M. C. Lilley – Drypigment.net

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 896 – The Omaha Scottish Rite, 1914

Photograph from my visit to the Omaha Scottish Rite during June 2018.

In 1914, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Some new Masonic work for Omaha, Nebr.” Moses was referring to the new scenery and stage machinery purchased for the Omaha Scottish Rite Temple on Twentieth and Douglas streets. The firm previously delivered some scenery for Scottish Rite degree work for the Masonic Temple on Sixteenth and Capitol Avenue. The 1914 work mentioned by Moses was an addition to an earlier collection delivered by Sosman & Landis.

Omaha was one of four Scottish Rite meeting places in the state, with the other three located in Lincoln, Fremont and Hastings. In 1914, Sosman & Landis also worked on other Scottish Rite projects that Moses recorded, “furnished a lot of work for the boys.”

On May 18, 1914, the “Omaha Daily Bee” reported:

“Scottish Rite Initiation to Be in Last in Old Building. A class of fourteen will receive the twenty-first degree in Scottish rite masonry Monday evening at the Masonic temple, Sixteenth street and Capitol avenue. This is the last class which will receive the preceptor degree in the old Masonic temple, as it is believed that the new Scottish Rite temple at Twentieth and Douglas streets will be completed and occupied by the order at the time of the initiation of the next class. Refreshments will be served following the initiation Monday evening” (page 10).

The Spring Reunion boasted a class of forty-cone candidates who received the fourth to eighteenth degrees, using Sosman & Landis scenery previously purchased for degree productions. During the two-day reunion, Scottish Rite degree work for the fourth to fourteenth degrees were completed on Tuesday and degree work for the fifteenth to eighteenth degrees were completed on Wednesday. This means that the original Scottish Rite stage in Omaha only had scenery to use for the fourth to eighteenth degrees. A list of all the candidates was published in the “Omaha Daily Bee” on 25 March 1914 (page 3). By the next spring reunion, there were one hundred Scottish Rite candidates in the class at the new building (Omaha Daily Bee, 25 March 1915, page 8).

Images of the Omaha Scottish Rite before it was dedicated in 1914.

The dedication ceremonies in the new building were held on November 16. The Omaha Scottish Rite was erected at a cost of over $225,000. Of the Omaha Scottish Rite’s new home, the “Omaha Daily Bee” reported, “The new Scottish Rite Cathedral is a three story structure, with high basement, built of Bedford granite, with imposing Ionic columns and porticos. The auditorium on the second and third floors where the initiations will take place, is an attractive modern theater, with a stage 30×40 feet and a seating capacity of about 1,000. It is tinted in cream with pink decorated panels and has all the arrangements for lighting, stage settings and precautions against fire, of the most up to minute theater. It has a wardrobe and paraphernalia room adjoin” (1 Nov. 1915, page 25). The size and scope of the project increased over course of the year.

M. C. Lilley & Co. of Columbus, Ohio, received the contracted for Omaha’s Scottish Rite theater. They subcontracted the 1914 set of scenery to Sosman & Landis. Keep in mind that by 1914, Moses had been associated with Sosman & Landis since 1880. He was the current vice-president of the firm and supervised all design, construction, painting and installation. He also negotiated many of the contracts. After Landis’ passing, Moses’ role in the company continued to expand, while Sosman’s responsibilities diminished. It was not easy sailing for Moses during this time; especially when studio projects continued to increase, necessitating the use of annex studios and regional offices.

In 1914, the Omaha Scottish Rite project also encountered a series of snags during planning and production. First and foremost, there was a misunderstanding concerning who was responsible for the structural work necessary to support the scenic drops. It was unusual for anyone else besides M. C. Lilley or Sosman & Landis to install the stage machinery, so I m perplexed that this was an issue. Part of the standard procedure for Scottish Rite scenery installations at that time was that they were suspended from “Brown’s special system.” There was always a company representative who was there during the first reunion to help supervise the operation of the system.

Furthermore, the Omaha Valley Scottish Rite reduced the number of drops to less than half due to the expense, likely deciding to reuse much of the original scenery collection; a common practice for many Scottish Rite’s at the time, but this bit into the expenses expended by the studio during the planning and designing process. The original plan for eighty line sets sixty line sets was reduced to sixty, greatly affecting the final workload and anticipated profits. These two factors, contributed to a delay in the final delivery of the scenery, so it was not until the Spring Reunion of 1915 that everything was in place. That scenery remained in place for the next eight decades.

In 1980, Dr. John R. Rothgeb of the University of Texas in Austin inquired about the original scenery. He received a response from the Secretary D. William Dean that April. Dean responded that the Omaha Scottish Rite currently owned 47 “beautiful curtain drops.” He then wrote, “…and they are all originals. They are remarkably in good condition considering their age as is also the Building which we have tried to keep in the very best of repair.” Over the course of the next sixteen years, however, someone would make the decision to get rid of these drops and purchase a the used scenery from the Kansas City Scottish Rite.

The Omaha Scottish Rite purchased from the Scottish Rite scenery collection from Kansas City, Kansas in 1996 for $40,000. The Kansas City, KS, Scottish Rite scenery dates from the 1950s. It was painted by Maj. Don Carlos DuBois, representing the Great Western Stage Equipment Co. I was able examine all of the current backdrops at the Scottish Rite Theatre in Omaha, Nebraska, on June 15, 2018, while driving south for “The Santa Fe Scottish Rite Temple: Freemasonry, Architecture and Theatre” book signing.

The Kansas City Scottish Rite sold their scenery to the Omaha Scottish Rite in 1996.

The used scenery was available for purchase because the Kansas City Scottish Rite put it’s building on the market in 1996 and moved to a new location. I initially learned of the collection’s relocation to Omaha while researching Scottish Rite compositions for my doctoral dissertation. For a while, the entire set of backdrops was posted online at the time. In the end $140, 000 was spent to purchase, remove, transport, and install the new drops in Omaha. Stylistically, the painted aesthetic of each collections was decades apart.

I still don’t know what happened to the original 1914 Sosman & Landis scenery, as only bits and pieces of stage machinery remain in lobby display cases.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 814 – The Second Scottish Rite Stage in Bloomington, Illinois.

The Bloomington Scottish Rite membership dramatically increased during the second decade of the twentieth century. Within less than a decade, a larger facility and grander stage were need for degree work. Sosman & Landis first delivered scenery to the Bloomington Scottish Rite in 1911 and 1912. They would not deliver any scenery for the 1921 stage. The Director of Works, Delmar D. Darrah ordered a second set of scenery from his good friend John Becker of J. C. Becker & Bro. in Chicago. Darrah, an active member of the Supreme Council, was the author and director of the Passion Play. He also was the Director of Works and managed many of the production that won fame in the local Scottish Rite Consistory.

In 1917, a new building was proposed and land purchased at East and Mulberry taking place by May 1918. Necessary building contracts were authorized during November 1919, with the building being completed by 1921. The new Scottish Rite Temple was located at the north edge of the Bloomington’s business district, at 110 E. Mulberry Street. The first Fall Reunion in 1922 included 353 candidates. Owned by the Bloomington Scottish Rite Consistory, the building soon became host to a public theatrical event – “The American Passion Play.”

The stage of the Bloomington Scottish Rite.

Auditorium of the Bloomington Scottish Rite.

I first learned of Bloomington’s Passion Play while cataloguing the Great Western Stage Equipment Co. collection as part of an Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) grant in 1989. The collection included a 1928 Bloomington Passion Play program. Beginning in 1923, the Bloomington Scottish Rite Masons presented “The American Passion Play,” an elaborate annual production that was over three hours in length, with fifty-six scenes and up to two hundred and thirty actors.

The success and popularity of the production was immediate for both the Fraternity and local community. On April 18, 1927, “The Panatgraph” reported, “Leon M. Abbott, Sovereign Grand Commander of the Supreme Council, Praises the Passion Play” (Bloomington, Illinoi, page 3). Abbott traveled 1500 miles expressly for the purpose of attending the Passion Play. He also explained to the audience that about five years ago it had been his privilege to see the original Passion Play as portrayed by the inhabitants of the little Bavarian city known as Oberammergau. The Oberammergau Passion Play had been performed since 1634. A staging of Jesus’ passion, covering the short period of his life from his first visit to Jerusalem and leading to the crucifixion, the play was the result of town residents vowing in 1633 that if God spared them from the Bubonic plague they would produce the play thereafter for all time. Of Bloomington’s American Passion Play, Abbot stated, “Today, [Darrah] took me back to that place in the little Bavarian village with a population of 19,000, some 5000 of which take part in the Passion Play. It was a wonderful experience.”

Some of the scenery by J. C. Becker & Bro,. for the Passion Play.

The article continued, “Highest officials in Masonry with other active members of the Supreme Council from Eastern States and from Illinois, witnessed Bloomington’s gigantic production Sunday evening when more than one thousand Consistory men and their wives assembled to honor the distinguished guests – Honor guests lauded work of Delmar D. Darrah, active member of the Supreme Council and Director of Work in Bloomington Consistory and also the Consistory Players.” Abbot as quoted complimenting Darrah, saying, “It almost staggers belief that one man can be responsible for the intricate preparation of all that necessary to present the work which we witnessed this afternoon.” A photograph was included with the article, picturing (left to right) Delmar D. Darrah of Bloomington, C. R. Spillman of Chicago, Leon M. Abbott of Boston, S. O. Spring of Chicago, and Leroy Goddard of Chicago.

(left to right) Delmar D. Darrah of Bloomington, C. R. Spillman of Chicago, Leon M. Abbott of Boston, S. O. Spring of Chicago, and Leroy Goddard of Chicago.

For Bloomington’s Scottish Rite stage and for Darrah’s Passion Play, J. C. Becker & Bro. provided all of the scenery instead of Sosman & Landis.

Why Becker and not Sosman & Landis?

The switch is because John Becker cultivated a close friendship with Darrah. This connection would give Becker an advantage for many 1920s Scottish Rite projects throughout the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, especially those in Illinois. After becoming a Mason in 1912 (Maywood Lodge 869 F&AM), Becker also became a 33^rd degree Scottish Rite Mason [the final and honorary degree of the AASR]. He was a life member in the Valley of Bloomington and also active in Chicago. Becker joined Chicago’s Medinah Temple Shrine and was a past watchman of White Shrine of Jerusalem. These Masonic connections were a necessity when bidding on Masonic scenery contracts for both the Northern and Southern Jurisdiction of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry.

Becker’s approach is exactly the same of Joseph S. Sosman. Sosman’s connections were how Sosman & Landis secured the majority of scenery contracts for the Southern Jurisdiction. Sosman enjoyed close friendships with key Southern Jurisdiction representatives, especially Bestor G. Brown of Kansas. Brown was the Past Grand Master of Kansas who became head of many other Masonic Orders, as well as being the western representative of M. C. Lilley in Kansas City. M. C. Lilley was a massive fraternal regalia and paraphernalia manufacturer who supplied many fraternal organizations with necessary products that ranged from paper documents and ritual books to lodge room furniture and costumes. M. C. Lilley, represented by Brown, also outfitted Scottish Rite theaters. Although M. C. Lilley did not manufacture any stage scenery, lighting systems or stage machinery, they subcontracted the work to firms such as Sosman & Landis. Both Brown and Sosman were prominent Freemasons, the key to their success within the Fraternity and theatre industry.

From the mid-1890s until the passing of Sosman in 1915 and Brown in 1917, M. C. Lilley had a close relationship with Sosman & Landis, almost solely using their services for Masonic theater contracts. This rapidly changed after the passing of both Sosman & Brown, leaving Sosman & Landis without a close fraternal connection. Furthermore, the company’s second president, Thomas G. Moses, did not become a Mason until the mid-1920s. By this point it was too late. Moses was well known and his work well respected, but he could not compete with other scenic studios represented by a Mason, such as J. C. Becke & Bro.

So…by 1915, Sosman & Landis does not have a Mason representing the firm, however, both of their major competitors do – J. C. Becker & Bros. and Toomey & Volland. Therefore, Becker Bros. and Toomey & Volland rapidly gain ground during the second decade of the twentieth century, eventually eclipsing Sosman & Landis by 1920. J. C. Becker & Bro. began to secure many of the contracts for Illinois, Indiana and Iowa. With the backing of key Scottish Rite figures, such as Darrah, they began to increase their contacts across the country.

The strength of the Bloomington Scottish Rite could not survive declining membership and aging buildings. In 20, the old Bloomington Scottish Rite became the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts. In an amazing turn of fate, the Bloomington Scottish Rite moved back to their first home. The original Bloomington Masonic Temple is once again the home and meeting place for the Valley of Bloomington. They went full circle, but lost so much along the way. The 1912 Bloomington Masonic Temple continues to be the meeting place not only for the Scottish Rite, but also other Blue Lodges, the York Rite, Order of DeMolay and Rainbow Girls.

Stage where the Bloomington Scottish Rite now meets.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 786 – The Main Studio at Sosman & Landis

Sosman and Landis built their main studio at 236 and 237 S. Clinton Street. The street numbers later changed to 417 and 419 S. Clinton Street, yet the studio did not change locations. The change was due to the renumbering of Chicago streets, also known as the Brennan System.

“The Encyclopedia of Chicago” explains this street name change at the turn of the twentieth century. The publication specifically describes the history prior to the 1901 Brennan System:

“The street names of Chicago offer a rich record of the city’s spatial and social development. In 1830, southern Illinois mapmaker James Thompson created Chicago’s first official map. Commissioned by the federal government to bring order to the city, Thompson platted the small downtown area bounded by Kinzie, Jefferson, Washington, and Dearborn streets. Departing from the tradition of naming streets for their destination, Thompson initiated the enduring practice of naming streets after figures of national and local significance.

“In the decades that followed, explosive urban growth, annexation, and the popular political favor of honorary street naming resulted in multiple streets of the same name and streets known by several different names. In 1901, building superintendent Edward P. Brennan confronted the confused state of affairs. He suggested that Chicago be ordered as a large grid with a uniform street numbering system, and proposed State and Madison Streets as the city’s primary north-south and east-west axes. In 1908, the “Brennan” system was officially adopted by the city council and became the basis of modern Chicago’s street naming system.

“Over the next decades, Brennan’s system incorporated not only the principle of having street address numbers register distance and direction, but also the ideas that all portions of the same street should go by a uniform name and that north-south streets should be named alphabetically as one moved west from the Chicago/Indiana border. Led by Brennan and Howard C. Brodman, superintendent of the city’s Department of Maps and Plats, the city council and business community continued through the 1930s to replace duplicated street names in order to simplify navigation and economize postal service and merchandise delivery. Of the more than a thousand streets within Chicago’s city limits today, the greatest number—more than 170—bear the names of real-estate developers. English towns and Chicago’s former mayors and aldermen have provided the next most popular sources of names.” The street numbering system revision was completed in 1909.

A business address really does matter when it becomes part of a firm’s identity. Sosman & Landis were at their main studio for over three decades, becoming a landmark on Clinton Street. When the company dissolved, three things happened: the liquidation of company assets, a new lease in the old studio space and the purchase of the “Sosman & Landis” name. For a while, the new address became home to Chicago Studios. This caused a problem for Thomas G. Moses and Fred Megan, especially after they purchased the Sosman & Landis name. You see, Chicago Studios began marketing itself as the new owners of Sosman & Landis. They used the space, but had not retained the Sosman & Landis staff or designs.

The problem became a significant one, forcing Moses to send out letters to many previous clients. In 2010 I discovered a letter during the evaluation of the Scottish Rite scenery collection in Salina, Kansas.

Sosman & Landis letter that I discovered during the Salina Scottish Rite scenery evaluation

A Nov. 13, 1923, letter from Sosman & Landis to the Salina Scottish Rite stated:

Dear Sir,

It has recently been brought to our attention that a certain studio is advertising out old customers that they have brought the Sosman & Landis Company and are now operating same, combining it with their original company. We wish to assure you that this is not a fact and that our original organization in intact, but our studio has been moved to new and better quarters. Mr. Thomas G. Moses, our Art Director would like the opportunity of meeting with your scene committee to submit our designs and specifications covering your requirement. You will perhaps recall that we were favored with your original scenery order, working through the M. C. Lilley Co. and therefore, it is not necessary for us to give you any reference as to our ability and quality of workmanship.

Sosman & Landis relocated their offices to 6751 Sheridan Road in 1923. Moses’ role with the firm had shifted from being the company president to its artistic director. In 1923, Moses and Fred Megan bought the name “Sosman & Landis,” continuing to produce scenery as before, just in a new location; they retained the studio designs. At first, they rented space at other shops, such as the Fabric Studio.

To be continued…

Note included:

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar: Part 776 – Thomas G. Moses and the Memphis Scottish Rite, 1911

The Scottish Rite in Memphis, Tennessee.

In 1911, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Some more work at Memphis, Tenn., Masonic.” Sosman & Landis delivered additional scenery two years after the initial installation. In 1909, Moses recorded that Sosman & Landis produced a scenery collection for the Scottish Rite in Memphis, Tennessee. At the time, scenery was purchased through M. C. Lilley and work subcontracted to Sosman & Landis.

The auditorium and drop curtain at the Memphis Scottish Rite. Scenery was delivered by Sosman & Landis in 1909 and 1911

Photograph posted online by the Memphis Scottish Rite of their spring reunion work.

The auditorium at the Memphis Scottish Rite.

Architectural ornamentation at the Memphis Scottish Rite auditorium.

The first reunion in the Memphis Scottish Rite building was held from November 15 to 19, 1909. Over the years, a variety of Masonic activity at the Memphis Scottish Rite Temple was reported in newspaper articles, personal correspondence, and business letters.

In 1916, a letter from Charles Rosenbaum of Little Rock, Arkansas, to Frank A. Derr of Guthrie, Oklahoma, addressed the use of footlights in Scottish Rite theaters. The letter noted that the Scottish Rite in Memphis Tennessee employed the use of footlights for their degree productions. The Guthrie Scottish Rite was considering the installation of footlights for their stage.

Rosenbaum responded to Derr’s query on June 10, 1916:

“I note what you say about footlights, but what use are they? In our old synagogue [the Albert Pike Cathedral, 1896], we had footlights; we found them sort of a nuisance. When we built on 8^th and Scott [the Albert Pike Consistory Building, 1902] we left them out entirely.

While in New York several years ago talking to Stage expert equipment people they showed me foot light equipment they were building for a High School building and it had a nice disappearing arrangement, which was all right.

I asked what was the necessary for foot lights, and why they were used.

The answer was —You have to have them to throw up the light on the people on the front of the stage to light up and destroy the rawness of their makeup, which means the paint and stuff they use on their faces, they said you can’t get along without them for that reason.

I said —Suppose there is no makeup, and I described our use of a stage, and they said it would be foolish to have footlights at all, and only in case we rented the building for theatrical purposes would it be necessary, because when Actors and Actresses made up the necessity would it be evident.

So —as we don’t rent for any such purpose and don’t make up our faces, and have no business very far out toward the front of the stage, or for that matter in front of the curtain line, we have no use for ‘foot lights, to high light our faces and they have no use for them in Memphis either unless they rent for shows of one kind or another.’”

There is something to consider beyond the topic of footlights that Rosenbaum discusses in the letter. When many Scottish Rite stages were constructed, they were never intended for public use or rentals. Times have changed and public rental income is a necessity. This mean that many stages have been altered to accommodate a renter, or make it more appealing for public rentals.

Over the years, the Memphis Scottish Rite altered their building for a variety or reasons, including a movie set. While examining the history of the building, I discovered an article that reporting the theater was “expanded and refurbished” when used to film performance scenes for the 2005 movie “Walk the Line,” starring Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspon.

Still from 2005 film, “Walk the Line” at the Memphis Scottish Rite posted at
http://masoniccontemporary.org/welcome#/id/i9190912

Note proscenium side lights at the Memphis Scottish Rite. Still from 2005 film, “Walk the Line” at the Memphis Scottish Rite posted at
http://masoniccontemporary.org/welcome#/id/i9190912

Backstage at the Memphis Scottish Rite. Still from 2005 film, “Walk the Line” at the Memphis Scottish Rite posted at
http://masoniccontemporary.org/welcome#/id/i9190912

The counterweight system, Brown’s Special System, is picture in the background of this film still. Note the wooden arbor frame. Still from 2005 film, “Walk the Line” at the Memphis Scottish Rite posted at
http://masoniccontemporary.org/welcome#/id/i9190912

In some ways, the rental of Scottish Rite buildings and stages for filmwork has provided much necessary income for many Scottish Rite Valleys. However, the money comes at a price. Damage inevitably occurs over time as various lighting systems and other equipment are installed for a specific film scene, or temporary structures are anchored to existing walls.

I think of the continued television and film work that occurs in the Santa Fe Scottish Rite and recognize the recent changes that have compromised a once unique system. The original counterweight system, known as Brown’s Special System, has been irreparably altered from its original state. Photographs of this system that were published in “The Santa Fe Scottish Rite Temple: Freemasonry, Architecture and Theatre (2018, Museum of New mexico Press) depict a pristine system, one that remained unaltered since its installation in 1912. No matter the historical significance, or words of caution, nothing could have prevented its alteration over the past two years.

I understand that change is inevitable as the Fraternity responds to declining membership. In many instances, the loss of membership means a loss of annual revenue, prompting Scottish Rite Valleys to respond in various ways, such as public rentals. Some renovate the space that generates the greatest rental income; in many instances it is the stage and auditorium. For an organization that remained locked in time for decades, a few individuals are irreparably altering their spaces. Stage houses, specifically the scenery, stage machinery and other systems, are often repaired, altered, or renovated, without any undertstanding of the system. Furthermore, these alterations are often completed without the knowledge of the membership or staff. Sadly, a few members consider these historic buildings as their personal playgrounds, completing one “home-improvement” projects after another and using unrated hardware, duct tape, contact cement, and other inappropriate products for their work.

Go visit your nearest Scottish Rite theater now, as change is coming and it might be different by tomorrow.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 709 – “Installation Shall be Under the Direction of Bestor G. Brown”

Part 709: “Installation Shall be Under the Direction of Bestor G. Brown”

By 1910, the process of manufacturing and installing Scottish Rite scenery collections operated by Brown’s special system was running like a well-oiled machine. M. C. Lilley & Co. landed the work and subcontracted the scenery, stage machinery and lighting portion to Sosman & Landis. M. C. Lilley & Co. provided the costumes, regalia and other necessary paraphernalia.

Up to this point, I have discussed the scenery produced for Little Rock, Oakland, Wichita, Guthrie, Fargo, Salina, Portland and others at the turn of the twentieth century. Let’s jump ahead a decade at the peak production of Scottish Rite scenery in the Sosman & Landis studio, 1909-1910. During that two-year period, Sosman & Landis produced scenery and stage machinery for Kansas City, Kansas; Winona, Minnesota; Dallas, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; Memphis, Tennessee; Guthrie, Oklahoma (second installation); St. Paul, Minnesota; Denver, Co; and Indianapolis, Indiana. Keep in mind that at this time the studio also refurbished the Wichita scenery from 1898 and delivered it to Yankton, South Dakota. There are other collections from this period that remain unidentified at this time.

I have also looked in detail at the promotion of Brown’s special system, a method of counterweighting the scenery, that was marketed by well known Mason, Bestor G. Brown. For Masonic context, Brown was a Past Grand Mater of the Grand Lodge of Kansas (1903) and a member of numerous Masonic orders, including the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry in both the Northern and Southern Jurisdiction. Brown also belonged to the Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias and Improved Order of Redmen. His profession was that of western sales manager for M. C. Lilley & Co., a supplier of fraternal, military and band goods. He was also considered the only Masonic Stage carpenter in the United States.

There is an interesting section in the 1910 contract between M. C. Lilley & Co., represented by Brown, and the Guthrie Scottish Rite:

“The installation shall be under the direction of Bestor G. Brown who will take charge of and handle the stage during the first reunion, without compensation or expense of any kind, provided of course, sickness or other preventing circumstances shall not operate and abridgement of any in terms of this contract or the pecuniary liability expressed therein.”

This is big, and I doubt that this is an unusual occurrence. It also explains why Brown was considered the Masonic stage carpenter, ruler of the realm behind the footlights. This single sentence in the contract places Brown on site during the first Scottish Rite Reunion that uses the new stage machinery and scenery. It means that at the completion of each Scottish Rite project there is an individual on site to supervise the initial operation of the system, keeping an eye on Masonic stagehands that are unfamiliar with the backstage aspects of a theatrical production.

There are two significant things to consider:

First of all, after most Sosman & Landis theater installations, the company representative superintending the site work remained on site as the theater opened, or at least operated the system to familiarize the client with the new products. In fact, Sosman & Landis had several employees who traveled from location, to location, installing scenery and stage machinery. The supervisor of each installation worked with a crew of carpenters and then operated the system for the client upon completion. Often after an installation – the superintendent of the work would show how everything worked upon completion. In 1887, newspapers reported that Sosman & Landis would, “complete everything, ready for the rise of the curtain, and will run the stage for the first performance.”

We also know that certain that at least one Sosman & Landis stage carpenter traveled without drawings. In the case of Charles S. King and the Crump Theatre project during the late nineteenth century, he was the only individual who was personally held the knowledge pertaining to the carpentry work and installation of the stage machinery and scenery. to install the stage systems. This was a smart move and may have prevented information from being shared with Sosman & Landis’ competitors, keeping new innovations safeguarded, just as guilds protected trade secrets. The knowledge of a new method for installing counterweight systems placed Sosman & Landis ahead of their competitors to deliver more scenery, as Brown’s special system placed the rigging lines close together.

As the scenery and stage machinery were subcontracted Sosman & Landis, it also makes sense that Brown would be on site, representing M. C. Lilley & Co. and directly communicating with the client. After all, the one installing the scenery may not be a Mason or hold that necessary “charm” when the client became a challenge. Also, keep in mind that it was M. C. Lilley & Co. who directly contracted the entire theatre portion of the project with each Scottish Rite.

The second article of note in this clause is that Brown would “take charge of and handle the stage during the first reunion.” He had to, especially if the Sosman & Landis stage carpenter was not a Mason. Fortunately for M. C. Lilley & Co. Brown was a Scottish Rite member in the Northern and Southern Jurisdiction, as well as a fraternal salesman. An active Scottish Rite Mason had to be the onsite eyes during that first reunion; and that was Brown, ensuring that everything operated as promised.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 696 – The San Francisco Scottish Rite, Feb. 6, 1905 – April 18, 1906

Part 696: The San Francisco Scottish Rite, Feb. 6, 1905 – April 18, 1906

The cornerstone for the Albert Pike Memorial Temple in San Francisco was laid on July 9, 1904 by the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge, F. and A.M. of California. The name causes a slight problem, as nearly two decades later an Albert Pike Memorial Temple would be built in Little Rock, Arkansas. In Little Rock, the Scottish Rite Masons left their previous home in the 1902 the Albert Pike Consistory Building to join other Little Rock Masonic orders at the Albert Pike Memorial Temple.

Cornerstone laying ceremony for the San Francisco Scottish Rite, 1904.

The San Francisco Scottish Rite’s Albert Pike Memorial Temple was located at 1859 Geary Street in San Francisco, between Steiner and Filmore Streets, the building occupied a 86 feet by 137 feet lot. On February 6^th, 1905, the new home of California Scottish Rite bodies was dedicated and a Scottish Rite Reunion commenced..

Fred J. H. Rickon was the president of the Albert Pike Memorial Temple Association, a group that consisted of some of the most prominent Masons in San Francisco. Other memebers were Frank B. Ladd, William Crocker, W. I. Brobeck and W. C. Ordway. Bestor G. Brown, Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Kansas and western sales manager for M. C. Lilley & Co., not only outfitted the new theater with scenery, stage machinery, lighting and costumes, but also “made the presentation speech, paying a graceful tribute to the energy of local fraters” (San Francisco Call, 7 Feb 1905, page 2). Other than the costumes, the theater’s scenery, stage machinery, and lighting were subcontracted to Sosman & Landis of Chicago, Illinois.

In “The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Free-Masonry Transactions of the Supreme Council of the 33^rd Degree for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States of America” from 1905, there was a report from W. Frank Pierce, Sovereign Grand Inspector General, Valley of San Francisco. He stated:

“Only one reunion has been held in this jurisdiction, This one was at the dedication of the Albert Pike Memorial Temple, San Francisco, and held for the purpose of allowing the brethren from various parts of the State to witness the conferring of all degrees in a temple equipped with the most modern paraphernalia and stage fittings to present their dramatic part of the work.”

On February 6, 1905, the San Francisco Call included the article “Albert Pike Memorial to be Dedicated.” The article reported, “On this occasion the degrees will be conferred with full scenic effects and historically correct paraphernalia for the first time in California. Over $100,000 has been invested in this magnificent structure, of which fully $25,000 is in scenery and costume alone. It is anticipated that many of the craft from all over the State will take advantage of this occasion to receive these degrees, and it is thought that many prominent and distinguished visitors from other jurisdictions will grace the meeting with their presence” (“Albert Pike Memorial to be Dedicated.” 11 Dec. 1904, page 50).

Like many buildings in San Francisco, the Albert Pike Memorial Temple was destroyed during the fire that followed the 1906 earthquake on April 18. By April 22, 1906, the San Francisco Chronicle described the Masonic ruins after the fire: “On Geary street between Filmore and Steiner, two large, new, partly constructed brick and stone buildings, one the Albert Pike Memorial Temple and the other the Congregation Beth Israel Church, both practically collapsed, the roofs falling in. Not far away, on Sutter and Steiner streets, a large new building being constructed for the Golden Gate Commandery of the Scottish Rite fell with a crash” (page 6).

Image of the San Francisco Scottish Rite after the earthquake in 1906, from the San Francisco Public Library.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 689 – M. C. Lilley & Co. Lighting for Scottish Rite Stages

Part 689: M. C. Lilley & Co. Lighting for Scottish Rite Stages

Any painting can be destroyed in an instant with poor lighting. It does not matter how beautiful the composition, or the painted aesthetic; if the person designing ot running the lights does not understand two-dimensional scenes it doesn’t matter.

Lighting for the Scottish Rite stage in Austin, Texas.

During a 1913 New York Dramatic Mirror interview with scenic artist Ernest Albert, he explained that a scenic artist’s function did not cease until the scenery was all installed and the lighting arrangements completed. He commented, “Lighting is within his province, just as groupings are in a measure. An unexpected orange light on violet, for instance, will produce a russet brown that will make everything look dirty. It is true that in the days of gas lighting much softer effects were possible, but I will sacrifice all of the advantages of mellow light for safety…Anyway, we are now avoiding many of the hard qualities of the electric light by greater use of ambers, straw colors, and pinks.”

A pamphlet produced by the M. C. Lilley & Co. for Scottish Rite stages during the early twentieth century commented, “The lighting equipment of a stage used for Scottish Rite purpose is very important. No matter how well the scenery may be executed, much of its effect will be lost without proper lighting. The equipment should be complete and in no department should a false economy produce a lack of capacity.”

In 1900, the following lighting equipment was delivered to the Scottish Rite stage in Guthrie, Oklahoma.

Four (4) Borders

Four (4) portable ground rows

Two (2) Strip rows

Two (2) Bunch lights

One (1) Slate switch board, full fused, containing 1 main, 3 Service and 32 subordinate double contact knife switches – 36 switches in all; connections on board all made

In 1912, the following lighting equipment was delivered to the Scottish Rite stage in Santa Fe, New Mexico:

Six (6) Border Rows

Six (6) Ground Rows

Two (2) Strip lights

One (1) Dimmer plant

One (1) Switch board

One (1) Arc spot light

One (1) Arc reflector

Two (2) Metal bunch lights

Eight (8) Framed gelatins

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 677 – Harper S. Cunningham and the Scottish Rite in Guthrie, Oklahoma

Part 677: Harper S. Cunningham and the Scottish Rite in Guthrie, Oklahoma

Both Henry Wallenstein and Bestor G. Brown facilitated the Southern Jurisdiction’s inclusion of theatrically interpreted degree work. With the backing of M. C. Lilley & Co. and the assistance of Sosman & Landis, they were on a roll by 1900 and appeared unstoppable.

In 1896 the Little Rock Scottish Rite and the Oakland Scottish Rite each installed a theater in a renovated synagogue. More scenery, lights and effects were delivered to Little Rock in 1898. That same year, the Wichita Scottish Rite installed a theater in a renovated Y.M.C.A. building. In 1900, there were two more Scottish Rite buildings with theaters that appeared in the Southern Jurisdiction – Guthrie, Oklahoma, and Fargo, North Dakota.

For the Wichita Scottish Rite’s Spring Reunion in 1898, Harper S. Cunningham, the Inspector General of Oklahoma Territory, sent fifteen Masons from Oklahoma with the request that the Wichita Bodies confer the nineteenth through thirty-second degrees as a fraternal courtesy. By January 1899, a three-day session was held with fifteen candidates assembled to receive the degrees and participate in the ceremonies instituting the first Council of Kadosh and Consistory in the Territory of Oklahoma. From this point forward, the Valley of Guthrie was now authorized to confer the fourth to the thirty-second degrees. On the third and final day of the three-day of the session during January 1899, Cunningham led the charge in planning for their future and new home.

He assembled Brown, Wallenstein and Charles E. Rosenbaum to help him with the construction of a new temple in Guthrie, Oklahoma. Cunningham recognized the powerful motivation for men to participate in degree productions. He understood the appeal of the stage; the shared communal experience of witnessing something special and life-changing. He tapped into the experts at the time to bring brought this magic to his Masonic home in Oklahoma.

The three Kansans brought both knowledge and practical experience to the Guthrie project. They became part of a core group that fueled Cunningham’s enthusiasm and anticipation for Masonic Theaters and degree productions in his territory. In 1899 Brown was still working as a traveling salesman for E. A. Armstrong, but had returned to Topeka, Kansas. He would remain with the company until 1903 when he began working for M. C. Lilley & Co. It was during this earlier, period, however, that everything began to shift and doors opened.

By the end of 1900, there were five Scottish Rite stages – Little Rock, Oakland, Wichita, Guthrie and Fargo. All were all outfitted with scenery and stage machinery manufactured by Sosman & Landis of Chicago. The work was first secured by E. A. Armstrong Manufacturing Co. and subcontracted to Sosman & Landis.

Cunningham would become known as the Scottish Rite’s “Temple Builder.” He was involved with not only the Scottish Rite stage in Guthrie, but also the first one in McAlester, Oklahoma, before moving to Santa Fe, New Mexico. He would end up as the the SGIG for New Mexico, passing away before the 1912 Santa Fe Scottish Rite was completed.

As many endeavors, Scottish Rite most successfully spread through word of mouth. I believe that is still the case today. In the end it is the individual experience prompts people to find other members. That has always been the key. When you are passionate about something, you want to share this experience with your family, friends and colleagues. No amount of description or detail will replace actually being there; experiencing the fellowship.

It is an exceptional experience, a monumental moment, that incites an entire movement. It is a few dozen men becoming a thousand, and many digging deep into their pockets. They contributed to the construction of monumental buildings that were worthy of the speculative Craft they practiced. Scottish Rite buildings were not built solely from the contributions of wealthy men, but also from working men who scraped and saved every penny for their Fraternity. This says a lot.

Although the century-old stories may only remain in newspaper articles, it is hard to miss the passion of people gathering together to create something that will out last their own lives. They are looking toward the future and generations of men who will follow their footsteps. After reading these stories filled with excitement, inspiration and hope, it is difficult to see their hard work of the past being sold for pennies on the dollar today.

There are inspirational moments in history when people and communities unite. People of differing faiths and ethnicities plan for the future. It is this foundation that fuels ingenuity. One result of this ingenuity was when a new counterweight system was conceived, developed and installed in a handful of theaters between 1896 and 1902.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 676 – The Wichita Scottish Rite, 1908

Part 676:The Wichita Scottish Rite

Bestor G. Brown successfully sold elaborate stage settings and other stage equipment to Scottish Rites in Kansas and throughout the region. A portion of his success had to do with his history with the area. The “Wichita Daily Eagle” published the full-page article “Decorative Splendor of Wichita’s Scottish Rite Cathedral,” describing the entire endeavor and furnishings in great detail (3 April 1908, page 6). There was a section that listed all of the of the local contributors, including Brown. Here it is:

“Mr. Henry Wallenstein informed the editor of the Eagle yesterday that he New Scottish Rite Cathedral will be equipped by the last week in May or the first week in June, ready to confer the degrees on the largest class of candidates in the history of Scottish Rite Masonry.

With him a complete tour of the great building was made and the grandeur of improvements, from and artistic standpoint, and their magnificence in every respect was a revelation.

The cathedral as it now stands is 150 feet north and south, and from 100 to 140 feet from east to west. The larger of the latter figures represent the new portion of the building in the construction of which more than a million of Coffreyville brick were used. For Topeka avenue front of the building several hundred tons of Towanda stone were used to harmonize with the material in the original building. The improvements were begun in February,1907, and when completed, after fifteen months’ of steady work, will have cost in the neighborhood of $175,000. The vastness of this sum in improvements on a single building cannot be conceived by any but those who are intimate with the work done, or who will have good fortune to feast their eyes upon it when it is ready for occupancy as the most complete Scottish Rue building possibly in the world – certainly the most completely equipped in the United States of America.

“Genius of the Enterprise

Mr. Wallenstein has been the master mind in the work which was concurrent with his own remarkably handsome business home – the Boston Store.

With his well known loyalty to Wichita all of the work done in it could be done by Wichita capital, labor and talent was given to home people, so that the genius of Wichita is in every feature of it, and to which it will be monument for all future time.

The construction of work was done by Brandt & Taylor of this city, and Mr. Wallenstein is poetic in his praise of them. They demonstrated that Wichita can carry out contracts for almost any size building that an architect can plan, for no building needed more headwork, skill and energy than this one.

The staff work was done by the F. Siefert Plastic company of St. Louis, under the able superintendency of Thomas Leach.

The architect of C. W. Terry of this city, ably assisted by the young genius Mr. Ed Forsblom. The associate architect was Mr. Charles Thompson of Little Rock, Ark.

The great organ was built by M. P. Moller of Hagestown, Maryland, and it is the finest ever built for the western country.

The Standard company of Chicago made the grand metallic staircase, minutely described in its proper place.

The Western Planing mills of this city did at the woodwork and had the personal attention and enthusiastic superintedency of Mr. Tom Kelso.

The Wichita Iron & Foundry company made all the iron work, and it is a great credit to their shop.

The Heating & Power company of Mr. Soderman of St. Louis put the apparatus in that department.

A.H. Andrews and company made the opera chairs.

The Art Glass Company of St. Joe supplied the many elaborate cathedral glass windows.

Bestor Brown, agent for M. C. Lilley company of Ohio, furnished the elaborate stage settings and other stage equipment.

The decorative work – an important feature of the new building – is in charge of Young Brothers of this city.

Some of the important decorations were also supplied by Parrott & sons of this city.”

The new auditorium at the Scottish Rte in 1908

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 632 – Tying Up Some Loose Ends and Flying It Out

Part 632: Tying Up Some Loose Ends and Flying It Out

The development of the counterweight system installed at Scottish Rite theaters by Sosman & Landis between 1904 and 1917 was called “Brown’s special system.”

Looking up at drops suspended by Brown’s special system

Detail of wooden arbors in Brown’s special system

At first glance it appears to be the brainchild of traveling salesman Bestor G. Brown, or someone he was working with at the time, possibly a stage mechanic at the Sosman & Landis scenic studio. There was one potential client who would benefit in the end– the Scottish Rite. This new technology allowed more drops to be crammed into a limited amount of space, resulting in the sale of even more stage machinery and scenery. It was a win-win for the manufacturer, distributor, and client.

This system does not use sandbags and pin rails, like those iconic backstage scenes depicted in movies. For those unfamiliar with the counterweight system, let me explain a few characteristics in laymen terms. “Brown’s special system” raises and lowers scenery completely out of sight, necessitating a fly loft to accommodate the full height of each drop. The counterweights are located off stage and match the weight of the scenery onstage (it is balanced like a big teeter totter when both kids are the same size). The counterweights (little metal blocks of varying sizes with notches to keep them in from falling out) are held in wooden frames, called arbors. Brown’s special system requires no locking mechanism at all, as each line is perfectly balanced. In other words, one can easily raise or lower the scenes without any effort; whenever I stop pulling on a line, the drop will stop moving and stay put. This is an deal system for stagehands without any knowledge of technical theater or rigging. Problems only occur when some well-intentioned person starts messing with the system; adding weight, moving drops to other lines; or doing in-house maintenance and repairs.

Lines for moving wooden arbors in Brown’s special system

Notched weights in wooden arbor of Brown’s special system

Looking down at a notched weight in a wooden arbor of Brown’s special system. Stage machinery manufactured by Sosman & Landis

Back to the salesman who sold this system. From 1894 to 1917, Brown represented two separate fraternal supply companies – E. A. Armstrong Manufacturing Co. and M. C. Lilley & Co. During that time, Sosman & Landis received the majority of subcontracted work from Brown. The Sosman & Landis studio consistently worked with Brown during his time, manufacturing and installing the stage machinery and scenery at Scottish Rite temples. This means that someone at Sosman & Landis worked with Brown to design the counterweight system called Brown’s special system. It may have been a stage mechanic at Sosman & Landis who conceived and developed the counterweight system that would become the standard for Scottish Rite theaters. The earliest existing example of Brown’s Special System, still working as originally installed in 1904, is located in Duluth, Minnesota. Earlier examples exist, but the scenery and stage machinery were removed from the original venue and installed in another Scottish Rite theater over the years. Earlier examples include scenery originally installed in Little Rock Arkansas (1896-1901) and later installed at Pasadena California; scenery originally installed in Wichita, Kansas (1898) and later installed in Yankton, South Dakota; and scenery originally installed in Guthrie, Oklahoma (1900) and later installed in Austin, Texas.

E. A. Armstrong Manufacturing Company contract for Scottish Rite Bodies in Guthrie, Oklahoma

There is another player who enters into the fraternal mix with Bestor G. Brown, Sosman & Landis, and E. A. Armstrong Manufacturing Co. That would be the veteran Sosman & Landis stage mechanic, Charles S. King. Let’s briefly review the first few players before throwing King into the mix.

Brown was a very successful traveling salesman, representing two different fraternal supply companies (E. A. Armstrong and M. C. Lilley) after he left an investment banking career in 1893. For each firm, he promoted the outfitting of fraternal lodges and staging of Masonic degrees. He was a prominent member in many fraternal organizations that included Freemasonry, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, and Benevolent and Protected Order of Elks. He also was renowned for his worked as the Wichita Scottish Rite stage director and heralded as the only “Masonic stage carpenter” and “Masonic stage manager” in the United States. Brown was a member of both the Northern and Southern Jurisdiction of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish rite of Freemasonry, so he fully understand the staging requirements and possibilities for the degrees.

E. A. Armstrong Company (est. 1868 in Detroit, Michigan), like M. C. Lilley & Co. (est. 1865 Columbus, Ohio), was a supplier of regalia and paraphernalia for all societies, including fraternal, military, and band. They manufactured uniforms, costumes, banners, badges, flags, lodge furniture, and other accessories for various organizations and lodge rooms. Costumes and other fraternal regalia were essential elements to all rituals, especially after ritual revisions. E. A. Armstrong established their offices and manufacturing plant in Chicago, as the city became a central shipping hub for the western United States. Lavish clothing and the addition or even more elaborate décor transformed many lodge room degrees into fully tsgaed spectacles. Neither company, however, specialized in theatre scenery, stage machinery or lighting. For theater installations, they subcontracted all part of the stage portion to scenic studios, such as Sosman & Landis (Chicago).

E. A. Armstrong Manufacturing Co. of Chicago hired Bestor G. Brown as a salesman

The scenic studio of Sosman & Landis was established in 1877 by Joseph S. Sosman and Perry Landis. Sosman arrived in Chicago as a young assistant to the successful scenic artist T. B. Harrison in 1874; keep that date in mind when we circle back to King working for Sosman. Little is known of Sosman’s scenic artwork in Chicago before establishing Sosman & Landis, yet the firm successfully ran until the mid-1920s. Sosman passed away in 1915, and the company president became long-time scenic artist Thomas G. Moses. Moses credit Brown with the development of Masonic scenery.

Sosman & Landis scenic studio was established in 1877

Joseph S. Sosman was the scenic artist at Sosman & Landis

Enter Charles S. King, a well-known stage mechanic and Sosman & Landis employee. Before I start connecting the dots, there is a link between C. S. King and E. A. Armstrong during 1890 that appeared in the “Courier-Post” (Camden, New Jersey, 6 Jan 189, page 1). There were two cases in the circuit court involving E. A. Armstrong (plaintiff) and C. S. King (defendant). Each case pertained to a contract dispute between the two, suggesting that E. A. Armstrong was involved in theater before Brown. At the time, C. S. King was working for Sosman & Landis as a stage mechanic and E. A. Armstrong was operating his regalia company.

King’s name was first brought to my attention by Rick Boychuk, He detailed King’s contribution as a stage carpenter during the construction of the Crump Theatre in 1889, a project with scenery and stage machinery delivered by Sosman & Landis and a drop curtain painted by Moses. This is only one year before the abovementioned court case with E. A. Armstrong.

By 1887, King was credited as working in more than 200 theaters across the nation, yet very little is known about this prolific stage mechanic beyond a few newspaper articles. Let me summarize what I know about this individual. King began his career as a stage carpenter and stage machinist in 1859, With the exception of serving in the Union Armey during the Civil War and managing a large touring company, King solely functioned in these two roles his entire career. King notes that he began working for Sosman & Landis in 1874, yet the firm did not officially open until 1877, suggesting that King began working with Sosman upon his arrival in Chicago during 1874. King installed stage machinery in theaters throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. A “Star Tribune” article from January 27, 1881, reported, “Mr. C. S. King, the stage carpenter at the Grand Opera House, was initiated into some of the mysteries of stage mechanism as exemplified in our new temple of amusement. Mr. King who was summoned here from Chicago, is regarded as one of the best stage-carpenters in the country, having had wide experience and possessing perfect knowledge of his progression. He says that our opera house will have the finest stage, the easiest worked, and will be the best appointed theatre west of Chicago, or of many large eastern cities.” The stage carpenter who would manage the venue after King’s departure was William Knox Brown, one of the three founders of Twin City Scenic Company. Another Twin City Scenic Co. founder was William P. Davis who previously worked as the primary scenic artist at the Chicago Auditorium. Brown’s stage mechanic flourished with the Hanlon Brothers who hired William Knox Brown as one of their stage mechanics to develop scenic effects in their Massachusetts studio (see past installment #155). The Hanlon Brothers engineered amazing mechanical effects for their staged spectacles.

In 1889, an article about the Crump Theatre reported, “Mr. King Came to Columbus Sept. 11, and commenced on the bare floor of the new theatre to construct the various stage machinery, mount scenery, and everything connected with stage settings, all without drawings or specifications, except those stored in his head from long experience. How well he succeeded in his work is there to speak for itself, and is pronounced by the profession to be the most modern, convenient and elaborate.” The 1881 and 1889 articles suggest two things: 1. King possessed techniques pertaining to the design and construction of stage machinery that others did not and, 2. King’s keeping everything connected with stage settings in his head, “all without drawings or specifications,” suggests he maintained trade secrets. Think back to guilds and cathedral builders, complete with lodges, masters, passwords, and secret signs. Being able to do something that others can’t gives you the leading edge. Now think of King being “initiated into some of the mysteries of stage mechanism.” It is possible that these were more than common ceremonies associated with the rise of American fraternalism.

What new innovations pertaining to stage machinery could be occurring at this same time? Lets look back to Chicago where Sosman & Landis are running a successful studio, Detroit fraternal supplier E. A. Armstrong is contemplating a move to Chicago, and the Chicago Auditorium is being planned. Add in the possibility of a world fair, with the potential of untold networking and future projects.

One particular event examined at this time is in Rick Boychuk’s “Nobody Looks Up: The History of the Counterweight Rigging System, 1500-1925” (https://www.amazon.com/Nobody-Looks-Up-History-Counterweight/dp/1508438102/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1548878503&sr=8-1&keywords=rick+boychuk) – the Chicago Auditorium of 1889. Boychuk writes, “The first counterweight rigging system in American was state-of-the-art technology when it was installed in 1889 in the Auditorium Building in Chicago – commonly referred to as the Chicago Auditorium” (page 167). Boychuk explains how Ferdinand Peck, the visionary for the Chicago auditorium, traveled to Europe to examine opera houses, later joined by architect Dankmar Adler (Adler & Sullivan) and Chicago stage carpenter John Bairstow. Boychuk suggests, “Chicago borrowed the sheave design and configuration from Budapest and the balance of the counterweight system from Vienna” (page 172).

Now consider that John Bairstow was a member of the Theatrical Mechanics Association, an organization established in New York during 1866 (see mentions in past installments 125, 153, 215 and 384). By 1891, there were 28 lodges represented at the Theatrical Mechanics Association convention in Chicago, including members from Chicago Lodge No. 4. Lodge No. 4 – John Bairstow and David A. Strong. Strong was a well-known scenic artist and stage mechanic working at Sosman & Landis, Strong provided scenery for the original “Black Crook” at Niblo’s Garden in 1866. He later moved to Chicago where he joined the Scottish Rite and continued work as a scenic artist, eventually joining the studio of Sosman & Landis, working alongside another Sosman & Landis stage mechanic – King. Thomas G. Moses would credit Strong in his memoirs as the “Daddy” of Scottish Rite design; he did not specify that Strong solely designed the painted aesthetic. Two other Theatrical Mechanics Association Chicago Lodge No. 4 members who attended the 1891 convention would also later become Scottish Rite Masons – F. V. Sauter (joined Oriental Consistory in 1892) and Wallace Blanchard (joined Oriental Consistory in 1899).

So lets look at the players who were known Scottish Rite Masons when this all began – E. A. Armstrong (regalia supplier), Bestor G. Brown (salesman), William Knox Brown (stage mechanic), Joseph S. Sosman (scenic artist and studio owner), David A. Strong (stage mechanic and scenic artist).

To be continued…