town during 1890 and what were the two theatres that he was working on?

There were two theatres that were being planned simultaneously in 1890, the East Side Theatre and the World’s Museum. The East Side Theatre, later the home of the Frohsinn Singing Society (German Singing Society), was located on Ninth Avenue and Twelfth Street (1108 N. 12^th Ave.) The building was completed in 1891. The hall was located on the second floor and had a seating capacity of 1000 people. During the first few years it was regularly used as a theatre with Cloyd W. Kerlin as the manager and Fred Schneider as the manager of home theatricals. The East Side theatre was also mentioned as the location where the installation of Grand Lodge Officers for the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania was on Feb. 3, 1914 (Proceedings, 1914). So the Freemasons continued to use this venue too.

The other theatre that would have been in the planning and construction phase during 1890 was the World’s Museum in the Woodcock Arcade on Eleventh Avenue near Fifteenth Street. It was completed in 1891 and was in operation until it was leveled from fire on January 30, 1893.

The only other possible commercial entertainment venue candidate would have been the Eden Musee, Menagerie, Curio Hall and Theatorium, located at Green Avenue and Eleventh Street. It opened on September 5, 1892 by Harry Davis, manager of the Fifth Avenue Museum in Pittsburgh.

But seeing the Masonic use of the East Side theatre made me rethink my line of research. There was another potential venue where Moses painted scenery – the Masonic Temple or any of the many other fraternal spaces with small stages in Altoona. So what was being constructed in 1889-1890? The Masonic Temple. That will be my next post!

To be continued…