Information about historic theaters, scenic art and stage machinery. Copyright © 2026 by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett, PhD
Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett
Backdrop delivered by Toomey & Volland scenic studio of St. Louis, Missouri. Last month I visited the Richmond Scottish Rite and documented the historic scenery collection, dating from 1900-1920. Here is a link to my past post:
Copyright © 2020 Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett
Scene designed and painted by Toomey & Volland scenic studio of St. Louis, Missouri, for the Richmond Scottish Rite.
Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett
Here is a backdrop designed and painted by Toomey & Volland scenic studio of St. Louis, Missouri, ca. 1920. Last month I visited the Richmond Scottish Rite and documented the historic scenery collection, dating from 1900-1920.
Here is a link to my past post about my visit to the Richmond Scottish Rite this fall:
Richard Finkelstein also made a lovely video of this scene with changing light:
Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett
Here is a backdrop designed and painted by Toomey & Volland scenic studio of St. Louis, Missouri, ca. 1920. Last month I visited the Richmond Scottish Rite and documented the historic scenery collection, dating from 1900-1920. Here is a link to my past post:
Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
A cathedral setting designed and painted by Toomey & Volland scenic studio of St. Louis, Missouri, ca. 1920. Last month I visited the Richmond Scottish Rite and documented the historic scenery collection, dating from 1900-1920. Here is a link to my past post:
While on site, I was assisted by Michael Powers and Richard Finkelstein to set and light each scene during the cataloguing process. Here are a few images that I took of the scene:
Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
In 1919, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “The Madam and I started for a river trip down into Alabama by way of St. Louis. I have written this trip in detail in my travelogues. It was a most enjoyable trip, during which I made pencil sketches. We had a nice time in St. Louis at Kirke Moses’ home, and at P. J. Toomey’s new home.”
Patrick Joseph Toomey was the co-founder of Toomey & Volland, a main competitor to Sosman & Landis during the early twentieth century. I have explored the life and career of Toomey in past posts, but it is time to revisit this well-known scenic artist. Toomey worked in many theaters across the country, especially those in St. Louis, including, Pope’s, the Olympic, and the Century. At one time, he also painted for the Knickerbocker Theatre in New York City.
In 1894, Toomey’s US Passport application described him as 5’-7” tall, light brown hair, blue eyes, gold rimmed spectacles, and a fair completion.
By 1896, the “St. Louis Post-Dispatch” featured Patrick J. Toomey, including a brief biography next to a portrait of him (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 2 April 1896). The article reported, “Patrick J. Toomey was born in Limerick, Ireland in 1854 and came to St. Louis with his parents as an infant. He received his education at the Christian Brothers’ College and in the public schools. His first employment was in the retail grocery trade. After a few years he found this work uncongenial and apprenticed himself to scenic art under Mr. Thomas C. Noxon at Deagle’s Varieties. With his tutor, four years later, he formed the partnership of Noxon & Toomey, continuing in the same line ever since. In connection with Mr. Noxon, Mr. Toomey has been the scenic artist at the Olympic Theater and Grand Opera House for over twenty years. In 1886, he married Miss May Vogt, a daughter of Dr. Wm. Vogt of Iowa City, Iowa.”
Thomas Toomey and Ellen Kane were Irish immigrants who arrived in America sometime between 1850 and 1854. A 1920 census record notes that the Toomeys arrived in the United States in 1854 and Patrick became a naturalized citizen by 1904. Patrick Toomey’s US Passport application from 1894 lists that he was born on Nov. 27, 1854, emigrated to the United States in 1855, was naturalized on March 8, 1894. There is quite a bit of discrepancy regarding Toomey’s year of birth, year of emigration, and year of naturalization, as historical records provide conflicting information. A 1900 census lists his being born in February 1853, whereas a 1910 census, notes his birth year as 1848; the 1910 census notes his age as 62 at the time. The 1910 census also lists his year of immigration as 1850. On the other hand, a 1922 obituary reports his birth year as 1851, so take your pick. Regardless, Toomey left Ireland with his parents when he was just extremely young and grew up in St. Louis, Missouri.
After apprenticing with Noxon at Deagles’ Variety Theatre in St. Louis, Noxon and Toomey established a scenic studio around 1867, this also supports a birthyear of 1848-1851, not much later. Noxon was the firm’s president and senior partner in the company. Ernest Albert joined the scenic studio by 1881 and the firm’s name changed to Noxon, Albert & Toomey by 1883. At this time Toomey was reported to be “the itinerant member of the firm” (“Richmond Dispatch,” 24 Jan 1886, page 3).
1886 Johnson County records indicate that P. J. Toomey married Mary Isabelle Vogt in Iowa City on Oct. 5. The daughter of William Vogt and Mary O’Connor born on Dec. 20, 1859, she was 27 years old at the time. Toomey’s age at the time was also recorded as 35 years old, placing his possible birthdate, again, as 1851-1852. The couple celebrated the birth of one child, Thomas Noxon Toomey. Born in 1893, he entered the medical field, becoming a who a doctor. All three were picture in a postcard mailed to Thomas G. Moses in 1908.
The projects completed by Noxon, Albert & Toomey dramatically increased during the 1880s and lasted for almost a decade, establishing regional branches in Chicago, Illinois and Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In Chicago, Noxon, Albert & Toomey used the paint frames at the Chicago Opera House, with Albert leading the scenic production for the Chicago Opera House. This is likely when Moses and Toomey first encountered one another. At this time, Toomey traveled throughout the country, but still kept his home residence in St. Louis.
In 1889, Albert left the studio and then name changed, again, to Noxon & Toomey. Their partnership continued until 1898 when Noxon passed away from Nephritis. At the time, Toomey was quoted as saying, “Mr. Noxon was the greatest scenic artist this country has produced. He was 69 years of age and had done work for the leading theaters of the country, besides what he did in way of pageantry. (“The Weekly Wisconsin, 25 June 1898, page 4).
By 1901, Toomey established his final business – Toomey & Volland. His began a new business venture with another scenic artist, one who had previously worked at Noxon & Toomey – Hugo R. Volland. Volland emigrated from Grossbremback, Germany, during the late 19th century, and soon found work as the secretary of Noxon & Toomey.
Toomey passed away from a heart attack in 1922. On March 15, 1922, the “St. Louis Globe-Democrat” reported: “TOOMEY – Suddenly, on Sunday, March 12, 1922 at 9:30 a.m., P. J. Toomey, beloved husband of Mary Vogt Toomey, father of Dr. Noxon Toomey. Funeral will take place from the family residence, 11 Aberdeen place, Hillcrest, on Wednesday morning, March 15, at 8:30 o’clock, to our Lady of Lourdes Church Interment in Calvary Cemetery. Deceased was a charter member of St. Louis Lodge, B.P.O.E.”
The “St. Louis Post-Dispatch” reported that Toomey was “one of the pioneer scenic painters of St. Louis” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 13 March 1922, page 14). The article added that Toomey was best known, for his creation of the first floats for the Veiled Prophet’s parade and continued this sort of work for 25 years, only giving it up shortly before his death. He achieved fame as an electrical float builder,” known for his work at the Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans and the Milwaukee Carnival (“Wichita Daily Eagle,” 13 July 1900, page 6).
To be continued…
Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
In 1919, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “The Madam and I started for a river trip down into Alabama by way of St. Louis. I have written this trip in detail in my travelogues. It was a most enjoyable trip, during which I made pencil sketches. We had a nice time in St. Louis at Kirke Moses’ home, and at P. J. Toomey’s new home…Brother Kirke and family paid us a visit in July, driving up from St. Louis.”
Previously this year I was contacted by a descendent of Kirke Moses who wrote, “Thank you for this. Thomas Gibbs Moses was my Great Uncle. His brother Kirke White Moses was my Great Grandfather whose daughter was my beloved Grandma, Ruth Moses McNulty! Our family still has a few paintings from Thomas Gibbs Moses and his brother, Walter Farrington Moses! Periodically, I search for information on my ancestors and I was happy to find this. Thanks again.”
My first thought was, “Who is Kirke?” I never stopped to consider the children born after the death of Moses’ mother, as I have remained so focused on his career. Moses’ father re-married. and I knew very little of the second family; never really looking for more familial information.
Of the first family, Moses wrote, “Father and Mother had a family of seven children. Kate, the eldest, was accidentally killed at sea. Lucius was the first boy and died at sea. Sister Lucia was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, July 23rd, 1853. I was the third child. Frank was born in 1858. Illie was born in Sterling, Illinois, December 25th, 1860. Little Kate (named for the first child) born in Sterling; died shortly after my mother’s death in 1862… It was here [Sterling] that mother passed away and left four children for Father to bring up. I remember every detail and incident of her death. I can see each dear friend of Mother’s grouped about. I crawled upon the bed to kiss her good-bye. One of her last bequests was to give her watch to “Tommy,” which I received after I had passed middle age. Among the many little keepsakes of Mother’s, I have a drawing book that she used in school in 1835. The pencil drawings show considerable talent. If she had only lived, what a wonderful Art companion I would have had.” His mother was Mary W. Titcomb Moses.
Moses later wrote, “One housekeeper we had was Mary Planthofer. She was awfully good to me – almost like a real Mother. She saved me a good many whippings. She remained with us after our new Mother arrived…When the new Mother took charge of affairs, there were many radical changes made. Many of them made my young life a burden, and had a strong influence on my whole life, and also kept my nose to the grindstone.” Not much of his new mother was recorded, including a name. Moses’ only description of her at all was when he wrote, “A good novel had a great deal of interest for my new Mother, much more that our garden, so why should we worry when the garden went wild. It was even more artistic.” His second mother was Adeline Gowen, sometimes spelled Adaline.
About the time that Kirke was born, Moses’ life at home was quite miserable and all he wanted to do was become and artist in Chicago. By the time When Kirke was just a toddler, Moses wrote, “My wild career as an Artist started in April. Father would not help me, so I started for Chicago with 10¢ in my pocket and a new pair of boots, red leather tops and copper toes; some heavy clothes and a lot of pluck.” Upon arriving in Chicago, he immediately started working for the decorative firm ran by P. M. Almini. From this point onward, Moses’ career took off, and there is little said of his family.
Kirke was born on November 8, 1871. By 1880, the US Federal census listed Lucius and Adeline Moses living in Chicago. Lucius’ occupation was that of harness maker, in line with the tannery and harness shop he ran in Sterling Illinois. In Chicago, the Lucius Moses family include his wife Adeline, daughter Illie Kirke W. and Walter D. were listed as two sons, with Walter being three years younger than Kirke. I have briefly explored he life of actress Illinois “Illie” Moses in past post 174 (https://drypigment.net2017/08/15/tales-from-a-scenic-artist-and-scholar-acquiring-the-fort-scott-scenery-collection-for-the-minnesota-masonic-heritage-center-part-178-illie-moses-sister-and-actress/).
Although both Moses and his sister Illie worked in the theatre Industry, little is mentioned of their relationship. Moses seems to have remained closest with his brother Frank Demming Moses. This is understandable as Moses’ eldest son Pitt went to work with Frank in the gas industry, so the family remained quite close over the years. Kirke ended up in St. Louis, Missouri as a contractor.
On April 4, 1929, Kirke E. Moses was featured in the “St. Louis Star” (page 24). The article announced, “Kirke Moses to Build Residences in Ivanhoe Park….Associated with the building industry for over twenty years, Moses has built more than 600 fine residences in various parts of the city. The son of a Chicago contractor, he began building and construction work shortly before the World’s Fair. Before coming to St. Louis he gained distinction in the field of building through his work in construction of the University of Texas buildings at Galveston and the Illinois Central car shops at Memphis. One of his first commissions in St. Louis was the reconstruction of the Philippine Building at the World’s Fair. Since that time, he has confined his activities to the building of fine homes. It was thoroughly in line with the policy of the St. Louis Better Built Homes Movement, that he was selected to build these model homes. The executive committee realized the importance of selecting a reputable builder. It is well known regardless of the fine materials used no home can be well built if poor construction methods are employed. The fact that his record as home builder was beyond reproach led to Moses’ selection.”
Newspaper articles are seldom 100% correct, so you have to take what they say with a grain of salt. I have never encountered any mention that Lucius Moses was not a contractor, other than the article above. He was initially a sea captain who moved inland and established a tannery in Sterling, Illinois. Lucius Moses’ occupation was listed as a harness maker. After Lucius Moses moved to Chicago, Moses recorded that his father ran a grocery store. That being said, I haven’t really looked to see if he was ever listed as a Chicago contractor.
The other interesting bit of information I encountered was on Kirke Moses’ marriage certificate. He listed his occupation as “painter.”
To be continued…
Copyright © 2019 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
In 1913, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Took a quick trip to Fort Wayne and settled for a lot of Masonic work at the Temple.”
Over the past few years, I have repeatedly mentioned the Fort Wayne Scottish Rite. Like many other Scottish Rite stages, their scenery collection was a compilation of backdrops produced by more than one scenic studio over the years. This is not unusual. It was common for Scottish Rite clients to make multiple purchases over a period of years or decades, repairing, replacing and sometimes upgrading their stage work. Masonic scenery collections are like patchwork quilts, all composed of different fabric squares with their own history.
Sosman & Landis records note that they delivered scenery to the Fort Wayne Scottish Rite in 1907 and 1913. The first scenery was delivered prior to the completing the 1909 building. Keep in mind that the Santa Fe Scottish Rite ordered a fill set of scenery for practice prior to the opening of their new building. In Fort Wayne, additional scenery for the 1909 building was delivered by Toomey & Volland, not Sosman & Landis. However, it is very likely that some of the original 1907 Sosman & Landis backdrops were transferred to the new stage in 1909.
Toomey & Volland delivered scenery to the Fort Wayne Scottish Rite in 1909 and 1945. The 1909 stage was unveiled at the consecration and dedication ceremony of the Scottish Rite Cathedral on Nov. 17, 1909. The three-day fall reunion coincided with this event. Furthermore, a 1912 advertisement in the “The New Age Magazine” credited Toomey & Volland with the stage scenery installed at the Fort Wayne Scottish Rite. Moses’ 1913 entry in his diary, “Took a quick trip to Fort Wayne and settled for a lot of Masonic work at the Temple” meant that their membership was rapidly growing.
The Fort Wayne Scottish Rite building was described after it opened in the “Kansas Republic” (December 2). The article noted, “The dedication was held at the regular time of the fall meeting of the consistory for the Valley of Fort Wayne, and 300 took the Scottish Rite degrees. Degrees were given from the fourth to the Thirty-second. Heretofore this valley had no jurisdiction beyond the eighteenth degree, and the degrees from the 19 to 32 were conferred here for the first time. As the consistory has already nearly 1,100 members, the Fort Wayne consistory has become one of the largest in the country” (Kansas City, Dec. 2, 1909). This information suggests that the original Scottish Rite scenery in Fort Wayne by Sosman & Landis (1907) was for the 4th-18th degrees and delivered prior to the construction of the new building. Toomey & Volland produced the 19019 scenery used in the 19th -32nd degree productions, delivering it to the new stage.
The “Kansas Republic” article further described the new Scottish Rite Cathedral in Fort Wayne: “The cathedral is three stories high, with a spacious basement. The ground floor will be the banquet and ballrooms, with galleries. The social rooms are on the second floor, which is also provided with quarters for the ladies. There is also a room for the Mystic Shrine. The third floor is occupied by the consistory auditorium, which is arranged on the stadium plan with tiers of opera chairs rising steeply, so that those in the rear seats can all see the work on the large floor below. There are seats for nearly 600 in this auditorium. The organ loft is in the north and at the south end there is a spacious stage provided with scenery, the work of a St. Louis firm.” The “St. Louis firm” mentioned was Toomey & Volland.
There are many reasons why the Fort Wayne Scottish Rite may have reached out to Sosman & Landis for new scenery in 1913. If Toomey & Volland could not complete the project in the allotted timeframe, they likely recommended Sosman & Landis. Demand for painted scenery was still greater than supply, making for friendly competition.
Big events were continually planned at the Fort Wayne Scottish Rite too, also providing an incentive for new stage settings. In 1913, the “Fort Wayne Sentinel” announced “Masons Gather in Fort Wayne, Spring Scottish Rite Meeting Attracts Large Number of Visitors” (15 April 1913, page 2). Scottish Rite Masons from Northern Indiana and the Fort Wayne area gathered for the opening session of the annual spring convocation in 1913. Several hundred Masons attended the spring convocation that lasted three days. As Scottish Rite membership skyrocketed in the early twentieth century, additional scenes for degree productions were continually added to existing collections. This practice was common as Scottish Rite bodies continued to focus on superior membership experiences during ceremonials.
In 1914, the “Fort Wayne Sentinel” announced that the Scottish Rite had added a degree production. This is likely the degree that used new scenery produced by Sosman & Landis, first mentioned by Moses in his 1913 diary entry. On Nov. 17, 1914, the article headlined “TO GIVE DEGREE FOR FIRST TIME. Scottish Rite Convocation Opens With Class of Good Size” (Fort Wayne Sentinel, page 9). The article continued, “The annual fall reunion of the Fort Wayne Scottish Rite bodies opened at the Scottish Rite cathedral Tuesday afternoon with the conferring of the degrees of Fort Wayne Lodge of Perfection upon a class of half a hundred candidates. Many Scottish Rite Masons of prominence are in the city to attend the reunion. Fort Wayne consistory has added another exemplified degree to its list, and the present class will be the first one in the city to receive the exemplification of the Twenty-second degree. It will be given late Wednesday evening, and the reunion will come to a close on Thursday evening.”
The Sosman & Landis’ design for the 22nd degree was known as “The Carpenter Shop.” I have documented a few of these scenes over the years, with the earliest example being in Cheyenne, Wyoming, from 1911. The 22nd setting did not require a specific composition prior to this time. Many Scottish Rite valleys simply set it in the woods, using props to suggest a carpenter’s shop, and not an interior shop. However, adding new settings, or staging new degrees, facilitated the continued growth of the Rite during this time. Something new, such as the staging of a new degree, prompted old members to return and new members to join. It is a standard marketing technique, repackaging the experience in a way, or creating a superior ceremonial experience. The Northern Masonic Jurisdiction became experts at this approach, rewriting and restaging many degrees over the years. The Southern Jurisdiction seldom revised, but for a long time continued to expand on the experience.
I have to wonder if Scottish membership decline was partially due to the fact that the Fraternity stopped trying to improve individual experiences for each member. I don’t mean that there was an overt attempt NOT to care about the degrees or expansion of the membership, but many Southern Jurisdiction Scottish Rites stopped a variety of practices during the late 1920s, including the investment in fraternal paraphernalia and new degree settings. Overall, the development of new scenery for degrees comes to a screeching halt by the late 1920s. Some cite the Great Depression or military conflicts as a reason, or various progressive movements and a general backlash against what some consider conservative establishments. Regardless of the circumstances, there is a fundamental change in Scottish Rite leadership beginning at this time, one that still continues until today.
At one point, Masonic membership was primarily composed of young men, men in their prime and full of ambition and ideas. That is not meant to say that there were not older members in leadership roles. The organization may have been guided by older and more experienced members, but was expanded by younger enthusiastic visionaries. I think of what Bestor G. Brown accomplished before passing away in his 50s. His contribution to the growth of the Fraternity was providing a superior experience for its members but constantly improving the individual experience.
The focus seems to shift away from the continued improvement of individual member experience to the emphasis as the organization as a benevolent benefactor, or public persona. The social perception of the fraternity as a whole seems to become a major driving force in decision making after WWII.
One example that continues to divide the Fraternity is large charitable donations that are given away to non-Masonic groups. This is happening at a time when lack of financial assistance causes many Masonic lodges to close, the same lodges that continue to donate much of their funding to those outside of the Fraternity.
While a dwindling membership continues to raise massive funds for Masonic charities, lodges close due to lack of funds. At some point the gravy train will come to an end and charitable donations cease when there are not enough lodges to raise money. The thousands of dollars generated from pancake breakfasts and other activities will end when there is no longer the membership to staff each event. Ultimately, each lodge that closes is one less lodge that will contribute funds to Masonic charities. As what point does a lodge fundraise for themselves or their building repairs, just to keep their doors open and focus on the membership experience? I think of the well-known story of the carpenter who lives in a cardboard house and this seems to be happening in many regions.
To be continued…
Part 725: The Fort Wayne Scottish Rite, 1909
The Toomey & Volland studio of St. Louis was also installing scenery and stage machinery in Scottish Rite theaters during 1909. One example was the Scottish Rite in Fort Wayne. Here is the article published in the Kansas City Kansas Republic on Dec. 2, 1909.
“Finest Cathedral.
Scottish Rite Temple in Fort Wayne is Dedicated.
Masons of High Degrees at Exercises Attending Opening of $200,000 Temple-Has a Fine Banquet.
Fort Wayne, Ind. –The new Scottish Rite cathedral in Fort Wayne, costing about $200,000, and said to be the finest in America, was dedicated on the evening of November 17 in the order from most of the larger cities of the far east and middle west. The dedication was preceded by a banquet-room. At which 1,000 plated were laid. The banqet-room of the cathedral fills the entire ground floor and is one of the largest and most ornate halls in the west.
Owning to the illness of Sovereign Grand Commander Samuel C. Lawrence, 33, of Boston, the master of ceremonies was Barton Smith of Toledo, 33, puissant lieutenant grand commander, assisted by John Corson Smith, 33, grand minister of the state. William Geake, 33, of this city, commander-in-chief of the Fort Wayne Sovereign Consistory, assisted in the dedication.
The dedication was held at the regular time of the fall meeting of the consistory for the Valley of Fort Wayne, and 300 took the Scottish Rite degrees. Degrees were given from the fourth to the Thirty-second. Heretofore this valley had no jurisdiction beyond the eighteenth degree, and the degrees from the 19 to 32 were conferred here for the first time. As the consistory has already nearly 1,100 members, the Fort Wayne consistory has become one of the largest in the country.
The cathedral, which was designed by Mahurin & Mahurin of Fort Wayne, is a at Clinton and Washington streets, in the residence section, with the handsome First Presbyterian church across the street. It is built of Bedford stone on all sides and is thoroughly fireproof, being finished within with concrete floors, marble stairways and wainscoting, and iron balustrades. Some rooms are finished in Cuban mahogany, but there is very little inflammable material anywhere. The heating is by steam and the lighting by electricity.
The cathedral is three stories high, with a spacious basement. The ground floor will be the banquet and ballrooms, with galleries. The social rooms are on the second floor, which is also provided with quarters for the ladies. There is also a room for the Mystic Shrine. The third floor is occupied by the consistory auditorium, which is arranged on the stadium plan with tiers of opera chairs rising steeply, so that those in the rear seats can all see the work on the large floor below. There are seats for nearly 600 in this auditorium. The organ loft is in the north and at the south end there is a spacious stage provided with scenery, the work of a St. Louis firm.
The proscenium arch is elaborate with the designs and emblems of the several degrees. The decorative design and color scheme were the work of a Chicago firm. The organ was made in Rock Island at a cost of $6,000.”
Here is a link to the Consecration and dedication of the Scottish Rite Cathedral, Valley of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, November 16, 17, 18, 1909, on the Internet Archive:
https://archive.org/details/consecrationdedi00unse/page/n7
This building on the corner of Washington and Berry Streets no longer exists. In 1953, the Fort Wayne Scottish Rite bought the Mizpah Shrine building on the corner of Ewing and West Berry. Constructed in 1925, the Shrine building had a seating capacity of 2,400 that hosted a variety of non-Masonic events and has quite and interesting history. Unfortunately, the Fort Wayne Scottish Rite left this home too when St. Francis University purchased the structure in 2012. Here is an article about the Shrine building, second home to the Fort Wayne Scottish Rite: http://historycenterfw.blogspot.com/2012/01/scottish-rite-history-in-fort-wayne.html
To be continued…
I left Genoa, Illinois, at 5:45 AM on Tuesday, March 19. My goal was to arrive at the Louisville Scottish Rite between noon and 1PM. The drive was pretty uneventful, but there were many places that I wished I had stopped along the way; there is just never enough time. The first was the exit that would have brought me to Thomas G. Moses’ hometown of Sterling, Illinois. The second was the Crump Theatre in Columbus, Indiana. I could not take the time to stop, as I knew that my time was really limited at the Louisville Scottish Rite. My plan was to evaluate the entire collection on Wednesday. Today was simply scoping out the collection, rigging and facility with Rick. Also, this was the only day Rick could visit since the “New World Rigging Symposium” would prevent him from visiting Wednesday.
I contacted my Scottish Rite host Randolph. The intent was to visit for two hours while they were still open. Randolph had scheduled one of the Masonic stagehands to be there – Jim. Jim had worked the stage for many years and was an absolute wealth of information at 75 years old. Fortunately for me, Jim gave me their stage book that provided a little guidance in terms of inventory and line order. This is an unusual gesture, as I often have to prove how much I know before that stage book is passed along.
My visit on Tuesday was primarily about the rigging and Rick’s findings. Rick had a wonderful opportunity to fully explain the significance of this double purchase system to the stewards of this stage. He described that the 1930 system, original to the building, predated the Clancy patent several years later. As interested as I was in the unique aspects of the system I was more anxious to see a few scenes while he was in the flies. They brought in the first line and I began to catalogue information about this 4th degree interior setting.
My notes were placed within the historical context of the Louisville Scottish Rite that I have explored during the previous week. It was apparent that the majority of the scenery dated from 1910. Toomey & Volland business records noted two scenery deliveries – 1910 and 1951. The drops depicted standard designs and painting techniques characteristic of the studio.
Unfortunately, much of the scenery was restored at one point, with methods that may not be advantageous for the collection’s future. I understand the choices of those who repaired the scene, but wonder how these will age. Most scenes were backed with a type of gauze that appeared plastic, although it may have been the adhesive. The edges of cut scenes were backed with flexible foam core; this I had encountered in Cheyenne. For a new scene, ephemeral in nature, it is a brilliant idea. For historic scenery, I have to wonder how the foam will interact with the fragile fabric in the long run. The painted surface had also been sealed, resulting in a slight sheen. I have no idea what was used for this, as it had a plastic feel; almost reminding me of a product that I used on interactive exhibits for museum projects – Aquaplastic.
Finally, the netting was replaced with a plastic ½” square version; hot melt glued to the back. As Alessia Carpoca and I looked at this alteration near the end of the day, she asked the same question that has gone through my mind multiple times when seeing hot melt glued netting: “How could anyone be so stupid?” It is the idea that the drops of hot glue will never come of the back without damaging the fabric. The hot glue embeds itself in the weave and is permanently fixed. Even steam and heat only partially removed this product, as I have tried in the past. The process completely destroys the painted surface during its removal.
Meanwhile, Rick was occupied doing another good deed (as usual); helping balance some line sets to make them easier to move. He also took the time to thoroughly explain how the system worked and all of the various components. As previously mentioned, the Scottish Rite Reunion was scheduled to start in four days and some of the lines were difficult to pull.
For the most part, we try to leave any stage better than we found it, even if this means simply explaining a system and scenery for future clarity. In Scottish Rite theaters, the Masonic stagehands are often unfamiliar with the history of both. It is not unusual to find something amiss in these systems that require a simple tweak. After all, the systems have often not been maintained since their installation.
After Rick was done with his talk and the weight adjustment, we headed up to the grid. This was one of the easiest ascents ever to access the space above the stage.
We went up steps and followed boards above the auditorium space. I kept an eye out for trash, as treasures were often left in these attic spaces. Sure enough, there was a Mazda Edison box! We balanced our way to a small door, with Jim taking quick grip on me to make sure I would not fall. My sense of mortality has exponentially increased over the years, so I don’t wander to close to the edges anymore. However, I wasn’t going to miss an opportunity accompanying Rick and hearing his observations. It is always fun to be on site with Rick, as he so thoroughly explains what I am looking at and the nuances of each system. It is like the rigging class that does not end.
We left the Scottish Rite late afternoon, and I checked into the Hardy House (my Airbnb for the conference). Just about the time I was settling in and deciding to open a can of soup, I received a text from Randolph. He notified me that the Louisville Scottish Rite librarian and archivist would be contacting me soon, offering me the opportunity to visit the Scottish Rite library that evening. Regardless of my fatigue, this was not an opportunity that I would miss. So within the hour, I was waiting outside for my ride to head back to the Louisville Scottish Rite. It was certainly worth it as I spent the next few hours perusing books and chatting with Richard.
Like many, the library was a fraction of what it had once held. Books were missing and the contents somewhat sparse. However, there were certainly some gems left; absolutely priceless publications that would contribute to my ongoing research about visual sources used by scenic studios to produce Scottish Rite scenery. My biggest surprise was a Cerneau book with many recognizable compositions that were later incorporated into the Scottish Rite scenic designs.
To be continued…