Travels of a Scenic Artist and Scholar: Louisville, Kentucky, Nov. 8-12, 2022

Copyright © 2022 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

My recent scenery restoration project at the Louisville Scottish Rite Theater began three years ago in 2019. These projects are often years in the making, and it really takes the right person to set the ball in motion.  I have watched scenery collections crumble from both indecision and poor stewardship. Time is often of the essence when historic scenes start to fail.  Scenery that survived decades against an upstage wall can rapidly deteriorate over the course of a few years if the conditions are right.

My initial visit to the Louisville Scottish Rite was a side trip while attending USITT (United States Institute of Theatre Technology). Whenever I attend the annual conference, I try and schedule a visit to a nearby Scottish Rite theatre or historic opera house. These side trips provide me with an opportunity to learn and document “just one more” scenery collection.

The only day that I could photograph Masonic scenery while attending USITT in 2019 was on Wednesday, March 20. Preparations for the Scottish Rite reunion were scheduled to start the next day. I had from 9AM to 3PM to document as much as possible and make my way back to the convention center for a meeting.

I must have made an impression, as the Louisville Scottish Rite hired me that fall to assess the collection. I was contracted to compile condition reports, historic analyses, and replacement appraisals for each drop in the collection. My documents that December were so well-received that I was asked to visit Louisville and present my findings at a special event.

On March 7, 2020, I was the guest speaker for Family night at the Louisville Scottish Rite.  I gave a presentation about their historic scenery collection, tracing the history of Masonic scenery in the United States and placing the Louisville Scottish Rite scenery collection withing the context of American theater. At the time I was also asked to work as an historical consultant for upcoming interior renovations throughout the building. After speaking at the Scottish Rite in Louisville in March 2020, the pandemic put everything on hold.

March 2020 – May 2022

Eventually, I lost touch with the Louisville Scottish Rite and moved onto other projects, yet the Louisville Scottish Rite scenery collection continued to lurk in the back of my mind. Surprisingly, Randolph Starks, Secretary of the Louisville Scottish Rite, reached out again last spring.  On May 2, 2022, I received the following text: “Hi Wendy. It has been a very long time since we spoke, but I have enjoyed seeing your Facebook posts, the reports of your travels, and the images of your beautiful artwork. I would like to renew our conversation about you providing advice and guidance on some renovation and painting of our Scottish Rite temple. Let me know when you would be available to schedule a phone call to discuss this.”  I received this on the same day that my mother went into the ER, so our conversation was again placed on hold for a few more months.

Stark contacted me again on June 29, 2022, but for another reason.

I received a series of pictures of the Egyptian cut drop, with the text message, “Hi Wendy. We just discovered this damage to this scenery drop today. I don’t know how it happened. I would like to know if it would be possible to repair and restore it.”

My response was, “Yes. You will need to take the drop down, or damage will continue- I am mid-project, but can chat tomorrow afternoon.” Realistically, I was in no position to take on another project and knew that I would have to mostly advise from afar. Starks gathered a team to lower the drop, and I then directed its preparation for short-term storage, until I could travel to Louisville that fall. We tentatively scheduled my visit for November. I would not only repair the scene, but also advise on some upcoming interior renovations. I was also scheduled to again speak about the history of the Louisville Scottish Rite scenery (another Masonic event on Nov. 10, 2022).

Repairing the Egyptian Cut Drop

Unfortunately, there were a series of obstacles to overcome before rolling and storing the cut drop to await my future repairs. The first obstacle was removing wood from the backside, as several “stiffeners” were glued to the cut edge.  Many cut drop openings without netting for support curl over time. As a preventative measure, some scenic studios attached wood stiffeners upon installation.  These stiffeners were frequently thin strips of pine that were secured to the drop with a strip of glued muslin.  Removing an original stiffener is often simple, as the fabric and wood easily peel off of the fabric.

Over the decades, Masonic stage crews tried to replicate this technique. Unfortunately, instead of using thin strips of light-weight pine, they improvised, using a variety of hard woods and solvent-based or inappropriate adhesives.  Over the years I have encountered oak strips attached with contact cement (Wichita, KS), lathe attached with wood glue (Fort Scott, KS), yard sticks attached with plaster of paris (Fargo, ND), just to name a few. 

In Louisville, however, an enterprising Mason opted for a black substance that looks like coal-tar pitch; this was a new one to me.

In addition to the stiffeners, ¼”-thick black flexible foam was secured to all of the cut edges with spray adhesive. Sadly, I have encountered this before too, at the Scottish Rite in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Although it works in the short term, it wreaks havoc when repairs need to occur. In Louisville, a solvent-based spray adhesive was used, partially melting the foam and permanently affixing it to the backside of the drop.  

And there was one more thing…

The original netting in the cut opening was replaced with plastic netting that was hot glued on.   

Although I feel like a broken record, constantly repeating myself, here goes…NEVER use hot melt glue on historic stage scenery. Hot melt glue has no place in historic preservation, as it severely damages fragile fabric, embedding itself in the fabric’s fibers. Often the hot melt glue is even visible from the front, marring a once beautifully painted composition. Attaching anything to historic scenery with hot-melt glue makes the repair irreversible and flammable. It is especially unfortunate if the new netting is plastic or poorly positioned in the cut opening. Both were the cases with the Egyptian cut drop at the Louisville Scottish Rite. When conducting the initial examination of the scenery, I recognized that the plastic netting would have to remain, as there was so much hot melt glue applied to the fabric that it is now permanently affixed to the cut drop.

The stiffeners, foam, and plastic netting prohibited any expedient storage of the scene last summer until my fall arrival. Fortunately, one diligent Masonic volunteer, Jordan Morgan, spent over thirty-hours removing both foam and wood. Despite his diligence, some areas were left for me to deal with once on site. As I expected, removing the foam and stiffeners could not occur without damage to the painting and fabric.  Some of the foam remains firmly adhered to the cut drop.

My trip to repair the scenery was slotted for November. During my stay, I would not only fix the damage to the cut drop, but again speak as a guest lecturer and continued to function as a historical consultant for a few anticipated interior renovations.

On the afternoon of Nov 8, 2022, my plane touched down and I was off to the races. This was well after casting my vote at 7AM; it was election day, and I was thankful that the Minnesota polls open so early. After renting a car, checking into my hotel, changing into work clothes, and driving to the Scottish Rite, I began the slow process of setting up the workspace. Once everything was set, I carefully unrolled the damaged cut drop and assessed the damage, simultaneously planning my attack. Despite the dozens of pictures that were sent, nothing replaces examining the damage in person.  I went to bed that night, weighing the pros and cons of various approaches to the damage.

Arriving at the Scottish Rite the next morning, I met my onsite assistant, Jordan, and we began the painstaking process of cleaning both the cut drop. This is necessary before any fabric repair.

I focused on the biggest damage, before tackling the dozens of small punctures. By midmorning, I realized that the project would go far beyond patching visible damage. I had to do some preventative care – placing vertical reinforcement strips on every seam and weak area. The culprit of the anticipated damage? Flame retardant.

A repeated application of flame retardant often causes the greatest damage to historic scenery; it is like giving the drop cancer.  Applying different flame retardants over the decades creates a toxic environment for the fabric and the very fibers begin to break down. Therefore, I need to help support the fabric so that the weight of the fabric will not cause stress that results in tears.

Now, I was dealing with a few different problems. The central portion of the drop is much older than the top and the bottom; the oldest portion dating from the previous building, c. 1910. Toomey & Volland Scenic Studio records indicate that scenery was delivered to the Louisville Scottish Rite in 1910.  

These drops were later refurbished, enlarged, and installed in the current building during 1923.  Over the years, there have been several alterations made to the collection. Initially, the top sandwich batten was removed and replaced with jute webbing and ties lines.  This likely occurred when the 1910 scenery was refurbished and moved into the new building. The first-generation bottom sandwich battens were replaced with pipe pockets at this time too.

However, over time, as the pipe pockets failed, ripping off, second-generation pipe pockets were added, the latest being thick, clear plastic that was glued to the back.

Additional scenery was purchased from Volland Studios between 1951 and 1952, then again in 1968.

Additional repairs, fabric reinforcements and attempts to consolidate loose pigment occurred continuously over the decades. For example, olive green edging (similar to a coarse bias tape) was sewn onto the offstage edges. This was an early attempt to prevent tearing from contact. Although this has prevented some damage and deterioration, the actual sewing greatly damaged the painted surface and has weakened the fabric over time. Other drops have large pieces of mesh glued to the entire back, possibly an attempt to prevent rips. However, the added weight is now jeopardizing the top of each scene.

Over the course of three days we cleaned, patched, and reinforced the fabric of the Egyptian cut drop. Paint touch-up of visible patches will occur on my return. I only transport my distemper palette by ground, and therefore will drive on my next trip.

On the morning of Nov. 12 (my fourth day), I supervised the hanging of the repaired cut drop. Everything looked perfect!

I then assessed the remainder of the collection and began planning for the complete preservation of the entire collection.

By the afternoon I was on my way home, only 96 hours after my arrival. It was an action-packed trip that I have yet to recover from.

In regard to the history of the Louisville Scottish Rite scenery, my research indicated that Kentucky may have been the earliest state in the Southern Jurisdiction to use stage scenery for their degree work. Here is an excerpt from the document that I submitted in 2019 as it helps frame the significance of the scenery collection and my restoration project.

“The History of Degree Productions at the Louisville Scottish Rite.

Scottish Rite Valley’s bordering the geographical demarcation between the Northern and Southern Jurisdiction were experimenting with stages in Masonic Halls and common lodge room long before the first “official” Scottish Rite theater was constructed in the Southern Jurisdiction, c. 1890s. The earliest Scottish Rite stages frequently referenced in the Southern Jurisdiction are Little Rock, Arkansas and Oakland, California in 1896. Theatrical staging of degree work in Louisville, Kentucky, may have predated these two Valleys, signifying the inclusion of the earliest Masonic stage settings in the Southern Jurisdiction.

The Wilkes-Barre Times of Pennsylvania, the Arizona Daily Star of Tucson, and the Akron Beacon Journal of Ohio all published the following article in 1895:

“BIG SCOTTISH RITE DEDICATION. Louisville, Ky., Oct. 15 – The Scottish Rite Cathedral of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States, at Sixth and Walnut street was dedicated today. This dedication surpassed anything ever seen in Masonic ceremonies in this city. It was open to the public, and conducted with all the pomp, which the occasion calls for. The remainder of the inaugural week will be given in reunion, during which all degrees will be conferred. The new cathedral in point of general magnificence is surpassed by only two in the United States, those being cathedrals of the Grand Consistories of Illinois, at Chicago, and of Ohio, at Cincinnati.” Both Chicago and Cincinnati boasted theatrical stages with elaborate scenery collections, but they were in the Northern Jurisdiction.

The article also notes, “All degrees will be conferred,” which translates to “all degree will be dramatically presented” aligning with the staged degree productions in the Chicago and Cincinnati Scottish Rite theaters at the time.

The Grand Consistory, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, was organized in Louisville, August 21, 1852, with meetings being held on the Southwest corner of Fourth and Jefferson Streets. By August 1876, the Louisville Scottish Rite occupied the Courier-Journal Building, located on Jefferson Street, between Third and Fourth Street. In 1894, the Louisville Scottish Rite Bodies purchased the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at Sixth and Walnut Streets. The church has been partially destroyed by fire when they acquired the building, and approximately $41,000 was spent on remodeling the facility. By 1895, it was dedicated as a Scottish Rite Cathedral. This predates what Little Rock and Oakland would do in 1896; remodel an existing space to include a Scottish Rite theatre to fully confer, or stage, the degree work. This Louisville Scottish Rite building was used until 1923, when their new home was constructed at Brook and Gray streets.

In 1910, Toomey & Volland business records note that they delivered a scenery collection to the Louisville Scottish Rite. This scenery would have replaced the original scenery installed in the renovated Episcopal Church space. Churches were perfect buildings to retrofit with theatrical stages for degree productions.

There is not yet a definitive indicator of the scenic artist or studio that first delivered the original scenery in 1895. However, it was not Toomey & Volland, as the firm was not established until 1901.  Toomey and Volland delivered scenery to the Louisville Scottish Rite Cathedral in 1910, with many of their backdrops being refurbished and transported to the new building during 1923. This was a common practice throughout both the Northern and Southern Jurisdiction at the time.  The Guthrie, Oklahoma, Scottish Rite even reused and transported their 1910 scenery collection to the new building during this same time.

The first Scottish Rite Cathedral in Louisville was a remodeled building. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at Sixth and Walnut Streets was renovated for Scottish Rite purposes in 1895. From this moment forward, the Masonic membership in Louisville continued to grow at a rapid rate, as was common with many other Valleys that began producing degree work for the stage. By 1919, Louisville’s Scottish Rite candidate class size numbered 200, and the overall membership began exceeding the building’s capacity.

During the 67^th annual spring reunion in 1919, the president of the “Victory Class “of Scottish Rite candidates introduced a resolution. Dr. T. H. Tuley urged, “the Grand Consistory immediately to make plans for the erection of a [new] Scottish Rite Cathedral in Louisville which will prove a credit to the Rite and to the city.”  The Courier-Journal reported, “the reading of the resolution was greeted with applause, and from the manner in which the proposition was received it seems possible some steps in this direction will be taken” (26 April 1919, page 4).

Previously, the Courier-Journal reported, “Largest Class in History of Consistory Attending Scottish Rite Meeting. 200 At First Dinner” (23 April 1919, page 9). The session opened at 10AM on April 22, with conferring the Lodge of Perfection degrees (4-14). The article noted, “For several months the Scottish Rite has been practically overwhelmed with applications for membership, every Masonic lodge in the State reporting unusually large numbers of initiates.

            The result has been that for the first time in many years it has been necessary to hold two spring Scottish Rite classes, the first one having completed work only about ten days ago.” Capt. John H. Cowles, sovereign grand inspector general of the Supreme Council of the Rite, was interviewed by the Courier-Times. The newspaper reported, “He says unusually large classes are being accepted into the rite in all consistories of the southern jurisdiction. He was highly pleased with the showing made by the Louisville lodge, especially in view of the fact that he received his degrees here and is a native of Kentucky, having lived for many years in Louisville.” In 1919, the Louisville Scottish Rite premiered a four-page publication for attendees titled “The Reunion News.” It was published every day during the Scottish Rite reunion. Interestingly, the Scottish Rite once met in the same building as the local newspaper, the Courier-Journal.

Scottish Rite membership was explosive during the 1920s, and the influential power of the Freemasons was substantial.  This is a moment in time when the Rite, especially the Louisville Scottish Rite, was very vocal about their activities and positions on both political and social issues. From the late-nineteenth century to early twentieth century, it was not unusual to find detailed information pertaining to daily activities at Scottish Rite reunions, a list of members, the history of the organization and their stance on public and political topics. For example, the views of the Rite regarding public education were published in the local newspapers for all to read. When a potential candidate thought about joining a particular Scottish Rite, there was no question in his mind about what the organization stood for and could determine in advance if it was a good fit. This may be why the Scottish Rite continued to gain ground and dominate the fraternal landscape of America during the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries.

In regard to the construction of their new home, on May 11, 1923, the Courier-Journal published, “Scottish Rite Masons will begin a three-day campaign May 23, to raise the $300,000 necessary to complete their building fund for the proposed $750,000 cathedral at the southwest corner of Fourth and Breckinridge Streets. Ground for this structure will be broken in September, it was said. The cathedral will have four stories and basement, with an auditorium seating 1,350 persons. Solicitation will be from the 2,286 members in the State of which 1,200 are in Louisville, The campaign will be in charge if Benjamin S. Washer, Richard Priest Dietzman, Edward F. Metzner, Harvey White and Dr. E. L. Henderson” (page 18).

On June 27, 1923, the old Scottish Rite was sold, becoming the new R. E. Jones Temple, Methodist Episcopal Church. On September 9, 1923, the Courier-Journal announced, “The contract for the construction at Fourth and Breckinridge Streets will be awarded shortly after bids are opened about October 15” (page 34). The building was sold to the Methodist Episcopal Church, becoming the R. E. Jones Temple. Rev. Dr. Robert Elijah Jones (1872-1960), namesake for the new church, was also a 33^rd degree Scottish Rite Mason. Within a year, however, tragedy struck the old Scottish Rite building. On May 27, 1924, the Courier-Journal reported “Five Firemen and a negro preacher were overcome by smoke last night when flames of undetermined origin ignited debris in the basement of the R. E. Jones Temple, formerly the Scottish Rite Cathedral at Sixth and Walnut Streets” (page 5).

There is one thing to consider about the original Scottish Rite stage and scenery when the Louisville Scottish Rite Cathedral changed ownership. When the building became the R. E. Jones Temple, it is highly unlikely that any fraternal artifacts or decorations were left behind. This means that the old scenery, stage machinery and other stage equipment was either returned to scenic studio (for credit on the purchase of a new collection), it was enlarged for their new stage, or it was sold to another Scottish Rite. To all indications, there remains a significant amount of scenery used by the Louisville Scottish Rite that predates the current building, c. 1910. 

In 1910, the Louisville Scottish Rite purchased scenery from Toomey & Volland.  Interestingly, Toomey and Volland advertisements from 1912 do not list Louisville alongside fifteen other Scottish Rite Cathedral installations by that time, suggesting that they may have only been adding to a previous purchase. Toomey & Volland could have simply expanded an earlier collection, possibly the one delivered in 1895. There is a distinct possibility that scenery was delivered by the precursor to Toomey & Volland – the scenic studio of Noxon & Toomey. 

Thomas C. Noxon was a Freemason, and extremely active in the Shrine.  Also, in 1895, Noxon & Toomey delivered stock scenery to Louisville’s Amphitheatre Auditorium. This may have been the crucial connection, a preliminary link with Louisville Masons and the scenic studio of Toomey & Volland. It would not be surprising to learn that Noxon visited the Scottish Rite while installing scenery for another theatrical venue; a common practice among scenic studio owners at the time.

It remains uncertain as to whether the major Scottish Rite scenery supplier to the Southern Jurisdiction at the time, E. A. Armstrong Manufacturing Co., delivered any scenery to the Louisville Scottish Rite Cathedral.  Scottish Rite minutes may point to a specific vendor. If the theater work was contracted to E. A. Armstrong, Sosman & Landis were the preferred subcontractors in the mid-1890s, the scenic studio who manufactured and installed the scenery for this fraternal supplier. However, the Louisville Scottish Rite is not listed in a 1902 E. A. Armstrong advertisement that notes all the Consistories they had equipped since 1897. Keep in mind that was after the potential 1895 date of delivery. If it was manufactured at the Sosman & Landis studio, David A. Strong would have been the Masonic designer and primary scenic artist for the earliest Louisville collection due to his early Masonic affiliation. Strong was instrumental in producing much of Chicago’s Scottish Rite scenery for stages starting in 1873; this was the other Masonic theater that Louisville was compared with in 1895.

There are two other possibilities in regard to regional artists who may have created the original 1895 scenery collection Louisville Scottish Rite Cathedral –scenic artists E. T. Harvey or Henry C. Tryon.

Harvey was the scenic artist who designed, painted, and installed Scottish Rite scenery collections for Cincinnati in 1886 and Cleveland in 1901. In 1886, Harvey delivered eighteen sets of scenery to the Cleveland Scottish Rite Cathedral’s stage.  Keep in mind that Louisville’s 1895 Scottish Rite Cathedral was compared with the Cincinnati Scottish Rite Cathedral in the newspaper article; “The new cathedral in point of general magnificence is surpassed by only two in the United States, those being cathedrals of the Grand Consistories of Illinois, at Chicago, and of Ohio, at Cincinnati.”

Tryon was the scenic artist credited with scenery and stage machinery at the Indianapolis Scottish Rite a few years earlier in 1883. Both Harvey and Tryon were close friends with Thomas G. Moses, who was in charge of the design, painting, construction, and installation of all Scottish Rite scenery at Sosman & Landis (Chicago) after 1904.”

There is so much more that I could write about this project and the collection as a whole, but I need to pause here. For more posts about this collection, keyword search “Louisville Scottish Rite.”

To be continued…