Month: February 2021

Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In 1922 the Allardt Advertising Co. changed its name to the Hoyland-Lemle Co. with business offices located at 417 S. Clinton St. in Chicago. 417 S. Clinton was the same location as the Sosman & Landis studio. The new company was named after Charles L. Hoyland and William Lemle. Hoyland had worked for the Allardt brothers in a variety of capacities for well over a decade.

Charles Leroy Hoyland was born on Sept. 24, 1885, in Illinois. He was the only child of James Andrew Hoyland (1861-1918) and Carrie Major (1866-1931). The two were married in Sangamon, Illinois in 1883. Charles arrived only two years later. By 1900, the small family was living in Springfield, Illinois. Carrie’s sister and servant lived with the Hoylands. At this point, his father was working as a recorder for an insurance company. The next ten years were like a roller coaster, both on the personal and business front. Charles’s father left both Springfield and his mother, remarrying by 1910. In the meantime, however, Charles switched professions, leaving the manufacturing and entered the theater industry.

In 1904, Chas. L. Hoyland was working as a manufacturing firm. His first appearance in the paper in associated with a want ad. He placed an advertisement in the “Herald and Review” of Decatur, Illinois, announcing, “WANTED – Capable young man as district manager for manufacturing for manufacturing concern. Apply to Chas. L. Hoyland, room 51. St. Nicholas hotel, between 9 and 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday” (page 7).  That year, he also became a member of the Knights and Ladies of Security, Springfield Council. They met in the Redman’s Hall on 5^th and Monroe and upon initiation, Hoyland was listed as a bookkeeper.

This was his last profession before transitioning to theater the next year. He soon began working at the Chatterton Opera House in his hometown of Springfield, Illinois. Local jeweler, George W Chatterton, invested in the Chatterton Opera House and turned the management of the venue over to his son. Chatterton became a central Illinois theater developer, became known as “the opera house man of Springfield” (The Champaign Daily, 3 Feb. 1906, page 5). For the many theaters that started up, shut down, and changed hands, Hoyland has picked a good one. He was in the right place, at the right time, and met all of the right people.

In Springfield, Hoyland was hired to work in the box-office at Chatterson’s flagship theater. On January 28 of that year, the “Herald and Review” reported, “Manager George W. Chatterton of the Chatterton Opera House, Springfield, Ill., has decided to dispose of his jewelry store that he may devote his entire time to his rapidly increasing theatrical interests. His large stock of jewelry is being sold and Manager Chatterton will hereafter be found either in the box office of the Chatterton or in his private office on the second floor. George Hickock, treasurer, and C. L Hoyland, assistant, will have charge of the box-office” (page 19). Here is a link to one history about the venue: https://sangamoncountyhistory.org/wp/?p=2456

Hoyland quickly moved from box office assistant into management. For the next few years moved from one theatrical endeavor to another. By 1907, he was working in Wayne, Michigan. There, he married his first wife Frances.  On June 21, 1907, Hoyland married Frances H. Thompson, and older woman. Marriage records listed the groom as a resident of Los Angles, currently working as a clerk. The bride was a resident of Moline, Illinois and five years his senior, having been born in 1881. Frances’ maiden name was Putnam, suggesting there may be a previous marriage.

In 1910, the US Federal Census reported the couple living now in Danville, Illinois. At the time, they were living with four lodgers, one of whom was theatre musician named Roy A. Morrison. It is during this time that Hoyland becomes associated with the Allardt Bros. and their theaters.

Hoyland’s personal life was also tumultuous at this time too. His father left his mother and remarried in Palmyra, Missouri. On Nov. 2, 1910, the Marion County Herald announced a marriage license was granted to J. A. Hoyland of Springfield, Ill. And Helen E. Schwebel of Utica, Ill. (page 4). He would live another eight years, passing away in 1918. For his first wife, he died in 1910, and upon his leaving, listed herself as a widow. By 1912, she was living with their only son in Superior, Wisconsin.  Both were listed in the city directory for Superior, living at 1003 Ogden Ave. Hoyland was listed in the Superior Directory as the proprietor for the Broadway Theater Hotel. In 1911, the Allardts acquired another theatre in Superior Wisconsin. That year, the firm opened several new theaters, including a the Orpheum in Munster, Indiana and another in Fort William, Ontario (The Times, Munster, Indiana, 26 Dec 1911, page 5). Their motion pictures expert, Joseph Dokes, was constantly busy installing machines in new Allardt houses throughout the region.

Between 1910 and 1913, the Allardt circuit increased exponentially, growing from one theater in Terre Haute, Indiana to twenty-four theatre throughout the Midwest and Canada; a circuit was composed of both vaudeville and legitimate theaters. On Feb. 23, 1912, the “Virginia Enterprise” in Minnesota reported, “The Allardt circuit will, with the opening of the new house here, be divided into two circuits, the southern and the northern. All the theaters north of Chicago will be in the northern division. The acts that will appear here will be routed not only though the Allardt houses but into several of those owned by close allies of the big firm. It is planned to open every act in the Northern division of the circuit at the Lyric. From here the shows will proceed to Fort William and then back to Superior, St. Paul and Minneapolis and south to the southern points on the big wheel” (page 4).

Already in 1910, Hoyland was working at the Allardt’s Lyric Theatre in South Bend, Indiana. His connection with the brothers was cemented when he was the Allardt’s guest at the theatrical Mechanic Association. On Jan. 9, 1911, “The South Bend Tribune” reported that Hoyland was initiated into the Theatrical Mechanical Association, South Bend Lodge, No. 120, the guest of Messrs. C. J. and Louis F. Allardt of the Orpheum. Hoyland cotinued with the Allardt Bros. and by 1913 was managing their New Orpheum Theatre in Racine, Wisconsin by 1913. He began working for the right people at the perfect time. Ultimately, his success during this period paralleled that of his employer.

On Dec. 21, 1913, the “Inter Ocean” included an article on the Allardt Bros., reporting, “ The firm was founded by three brothers with H. J. (senior partner of the firm) and L. F. Allardt in Chicago and C. J. Allardt directing affairs in South Bend, Indiana. The firm diversified, investing in Boyle Woolfolks, Inc. (producer of musical comedy tabloids), Robert Sherman (dramatic tabloid producer), the Alamo Film company, and the Alladart Advertising company. At the time Allardt Advertising Co. featured advertising curtains and was considered of the biggest firms in vaudeville.” Hoyland was already associated with the Allardt Advertising Co. managing the  Chicago firm by 1913.  On Feb. 1, 1914, the “Inter Ocean” mentioned Charles L. Hoyland as the head of the Allardt Advertising Company, and treasurer of Allardt Bros. The Allardt Advertising Co. continued to expand, filing incorporation articles in Milwaukee in 1916. On Dec. 30, 1916, the “Wisconsin State Journal” reported,  “Foreign corporations licensed to do business in Wisconsin are: Allardt Advertising Co., of Chicago, Illinois. The firm was still expanding branch offices five years later, just before the named changed to Hoyland-Lemle Co.”

He was still working as an advertising agent after the onset of WWI. In 1918, Hoyland’s WWI draft registration card listed his working at the Allardt Advertising Co., located in 316 Westminster Building. The record also listed his residence as 922 Sunnyside Ave. His physical appearance was described as tall with a medium build, brown hair and dark brown eyes.

As with other studios, the firm struggled with collecting payment. On September 16, 1921, the “Alton Evening Telegraph” included an advertisement for a collector. The advertisement stated, “Party whose present occupation will permit him to act as collector for a Chicago concern. Only a very small part of time required. Accounts are payable quarterly and will aggregate about $500.00 each quarter. 5 per cent commission. Good references or bond necessary. Address Allardt Advertising company, Inc. 417 S. Clinton street, Chicago, or call Mr. Kentnick at Illini Hotel” (page 13). This may have been one of the reasons that the Allardt Bros. divested themselves of the advertising company in 1922 the firm became the Hoyland-Lemle Co. Before the name-change, the official address for the Allardt Advertising Co. was listed as 417 S. Clinton St – the same address as the Sosman & Landis studio.  When the Hoyland-Lemle Co. opened, they also listed 417 S. Clinton St. at their address. By 1923, their offices moved to 6751 Sheridan Rd. Moses & Megan would also use this address while waiting to purchase the Sosman & Landis name.

1922 was a year of change for Hoyland, he not only started a new company, but also remarried. On May 17, 1922, Charles L. Hoyland married Anna E Kentnick (also spelled Kentnich). Kentnick was the daughter of Allardt employee, William J. Kentnick. She was very much a sign of the times, independent, and employed as a stenographer in a law office. In many ways, Anna was the polar opposite of his first wife, as well as two decades younger. The next decades, however, was full of surprises, both good and bad. Money became an issue, the company struggling to collect debts in a country struggling after a recession. They were constantly in court, trying to collection final payments from clients.

The Hoyland-Lemle Company lasted less than five years. The last mention of Hoyland-Lemle in newspapers was associated with a lawsuit against the Strong Motor Co. in Florida during the spring of 1927 (Tampa Times, 16 April 1927, page 19). That year, the firm closed and Hoyland left to establish the new Charles L. Hoyland Co. Lemle also founded William Lemle, Inc. and became associated with the National Theatre Supply Co.  Early in 1927, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Another rumor that the National Theatre Supply Co. will take over our old Studio.  Lemle is interested and wants me to come with him.” By the summer of 1928, Moses wrote, “I have agreed to join Lemle at our old Studio, which will pay me from $8,000 to $10,000 a year.”

To be continued…

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

Advertisement Curtain (Ad Drop) in the Twin City Scenic Co. Collection, Performing Arts Archives, University of Minnesota.

Here is a link to more Ad Drop designs in the digital database: https://umedia.lib.umn.edu/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&facets%5Bcollection_name_s%5D%5B%5D=Scenic+Collections&sort=&q=ad+drop

The digital database is a wonderful resource, especially for students.

Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

By the end of 1923, Thomas G. Moses wrote: “On December 26th, Megan and I met Sosman and Landis Company at Richard’s office and paid our first installment for the name and good will of Sosman and Landis Company, which we now own and will operate, but for a while we will have to use our names of Moses and Megan, until the old company can liquidate. We will then get a new charter.” In the end, it cost Moses $20,000 for that “name and goodwill.”

When the Sosman & Landis Co. was liquidated, the name was purchased by Moses & Megan; the studio’s contents were purchased by the Hoyland-Lemle Co.; and Chicago Studios leased the space. In one fell swoop, Sosman & Landis was split into three parts – name, contents and address, each going to a different firm. Each of the players has a unique story. I am starting with the Hoyland-Lemle Co.

By 1923, the Hoyland-Lemle offices were listed at 6751 Sheridan Rd, but they rented various studio spaces to paint advertising curtains (ad drops). Interestingly, 6751 Sheridan Rd was the same address listed by Moses & Megan when they sent out letters to prospective clients in 1923 while Moses was still working for Sosman & Landis. Keep in mind that Chicago Studios was using the official Sosman & Landis address by late summer 1923, citing 417 S. Clinton Street – this was immediately after preliminary discussions about the closure of Sosman & Landis. At this same time, Hoyland-Lemle were actually renting the Sosman & Landis main studio at 417 S. Clinton St.  To briefly recap, Chicago Studios sent out letters during the summer of 1923 to prospective Sosman & Landis clients, explaining that they were the successors to Sosman & Landis – citing the same address, 417 S. Clinton St.

Moses and Megan immediately disputed the fact that Chicago Studios was the successor to Sosman & Landis, sending out their own letters on Sosman & Landis stationary. They explained that Sosman & Landis was only moving to a better location – 6751 Sheridan Rd. in Chicago, the Hoyland-Lemle offices. This, combined with Moses’ delay in securing the new business charter, was disastrous. Moses and Megan were put in a difficult position with any future iteration of Sosman & Landis looking weak.

It was an interesting time in the theatre industry. By the 1920s scenic studios were often short-lived, opening and closing like clover plants every day. This was not especially new, but there were now many more players in Chicago. Names were changed, with scenic artists hopping from one firm to another.  There were still major players, with long histories and impeccable reputations; Sosman & Landis was one of those companies, and that was something that Moses was relying upon for his own future success.

The Hoyland-Lemle Co. has an interesting, albeit short-lived, history. The company’s namesakes were Charles L. Hoyland and William Lemle. Hoyland-Lemle officially entered the scenic studio game in 1922, but really was the result of a name change, not a start-up company. Previously, the Hoyland-Lemle Co. was known as the Allardt Advertising Co., run by the Allardt Bros. who established the Allardt Circuit in the Midwest.

On May 29, 1922, the “Tulsa Daily Legal News” announced “Allardt Adv. Co, changing name to Hoyland-Lemle Co., Chicago, Ill. C. L. Hoyland, Wm Lemle, Maybelle Shearer & C. M. Hoyland, Chicago, Ill. Capital $50,000” (page 1). State business filings in 1922 listed the Hoylund-Lemle address as 417 S. Clinton Street, the same as Sosman & Landis where they were renting paint space.  Hoyland-Lemle also rented frames at the newly founded Service Studios, in the renovated spaces of the old Jewel Tea Co. barns. The company provided many different addresses for various government records, such as 32 West Monroe Street, listed in the “Second Annual Report of the Tax Commission of the State of Illinois” in 1921 (page 304).

The key figure in the formation of Hoyland-Lemle was Hoyland. It was the result of Hoyland’s relationship with the Allardt Bros. He was working for them by 1910. In Jan. 9, 1911, “The South Bend Tribune reported that Hoyland was initiated into the Theatrical Mechanical Association, South Bend Lodge, No. 120. At the time, he was treasurer of the Lyric Theatre in Danville, Illinois. He was the guest of Messrs. C. J. and Louis F. Allardt of the Orpheum. The article went on to state that Danville’s Lyric Theatre was part of the Allardt Circuit (page 4). Hoyland continued to work at other Allardt venues, including the New Orpheum Theatre in Racine, Wisconsin by 1913. In 1914 Hoyland’s primary focus became the Allardt Advertising Co. Much of the Allardts’ energies were focusing on marketing. They invested in theatrical agencies, venues and advertising curtains. On Feb. 1, 1914, the “Inter Ocean” listed Charles L. Hoyland as the head of the Allardt Advertising Company, and treasurer of Allardt Bros.

Between 1914 and 1921, Hoyland remained with the Allardt company until he and William Lemle purchased the firm and changed the name. The company lasted less than five years, and by 1927, Hoyland was running the new Charles L. Hoyland Co.  Much of the Hoyland-Lemle Company’s demise was due to lack of payment. Like Sosman & Landis, clients’ were not always prompt with final payments. The firm was involved in several court cases to collect money owed from clients throughout the mid-1920s.

On Sept. 8, 1926, the “Paducah Sun-Democrat” reported, “The Hoyland-Lemle company, an Illinois corporation, is the plaintiff in five suits filed against Paducahans in McCracken county circuit court yesterday afternoon. The company alleges in each suit that the defendant owes a balance on a contract price for advertising displayed on the Orpheum theater circuit curtain. The suits were brought on behalf of Hoyland-Lemle by Attorney W. A. Berry” (Paducah, Kentucky, page 2).

The advertising curtain business was extremely lucrative, but risky. Businesses would rent ad squares on a curtain, paying a monthly, or annual, fee for the space.  These curtains were often placed independent of the scenery contract, front curtain or asbestos curtain. In many cases, they were painted and installed at no cost to the theatre owner.  The fees collected from the businesses paid for the piece’s construction and then provided a substantial profit, as long at the curtain was used.

Advertising curtains functioned like commercials; they were contracted to be lowered at specific times during a show. Advertising companies even sent representatives to various theaters to ensure that the advertising curtains were being lowered at the appropriate times. This all worked well, unless the clients renting the ad space didn’t pay the contracted fee. This meant not only losing the anticipated income but finding a new business to rent the ad space and repainting the square. The best-case scenario was never having to repaint a square and just collecting the payments. The worst-case scenario was what happened at the Orpheum Theatre in Paducah, Kentucky. Five businesses not paying for an advertisement curtain was a significant loss. It is no wonder that 1926 was the last year of the Hoyland-Lemle Co.

When the Hoyland-Lemle Co. ended, two new studios sprung up: the Charles L. Hoyland Co. and William Lemle, Inc. In an odd twist of fate, the newly listed “spacious studio of William Lemle Inc.” was located at 417 S. Clinton St – the old Sosman & Landis main studio.

To be continued…

Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

Scene painted by Sosman & Landis Scene Painting Studio of Chicago for the Scottish Rite Theatre in Tucson, Arizona, 1914.

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In 1923 Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Joe Bren’s work came in early this year, and we will try and give him a good job.  It is not apt to be paid for very soon as usual.” 

The Joe Bren Company was a Chicago-based theatrical production company that partnered with fraternities and civic groups to stage fundraising shows. Bren became a Sosman & Landis client in 1916 and continued to order scenery on an annual basis until the early 1920s. By 1922, however, the amount of scenery purchased by Bren from Sosman & Landis began to dwindle.

Bren Company representatives traveled from town to town, working with local talent to organize minstrel reviews, vaudeville frolics and “Jollies.”   They were especially popular with the Kiwanis Club, Lions, American Legionnaires, United Commercial Travelers, Elks, and Shriners. The Bren Company provided sketches, jokes, and songs, even supplementing some of the local talent with professional acts. The Joe Bren Company not only provided instruction, but also all of the technical trappings, including scenery, lighting equipment and costumes.

By 1922, however, the Bren company began purchasing much of their scenery from another source – Service Studios, also known as the Scenic Service Studio of Chicago.  On Dec. 10, 1922, the “Leader-Telegram” included a announcement about a  Bren production reporting, “Scenery for the Bren company constructed and painted by the Scenic Service Studio of Chicago” (page 8). The Service Studios was completely composed of previous Sosman & Landis artists, so they new what Bren needed for his production. In 1920, a group left Sosman & Landis to form Scenic Studio. Service Studios rapidly made inroads in the theatre industry, winning projects from many competitors, including Sosman & Landis.  Here is a past post about Service Studios: https://drypigment.net2020/05/05/tales-from-a-scenic-artist-and-scholar-part-981-john-hanny-and-the-chicago-service-studios-1918/

The primary Bren production for 1922 to 1923 was a musical revue in two acts and six scenes, under the direction of Ralph Hamilton and Alex Robb of the Joe Bren Production Co., Chicago. The production staff for the event included: Delos Owen  (orchestrations and musical direction), Joe Bren (Dialogue and Lyrics), Geo. L. Ownes (staged musical numbers), Scenic Service Studios, Chicago (scenic design and execution), and New York Costume Co., Chicago (costumes).

In 1925, Scenic Services Studios was still producing scenery for Joe Bren, now the “Jollies of 1925” (Hamilton Evening Journal, 10 March 1925). This all changed in 1926 when Service Studios sold out to Art Oberbeck of ACME Studios. Interestingly, Oberbeck had also started out at Sosman & Landis scenic artist in 1904.

By the early 1920s, Bren hired Sosman & Landis for production elements, no longer the main design for the primary stage show. With Sosman & Landis struggling, clients may have hesitated, fearing the fir would closed before their scenery was delivered.  In 1923, Sosman & Landis provided booths and lighting fixtures for a Bren-produced Shriner charity event; it did not end well.

On March 30, 1923, the “Chattanooga Daily Times” reported, “Booths and fixtures at the Shriner’s fun festival, now in progress at the Billy Sunday tabernacle, were attached yesterday through a chancery court action started by Sosman, Landis & Co., of Chicago, Ill., for the collection of $2,000 due by reason of an alleged breach of contract. The bill asserts that Joe Bren, named as defendant with the local Shriner’s organization and others, acting as purchasing agent for the fun festival management, contracted to buy certain supplies from the plaintiff. This contract, according to the bill, was breached to complaintant’s damage. The attachment was run merely to prevent the sale or removal of the fixtures attached and will not interfere with the operation of the show (page 4). Bren was branching out beyond his musical reviews and directing all kinds of events, including trade shows and circuses.

By the late 1920s, Bren Production company events began to dwindle, and by 1930 Bren became department head for the Music Corporation of America.

To be continued…

Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

Here are two examples of a garden drop design by Twin City Scenic Co. artists. The design was used for the Brown Grand Theater in Concordia, Kansas, and St. Patrick’s Parish Hall in Shieldsville, Minnesota. I restored the Brown Grand garden drop in 2002 and the Shieldsville drop in 2017. It was fun to see the shift in technique and color palette by Twin City Scenic Co. artists over the course of a decade.

Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In 1923 Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Did a model for the Dallas Shrine, which was accepted, and we built it and found we were way too low, as the carpenters managed to put in a lot of time.”  The project was for ceremonials activities conducted by Hella Temple, A.A.O.N.M.S. Desert of Texas, Oasis of Dallas.

On May 5, 1923, the “Courier-Gazette” reported, “The Dallas Shriners are making preparations for the entertainment of five thousand Nobles who are to assemble from various sections of the state for the magnificent spectacle and initiation” (McKinney, TX, page 2). A week later, the “Corsicana Daily Sun” reported, “The members of Hella Temple under the leadership of its Potentate Al. H. Reed, will gather in Dallas on Friday, May 11^th, for the spring Ceremonial Session at which time it is expected that over four hundred candidates from the jurisdiction will be initiated. A large amount of the fees received by the Dallas Shrine from initiation of candidates is being used in payment of the hospital appropriation. The Dallas Shriners are making preparation of the entertainment of five thousand Nobles who are to assemble from various sections of the state for the magnificent spectacle and initiation” (May 12, 1923, page 8). At the ceremonial held in May the Dallas Shriners took up a collection for their new children’s hospital, raising an additional fund of $9,000” (The Marshall Messenger, 16 June 1923, page 4).

By 1923, Dallas had a membership of over seven thousand Nobles, the greater part of whom resided in the north, east and central Texas (Courier -Gazette, McKinney, TX, 5 May 1923, page 2). At this time, the Masonic Fraternity in the State of Texas numbered over one hundred twenty thousand. Big funds were pouring into the Fraternity, being applied to both charitable works and extravagant membership events.

Although Moses was not yet a Freemason, it was Moses’ past history with the Fraternity in Dallas that helped land the 1923 Shrine project. Moses first painted Masonic scenery for Dallas in 1909, the same years that Sosman & Landis landed six Scottish Rite contracts. Sosman & Landis delivered scenery and stage machinery to the Dallas Scottish Rite. I am including a brief recap of this project, as it provided inroads to other Masonic work in the region, especially the Dallas Shrine.

Although Dallas Scottish Rite was not completed until 1913, degree productions took place on the stage by 1909. The scenery contract for the stage was negotiated by Bestor G. Brown of M. C. Lilley & Co. and subcontracted to Sosman & Landis Scene Painting Studio. In a July 7, 1912 letter from Brown to William G. Bell of the Austin Scottish Rite, he included information about the Dallas Scottish Rite stage: “the Dallas stage has in the neighborhood of 25,000 lineal feet of wire and rope in its installation.”

On April 26, 1913, the “Dallas Morning News” described the Masonic Cathedral and Architect Herbert M. Green’s contributions. Keep in mind that the theater of the building was referred to as “the great degree room.” The article reported, “The largest stage in Texas is in this degree room – and the largest pipe organ…a 24 feet deep and 60 feet in width. One hundred and nineteen scenic drops are so delicately counterweighted that the stage picture can be changed in two seconds, and if necessary, in the dark.” Here is a link to my post about the 1909 Dallas Scottish Rite scenery project: https://drypigment.net2019/01/26/tales-from-a-scenic-artist-and-scholar-part-627-the-dallas-scottish-rite-1909/

The next time Moses mentioned Masonic projects in Dallas was 1921. While in town working on the Majestic Theatre, he wrote, “During the stay, I furnished a big set for the Shrine which was done in Chicago.” This was in the midst of a massive membership explosion. From 1920 to 1926, Masonic membership in Dalla more than doubled, going from 4,098 to 9,935. This was during a time when lodges all over the country churned out members for the sake of record membership numbers. It is really a perfect example of quantity over quality, and quantity secured unprecedented funding.

Moses was still completing projects for the Dallas Shrine in 1926. That year Moses wrote, “Several drops for the Dallas Shrine gave us another little boost in color, also several drops for Detroit.” The size of Masonic projects kept the studio afloat.

To be continued…

Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

Wood backdrop by the Twin City Scenic Co. 1907. This is part of a collection that I restored in 2002.

Here is a link for more information about the the history of the theater: http://www.browngrand.org/support

Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In June 1923, Thomas G. Moses presented a model to the Binghamton Scottish Rite for their new theater. He painted the scenery during September and October of that year.  Moses’ payment for painting the scenery was $2500. It remains uncertain if this amount also covered travel and lodging expenses.

In June 1924 Moses wrote, “On June 2^nd, I received $365.00 balance due from Binghamton.  I had about given up all hopes of getting it.” Moses completed his work for the Binghamton Scottish Rite scenery project seven months earlier, just before the building opened in November 1923.

$365 was approximately 15% of the project, likely the amount due upon installation. To put this in perspective, $2500 in 1923 is the equivalent of approximately $38,080.99 today. The amount that Moses was waiting for ($365) was today’s equivalent of $5,559.83.

It is hard enough when a payment is past due, and there is no indication of when those funds will appear. Then there is the additional time you spend on a project trying to collect. Creating each additional invoice, letter, email or phone call all adds up, pecking away at your salary. I think of Sosman & Landis representatives traveling across the country to collect final payment, the additional travel fees and lodging. When several clients decide to not pay in a timely manner, it becomes a big problem.

For Moses, this was an ongoing problem during the early twentieth-century with Scottish Rite projects. They would not pay that final payment, no matter how large or small. I have to wonder how the Masons justified non-payment for the craftsmen. It flies in the face of what Masonry teaches.

To be continued…

Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In 1923, Thomas G. Moses painted the scenery for the Scottish Rite Theatre in Binghamton, NY. He was assisted by Edward Loitz, earning $2,500 to paint forty drops for the stage. Moses and Loitz were subcontracted by New York Studios for the work.

On October 17, 1923, the “Binghamton Press and Leader” reported, “Thomas G. Moses of Chicago. Representing New York Studios, who is painting scenery, curtains and drops for the stage in the auditorium of the Masonic Temple under construction at Main and Murray streets.” On Nov. 21, 1923, the “Binghamton Press and Leader” reported, “The scenery for the auditorium was painted by the Sosman & Landis Co. of Chicago at a cost of $12,000. Much of this scenery was painted in the temple by Thomas G. Moses, scenic artist of this concern” (page 17). So why did the newspaper change from crediting associating Moses with New York Studios to Sosman & Landis over the course of a month?

Well, between Oct. 17 and Nov. 21, Moses realized that Hunt of New York studios had royally screwed him over. My guess is that Moses walked to the newspapers office and said, “When you mention my name again, make sure to add that I am representing Sosman & Landis.”

To briefly recap…Moses and Megan were in the process of purchasing the Sosman & Landis name, but could not until the company was liquidated (which would be in December). By the summer of 1923, Chicago Studios began using the Sosman & Landis address before just after negotiations with Moses stipulated that he could not use the company name until after the firm was completely. Moses’ negotiations were with Hunt of New York Studios, who was also running Sosman & Landis at the time. Chicago Studios started using the address, they sent out letters to Sosman & Landis clients announcing that they the successors to Sosman & Landis, just under a new name. Furthermore,

Moses & Megan immediately disputed the information circulated by Chicago Studios once they became aware of the deceit, sending out letters of their own and explaining that firm had not closed, just moved to a new location. On November 13, 1923, Moses and Megan sent a letter to the Scottish Rite in Salina, Kansas, writing “Dear Sir: It has recently some to our attention that a certain studio is advertising our old customers that they have bought the Sosman & Landis Company and are now operating same, combining it with their original company. We wish to assure you this is not a fact and that our original organization is intact, but our studio has been moved to better quarters.”

So, in the midst of the massive Binghamton Scottish Rite project, where Moses was painting on site for Hunt, Moses realized that Hunt had betrayed him. This is likely the reason that the second article about the scenery stated Sosman & Landis as the firm, and not New York Studios. Moses knew what Hunt was trying to do; Hunt was trying to discredit the new iteration of Sosman & Landis, the one that Moses and Megan would run. In the end, the scenery was credited to New York Studios. Moses never listed the Binghamton Scottish Rite in his resumé.

The Binghamton Scottish Rite was a massive undertaking and significant job, a credit to any studio. The Temple boasted 1,000,000 cubic feet, built at an expense of $400,000 The architects of the endeavor were Walter H. Whitlock and Charles H. Conrad of Binghamton, with the general work being done by the Mitchell Construction Co.  On Nov. 21, 1923, the “Binghamton Press and Leader,” described, “Upon entering the main portal on Main street, one finds a large hall, or foyer. From this foyer one may enter the auditorium, the secretary’s rooms, a stairway and the elevator which reaches all floors. The auditorium, which is in the form of an amphitheater, occupies the greater part of the ground floor, first floor and first floor mezzanine. It has 4,700 square feet of floor space, in 28 feet in height and will seat 800 persons. It is connected with the stage by an opening 32 feet wide by 22 feet high. The stage, 1,720 square feet in area, is 30 feet deep, 57 feet wide and 58 feet high. There are 50 complete sets of scenery. At the sides of the stage, on three levels, are robing rooms representing 2,400 square feet of space” (page 17).

The fifty-seventh annual  reunion of Otseningo Bodies, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, in the Valley of Binghamton, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, United States of America, was held from Nov. 20-22. It was held in the new Masonic temple at Main and Murray streets.  The Reunion was held in conjunction with the dedication of the new Temple.

The Scottish Rite class for the reunion was composed of 350 candidates from the six counties in the jurisdiction. Present membership at the time was approximately 1,800 members.

On Nov. 21, 1923, the “Binghamton Press and Leader” reported, “This is the largest class of the Scottish Rite in the history of Masonry in Binghamton.” The class was named the Longley-Wear class in honor of the Rt. Rev. Harry S. Longley of Des Moines, Iowa, suffragan bishop of Iowa, a former rector of Christ church in Binghamton, and D. Walker Wear, one of the most prominent Masonic in Binghamton who had a large part in the erection of the new temple.

The ceremony of consecrating the new consistory was followed by several speeches, including Bishop Langley. On Nov. 23, 1923, the “Binghamton Press and Leader” reported, “Bishop Longley told the members that those who have in the present week taken the degrees that teach the ideals of Scottish Rite Masonry must have come to realize what a tremendous force and power masonry can wield in a world crying out for leadership. These masonic ideals must sway any movement for the reconstruction of the destruction that was started nine years ago in Europe, He declared that it is becoming more and more realized that any solution of world unrest must have as a foundation the spiritual truths taught in masonry. Civilization is at stake and he urged all to do their  part by standing up for their ideals and maintaining and abiding faith in the omnipotence and goodness of God.”

The structure opened to great fanfare, with numerous articles about the endeavor, announcing “Masonic Temple is in First Rank of State Fraternal Buildings” (Binghamton Press and Leader, 17 Nov 1923 page 17). Unfortunately, this was Moses’ last painting for the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction. The rest of his fraternal work would shift to solely the Scottish Rite’s Southern Jurisdiction.

To be continued…