Copyright © 2025 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
Scottish Rite Theaters are typically only one small part of a much larger complex; a structure that includes meeting rooms, lounges, ballrooms, commercial kitchens, and in some cases, dormitories. In Long Beach, a stunning double-staircase ascends to a second-floor theater. A ballroom, lounge, offices and more are located on the first floor. There is so much more to this building than meets the eye; it is a perfect event space, complete with parking lot and elevators.
The Long Beach Scottish Rite is frequently rented; its stage used by the community for a variety of events and productions. The income generated from this type of rental has provided much-needed relief for basic operational expenses. Event Coordinator and office Manager for the Scottish Rite Cathedral Association of Long Beach, Hannah McMullen, has succeeded in so many ways. She is also associated with Children’s Theatre Long Beach, a local group that also uses the stage and historic scenery collection. There are quite a few Scottish Rite theaters that could benefit in chatting with her.
That being said, the constant use of historic scenery comes at a cost. For years, Scottish Rite scenery collections were sparingly used. Backdrops were only lowered a few times each year at Scottish Rite Reunions.
What is a Scottish Rite Reunion?
Over the course of a week, or weekend, between five and twenty-nine Scottish Rite degrees are performed, with members participating as both performers and stagehands. These annual, or biannual, gatherings featured degree productions performed by a specific group of member. They rehearse and perform a single degree for the reunion. The function of each degree production is to educate the members.
Stage scenery that was solely cared for by Scottish Rite Masons began to be handled by outside groups, including community theater groups. Although local thespians appreciated the beauty of the scenery, each backdrop is often treated as if it were a contemporary one. Quick scene changes, with drops rapidly rubbing again each other removed paint and thinned fabric over time. Performers brushing against drops during entrances and exits caused the ripping of now fragile fabric.
There are two scenery collections at the Long Beach Scottish Rite: The Martin Studios Collection (c. 1900-1926) and the Phil Raiguel Collection (c. 1962-1979). The Martin studio collection is divided into two categories: scenery produced for the opening of the building in 1926, and used scenery that was refurbished to accompany the new scenery that year. The Phil Raiguel collection, scenery produced and repaired by Raiguel, was completed in association with both Curran Productions, and Bates Lighting Co. & Scenic Studio. Each of these firms were owned and operated by the Los Angeles Civic Opera Association (LACOA).
Today’s post focusses on Martin Studios. Joel David Martin was the founder of J. D. Martin Studios, later known as Martin Studios. His son, William T. Martin later managed the studio as Martin Studio. That being said, old J. D. Martin scenic studio tags were still being used in the 1930s.
Joel Martin was born in Indiana, the third son of William Martin and Lucinda Amburn. In the 1860s the Martins moved to Wabasha, Minnesota where his sister, Mattie Bell, was born in 1868. Growing up on a farm near Wabasha, little is known of Martin’s early artistic training or career in the theatre.
However, by the 1880s, Martin was married and working as a stage carpenter in New York City. He founded J. D. Martin Studios in 1887, with the company maintaining a studio and offices in the Majestic Theatre Building on Broadway, before moving to a larger space at Center and Banning Streets. J. D. Martin’s studio remained at that location for approximately five years with business continuing to thrive. In 1891, his son, William T. Martin was born in Minnesota; Anna likely went back home to be with family during the birth of her first child.
In 1899, J. D. Martin came to Los Angeles as part of the technical staff with the James O’Neill repertoire company. His new studio was established at Located at 545 South Los Angeles Street. The 1910 US Federal Census listed Martin as a 45-yrs. old stage carpenter in Los Angles, living with his 39-yrs. old wife Anna, and 17-yrs. old son William T., who also entered the theatre trade as a scenic artist. By 1914, Martin renovated a building at 111 North Center St, Los Angeles, for his studio (Los Angeles Evening Express 14 May 1914). At the time, Martin was working at the Civic Center in Pasadena. He built stage settings that Robert Brunton painted (Pasadena-Star News 27 April 1927).
In 1921, The Los Angeles Times,published a lengthy article entitled “J. D. Martin Scenic Co.” The article reported:
Locating in Los Angeles twenty years ago, the J. D. Martin Scenic Company has executed scenery for nearly all of the plays that have been produced in this city since their advent into local theatrical circles…Last January the J. D. Martin Scenic Company was forced to move to its present quarters at 545 South Los Angeles Street. Many of the theater in Los Angeles are examples of the work of this company as it has installed the stage equipment for the Auditorium, Majestic Morosco and Little theaters and was associated in the equipping of Grauman’s and the California theaters. This company also recently equipped the stage of Marcu Loew’s ‘New State Theater” at Long Beach and the $10,000 stage setting for W. A. Clark’s Philharmonic Orchestra. The J. D. Martin Scenic Company executed the settings for practically all of the Oliver Morosco productions. Chief among these productions that the company has supplied settings for are “Tick Tock Man,” “Canary Cottage,” “So Long Letty,” “Up Stairs and Down,” “What Next,” “Lombardi Limited” and “The Brat.” Practically all of the exquisite prologue sets used by the Kinema and California theaters in some of their super photoplays are designed by the J. D. martin Scenic Co; in fact, the company is a pioneer in this branch of stage craft as it designed and executed the first prologue set used by W. H. Clune in his premiere presentation of D. W. Griffith’s master picture, “The Clansman,’”at Clune’s Auditorium in 1915, subsequently executing the same for Thos. H. Ince’s ‘Civilization,’ as well as many other notable photoplays.
During the war years, Martin’s studio was one of three listed in LA Directories, with the other two being Edwin H. Flagg Scenic Co. and Charles F. Thompson Scenic Co. By now, William Thomas Martin (1892-1967) was working for his father as a scenic artist. On his WWI draft registration, William listed his title as general manager of J. D. Martin Scenery Co, Central and Banning streets. In 1920, he listed “studio owner” as his occupation when the census was taken that year. William T. Martin would continue to list his role as Studio owner until 1940, when he listed “Proprietor of Theatre Productions” as his occupation. He took over the business when J. D. Martin passed away in 1927.
Throughout the 1920s, J. D. Martin projects made the news. Project included the American Theatre in Ventura and the Women’s Club in Bakersfield. However, at the onset of the decade, J. D. Martin Scenic Co., Los Angeles, was listed as a new corporation in Southwest Builders and Contractors. The announcement reported, “J. D. Martin Scenic Co., Los Angeles, Capital stock, $25,000: subscribed, $3000. Directors J. D. Martin and Wm. T. Martin, 215 E 25th St. and Fitch Fulton, 1510 Mohawk St.” I am going to briefly mention Fulton as he worked for three major scenic firms in the post-war years and 1920s: Edwin H. Flagg Scenic Studio, Sosman & Landis and J. D. Martin. Fulton’s biography is listed with my Sosman & Landis: Shaping the Landscape of American Theatre Employee series.
Although listed as a director for J. D. Martin in 1920, he was listed as a Master Artist there in 1922. That year, he painted scenery La Golondria scenery at the Hollywood Bowl in Pasadena. In 1924, the J D Martin Studio was damaged by fire. The blaze originated at the Progressive Tent and Awning Shop, 1091 Manzanita Street, but rapidly spread the neighboring buildings. Half of Martin’s studio was destroyed, ceasing all operations (Los Angeles Time and Los Angeles Evening Citizen News 24 Sept. 1924). In the aftermath, Fulton worked for Sosman & Landis, now under the direction of Thomas G. Moses and salesman Fred Megan. Between 1924 and 1926, Fulton worked with Moses on several Masonic projects, but neither the 1927 Salt Lake or Oakland Scottish Rite projects.
In 1925, Moses and Fulton refurbished old scenery and painted new scenery for the Pasadena Scottish Rite. On February 14, 1925, the Pasadena Post reported, “While Mr. Moses has watched carefully the painting of the curtains, much credit for their final perfection must go to his assistant and scenic artist, F. B. Fulton. Mr. Fulton believes the scenic work to be some of the finest he has ever produced. The final work of hanging and installing the curtains will. Be under the supervision of Harry Naile, a member of the Sosman & Landis Company. This work demands such expert workmanship that Mr. Naile was brought from Chicago so that no mistakes in installation could be made.”
This was a significant period in the construction of Scottish Rite Theaters throughout the region. Studios were forming alliances and sharing their work force to complete massive Masonic projects in a compressed timeline. Sosman & Landis had relied on regional studios working with branch offices for decades, calling on former employees who has established their own firms in an area. One example was Edwin H. Flagg Studios and Sosman & Landis in 1925.
That year Moses wrote, “Took a trip over to Los Angeles to see Flagg at his studio…Flagg is anxious for Sosman & Landis Company to join him still. I can’t see it. While I would like to remain on the coast, I would not be able to agree with Flagg.” In the 1920s, Sosman & Landis landed one Masonic contract after another. An increasing number of projects were in the western states. So many, that Moses began planning the construction of a new Sosman & Landis Scenic Studio in California. Since 1879, the firm’s base for operations was situated in Chicago. However, they had regional offices and other studio spaces all over the country. In these shops, Moses had worked with many of the scenic artists, training dozens of young artists over the years. He knew the key players, how to win a bid, and when to walk away from a project. Sosman & Landis also went after the Long Beach Scottish Rite contract, with Moses writing, “I left Los Angeles on Friday, August 28th. The day before I left, I made one more trip to Long Beach to see if there was any chance for us to get in on Consistory work and found that the architect was an old school mate of one of our competitors, so I gracefully withdrew. No chance.”
Throughout the 1920s, however, Moses continued to work with former Sosman & Landis employees, including Fulton and Arthur Hurtt. There were quite a few scenic artists who had left Chicago studios for West Coast opportunities, especially during the post war years. During WWI, both Hurtt and Flagg had worked as camouflage artists, representing the Edwin H. Flagg Scenic Company. I have written about Hurtt in the past, as one of his backdrops is in the Theatre Museum of Repertoire Americana in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. Click HERE for more information about Hurtt.
Both Hurtt and Flagg had worked with Moses in Chicago early on in their careers. Each had moved to Los Angeles where work became more lucrative. In 1924, they even lived on the same street, with Fulton at 1510 and Hurtt at 1518 on Mohawk. The connections between scenic artists and studio was constant. Like many scenic artists in the 1920s, Fulton did not work exclusively at any one studio. However, he was a great asset to have on hand, as he knew what had been manufactured by competitors. He was extremely familiar with Masonic installations, having painted several throughout his career for Sosman & Landis. For a little background, as a young man, Fulton had studied at the Art Students League of New York City and at the Art Institute of Chicago under Vanderpoel, Freer, and J. Francis Smith. This was the same period where worked as a scenic artist at Sosman & Landis (both in Chicago’s main studio and their affiliate, New York studios). Like Martin, Fulton’s work with a touring show had brought him to California. In 1913, he was living in San Francisco. By 1916, he had moved to Los Angeles. Fulton became a member of the Academy of Western Painters, the California Watercolor Society and the California Art Club, among others. In later years, he completed projects at various studios and under his own name, with J. D. Martin executing his designs.
Fulton had a long history with refurbishing old and painting new Masonic scenery. This was a was a skill that he had acquired at Sosman & Landis, then passed on to J. D. Martin. Just prior to Martin’s creation of a scenery collection for the Long Beach Scottish Rite. From 1924-1925, Fulton assisted Moses on the Pasadena Scottish Rite scenery collection. They refurbished used scenery from the Little Rock (Arkansas) Scottish Rite and painted a few new scenes. The old (c. 1902) Little Rock collection had been divided up, with some scenes going to the Scottish Rite theatre in Pasadena and other scenes going to the Scottish Rite Theatre in Miami, Florida. Such was the case at the Long Beach Scottish Rite, with some of the scenes pre-date the building, as they were originally installed at a previous venue.
By 1926, Fulton was again working with J. D. Martin.
“New” drops created in 1926 for the Long Beach Stage have horizontal seams on the back, not vertical as they earlier ones. The new drops in the 1926 collection consists of scenes depicting the Persian Palace, the Holy of Holies in King Solomon’s Temple, Hades, Hillside Cavern, the Crucifixion, a Garden, the Grand Encampment, and a Commander’s Tent.
Most of these drops are easily identifiable as there is a predominance of blue incorporated into the shadows, characteristic of painted illusion produced in the 1920s. Drops that pre-date the building, those created long before the 1926 installation, are identified by vertical seams. They include settings that depict Egypt, Woods, Quarry, Treasure Chamber, River, Scaffolding Rebuilding the Temple leg drop. These scenes were refurbished to accompany new scenery at the Long Beach Scottish Rite.
In fact, Martin Studios delivered second-generation scenery to other Masonic theaters with first-generation scenery by Sosman and Landis. One example is the Tucson Scottish Rite. In 1914, Sosman & Landis delivered a scenery collection to the venue. In 1931, J. D. Martin Studios manufactured and shipped a floor cloth and other scenic items to the Scottish Rite Cathedral Association in Tucson, Arizona, in 1931.
Scottish Rite theaters received credit on their purchase of a second scenery collection. Think of trading in a used car when purchasing a new one. The trade-in may be low, but it will be resold for much, much more. Almost four decades after the installation of the 1926 scenery collection, some new settings replaced the original. Between 1962 and 1979, Phil Raiguel painting new scenery for the Long Beach Scottish Rite. Raiguel is the topic of my next post.
To be continued…
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