Part 685: The Scottish Rite in Portland Oregon, 1902
By 1902, Sosman & Landis studio had delivered Scottish Rite scenery and stage machinery to Southern Jurisdiction Scottish Rite Valleys in Little Rock, Arkansas; Oakland, California; Wichita, Kansas; Guthrie, Oklahoma; Fargo, North Dakota; and Salina, Kansas. Some of this early scenery is still available for examination. The collections from Little Rock, Guthrie and Fargo share many similar compositions, indicating that Sosman & Landis were in the process of developing Masonic stock scenery options.
In 1902, another Scottish Rite scenery collection was being prepared for installation the western region of the United States – Oregon. That year, the Scottish Rite in Portland began the construction of their new home that would later be dedicated in 1903. Portland was just one on many Scottish Rite buildings being constructed during this period to included a theater and scenery.
As with many early-twentieth-century Scottish Rite Valleys, membership rapidly outgrew existing spaces As the size of candidate classes increased, so did the necessary regalia, paraphernalia and stage requirements.
In 1892,The Masonic Temple association of Portland filed articles of incorporation, with the following incorporators: F. A. Moore, J. C. Moreland, John McCracken and D. C. McKercher with a capital stock of $250,000. The purpose of the association was to erect a Masonic Temple at the metropolis (Statesman, 6 Sept. 1892, Page 1).
Later the Scottish Rite began planning for the construction of a cathedral on the corner of Morrison and Lownsdale Streets. The grounds were purchased in 1902 by Oregon Consistory No. 1. Measuring 100 feet by 120 feet, the price of the lot was $18,000. Bonds were issued for the construction of a $100,000 building. Architect and Scottish Rite Mason, Martin Beck, designed the edifice.
The grand opening of the Portland Scottish Rite occurred on May 19, 1903. For the event, there was an grand concert organ recital and ball. By this time, the public attending events was becoming increasingly common. In 1886 an interesting article was published in the “Cincinnati Enquirer” in regard to a public music concert at the Cincinnati Scottish Rite Cathedral (16 Dec. 1884, page 4). The article reported, “It is not a usual thing in the long history of Scottish Rite Masonry that he Cathedrals are thrown open for concert purposes. The first incident of the kind that comes to mind occurred last night in the new Scottish Rite Cathedral on Broadway, between Fourth and Fifth Streets.” That year, the new Scottish Rite Cathedral had been completed at a cost of over a quarter million dollars as was said to be the “finest building for Masonic purposes in the world” (South Haven New Era, 15 May 1886, page 8).
Today, many Scottish Rite buildings host public events as a way to generate revenue, allowing the public a peak at their historic stages.
Scenic artist and final president of Sosman & Landis, Thomas G. Moses (1856-1934), recorded in his memoirs that he was in charge of producing the Scottish Rite scenery collections for Little Rock, Salina, and Portland between 1901 and 1902. However, during these two years, Moses had left Sosman & Landis to establish a studio of his own – Moses & Hamilton. Moses & Hamilton operated out New York from 1901-1904. It was studio founder Joseph S. Sosman who maintained close ties with Moses and his family, finally luring him to return to Chicago during 1904. It is unclear whether Moses returned to Sosman & Landis to paint on any project from 1900-1904, but it would not be unusual as Moses was hired y a variety of other studios during this time. Regardless, Moses takes credit for scenery collection delivered to Portland, Oregon and the 1912 scenery collection delivered to Portland, Maine.
The 1902 drop curtain designed for Portland (Oregon) Scottish Rite is very similar to that created for the Wichita Scottish Rite in 1908. As the two compositions are very unique, I wonder about a possible connection between Wichita and Portland, and the sale of used scenery. Although the majority of 1898 Wichita scenery was resold to the Yankton Scottish Rite, I wonder if certain used pieces made their way west to Oregon. This was the case with the second Little Rock scenery collection being divided between the Scottish Rite theaters in Miami, Florida, and Pasadena, California.
To be continued…
