Part 705: Masonic Temple Fire in Louisville, 1903
In 1903, there was a fire that destroyed the Masonic Temple in Louisville, Kentucky; this was not the Scottish Rite Cathedral, but it had a theater. The Weber Bros. managed Louisville’s Masonic Theatre and the house had a seating capacity of 1,743 (Orchestra, 674, Balcony, 478 and gallery, 571). The width of the proscenium was 36 feet wide by 36 feet high. The depth from the footlights to the back wall as 43 feet and the height to the rigging loft was 72 feet. The depth under the stage was 10 feet and the height to the fly gallery was 25 feet. It was certainly a sizable space for productions, and not some little hole-in-the-wall space.
At the time, a theatre in a Masonic building was not unusual. Many nineteenth-century Masonic buildings relied on the rent collected from retail tenants who leased the first few floors of the building, with lodge rooms in the upper levels. For Masonic opera houses they used the performance space for the income, with lodge rooms tucked away in upper levels. Examples were found all over the country, including in Duluth, Minnesota. The building used by the Duluth Scottish Rite before its current home was also a Masonic Temple with public theatre. The Masons only started to encounter major after the constructed huge edifices that were only used and rented by the Fraternity. If the Masonic orders stopped renting or ceased to exist, it was almost impossible to find a new tenant and recoup the lost income. Furthermore, if the building was only occupied by only one Masonic group, it would only take a decline in membership to start the ball rolling in regard to financial problems pertaining to standard building maintenance costs or repairs.
Now, let’s look at the landscape of Masonic opera houses, theaters and halls that were listed in Julius Cahn’s Official Theatrical Guide for the 1903-1904 Season. Seventeen Masonic stages were listed as an option for touring companies. These were not the only ones, just those listed as an option by Julius Cahn.
They included:
Masonic Temple Theatre in Fort Wayne, Indiana
Masonic Temple Theatre in Wallace, Idaho
Masonic Hall in Sumner, Illinois
Masonic Opera House in Oskaloosa, Iowa
New Masonic Opera House in What Cheer, Iowa
Masonic Temple in Louisville, Kentucky
Masonic Opera House in Bel Air, Maryland
Masonic Theatre in Ellenville, New York
Masonic Opera House in Forestport, New York
Masonic Hall in Sag Harbor, New York
Masonic Opera House in New Bern, North Carolina
Masonic Opera House in Chillicothe, Ohio
Masonic Opera House in Ironton, Ohio
Masonic Hall in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania
New Masonic Theatre in Nashville, Tennessee
Masonic Opera House in Orange, Virginia
Masonic Temple Opera House in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
The earliest mentions of Masonic stages that I have encountered to date were constructed during the 1820s. When you think about it, the idea was brilliant. Lodge rooms were similar as in other Masonic lodges, but it allowed a larger space for events. It is also not hard to make a leap from lodge room floor to elevated stage, especially if there is already a theater in the building complete with stock scenery. How hard would it be to recognize that an existing cave setting, palatial setting, or seascape would enhance a dramatic presentation during degree work?
Back to the Louisville Masonic Theatre fire. One account was published in the “Statesman Journal” 21 Nov. 1903, page 1. Here is the article:
“Masons Lose By Fire.
Old Temple at Louisville Totally Destroyed – Tenants Lose Heavily.
Louisville, Ky., Nov. 20. – Fire early today destroyed the old Masonic Temple, occupying half a block in the heart of the retail business district. The loss is about a quarter of a million dollars, among the largest losers being the Masonic Temple building, $125,000; Insurance, $65,000; Hopkins Theatre, $20,000; J. W. Fowler Drug, $36,000; Rodgers & Krull, jewelers, $40,000.
The fire is supposed to have started in the scenery o the stage of the theatre. The losses to the tenants will be heavier than ordinarily owning to the high insurance rate due to the construction of the building, and because it contained a theatre. There were seven acts on at the theatre this week, and the people presenting them lost their effects. The theatre is owned by Colonel John D. Hopkins, of St. Louis. The building, which was erected in 1864, is a total loss. At one time it was the principal theatre of Louisville.”
Upon a little more digging, I discovered that the building occupied half the block bounded by Fourth, Fifth, Green and Jefferson Streets. The theatre was located on the third floor. Among the losses listed above were Byck Brothers shoes, $15,000; Boston Shoe Co., $15,000; and Charles H. Smith’s Son, hatter, $15,000. From the touring production standpoint, several trained dogs and monkeys lost their lives in the fire. The estimation of totals losses ranged from $200,000 to $300,000.
The loss of the Masons remained relatively low, as they had recently dedicated a new temple at Fourth and Chestnut Streets and removed all their effects to their new home. Hmm. This article completely intrigues me on several fronts, and I am curious to look for a few answers in the Scottish Rite library next week. But there is one more thing…
The big scandal that surrounded the 1903 Masonic Temple Theatre fire was that at least five members of the Louisville fire department were engaged in looting the stores that were being burned. Among the items stolen were meerschaum pipes, shoes, theatre trunks, opera glasses, and jewelry. The box office was ransacked and the dressing rooms behind the stage were rifled through. In other areas, locked desks were broken into with axes, as firemen searched for cash and other valuable artifacts. The corrupt men belonged to two fire companies. The stolen objects were later discovered in their lockers and under their mattresses in the engine house. The search was made after witnesses who came forward made accusations and five were later charged with the actual crime. Nineteen others were charged with being complicit for refusing to give information and/or assisting the men hide the stolen items. An additional six men were dismissed, totaling eleven firemen that were let go. Unreal.
To be continued…
