Scottish Rite Theater – Page 7

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 687 – Footlights on the Scottish Rite stage

Part 687: Footlights and the Scottish Rite stage

Lighting was an integral part of the Scottish Rite stage. In past posts, I have touched on the subject of lighting and its control by scenic artists during the nineteenth and early twentieth century. In 1913 many scenic artists still maintained control over the lighting of their work. This aspect of the commercial stage was noted by well-known scenic artists Ernest Albert in 1913. In an interview with Arthur Edwin Krows of the “The New York Dramatic Mirror, ” Albert explained his own design process for the stage. 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 [the scenic artist’s] 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.”

For the next few posts, I am going to examine some lighting characteristics apparent in early twentieth-century Scottish Rite theaters, starting with footlights. Some Scottish Rites installed footlights in the early twentieth century and others did not. In 1904, the Scottish Rite stage in Duluth included a series of retractable footlights, allowing the performers to easily access the steps at the front of the stage as they were not permanently up.

Footlights at the Scottish Rite theater in Duluth, Minnesota.

In 1916, a letter from Charles Rosenbaum of Little Rock to Frank A. Derr of Guthrie, Oklahoma, addressed the use of footlights in Scottish Rite theaters. Derr had asked Rosenbaum about the need for footlights in a previous letter, noting that the Scottish Rite in Memphis Tennessee employed the use of footlights for their degree productions. Derr was considering the value of installing footlights at the Scottish Rite in Guthrie, Texas.

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 in Little Rock constructed in 1896], we had footlights, we found them sort of a nuisance, when we built on 8^th and Scott [the Albert Pike Consistory Building of 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 or 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 out 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 to ward the front of the stage, or for that matter in front of the curtain line, we have no use for ‘feet lights, to high light our faces and they have no use for them in Memphis [Memphis Scottish Rite] either unless they rent for shows of one kind or another.’”

There are a few things to consider about subjects touched upon in Rosenbaum’s letter. The first is that the participant’s in degree productions on Scottish Rite stages do not wear makeup. Costumes and wigs were part of the normal degree production, but not stage makeup. This makes sense as many of the degrees were not solely contained to the stage area and they would frequently break the curtain line, getting within a very short distance of the audience; there was no need for stage makeup. The apron of a Scottish Rite stage often transitioned into three steps, allowing the actors to easily move the action out into the auditorium. Again, there was not fixed seating in the first part of the auditorium floor as this area was used for degree work.

Retractable footlights at the Scottish Rite in Duluth, Minnesota.

A second thing to consider is the mention of disappearing footlights. This is the same type of footlights at the Duluth Scottish Rite and other Scottish Rite Valleys. They allow the stage action to easily transition to and from the stage, a common aspect to some degree productions. This is all dependent on the individual interpretation of a particular Scottish Rite valley.

The final point concerns the Scottish Rite stage being used by non-Masonic groups. This was an option many Scottish Rite stages from the onset; consider Masonic opera houses, Temple theaters and shared stages often provided much the needed revenue for Fraternal building expenses. Just a retail shops supported Masonic lodge rooms located on the top floors of a Masonic building, so did stages provide revenue for Masonic edifices. Some were specifically planned and constructed for the Fraternity, as it was another viable source of income that paid for the basic operation of the building. Some Masonic complexes even had two theaters; one solely for Scottish Rite purposes and the other for the general public. Masonic buildings in Detroit, Michigan, and Cincinnati, Ohio, are only two examples.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 686 – Meanwhile, in the Northern Jurisdiction

Part 686: Meanwhile, in the Northern Jurisdiction

I am in the midst of examining the progression of Scottish Rite stage construction in the Southern Jurisdiction, before I return to the life and times of Thomas G. Moses in 1909. 1908 to 1910 is when Sosman & Landis reach their peak production period of fraternal theater production and Brown’s special system. There is little documented evidence of degree productions in the Southern Jurisdiction before 1896, with the earliest stages being constructed in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Oakland, California, much flew under the official radar.

The major aspect to the evolution of theatrically interpreted degree work in the Southern Jurisdiction is a systematic marketing plan by a relatively small number of individuals that included Bestor G. Brown as the spokesman for the movement. Brown created demand for a particular product manufactured by Sosman & Landis studio. The development of Brown’s special system directly increased the amount of painted scenery that was able to be installed in a Scottish Rite theaters. Although Sosman & Landis scenic artists and stage carpenter David Austin Strong (1830-1911) was credited by Thomas G. Moses (1856-1934) as the “Daddy” of Masonic design, the theatrical staging of degree work had long been occurring in the Northern Jurisdiction for decades before the Southern Jurisdiction.

Before moving forward with the expansion of Scottish Rite stages throughout the Southern Jurisdiction, from 1896 onward, here’s a brief recap of what was already occurring in the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction (NMJ) of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. Keep in mind that the NMJ is located east of the Mississippi and north of the Ohio River. At the time the geographical demarcations were established, the NMJ included many of the United States’ major metropolitan areas, including Boston, and Philadelphia. These were vibrant theatrical hubs during the mid-nineteenth century when the NMJ began staging portions of their degree work, not to mention the Masonic Opera Houses that were constructed during the time.

The Baldwin Building used by the Indianapolis Scottish Rite in 1873

The Indianapolis Scottish Rite remodeled a pork slaughterhouse to include two stages for degree work in 1882.

In the 1860s the Indianapolis Scottish Rite Bodies used movable scenery and a small stage in their 1863 space of the Yohn Building, before moving to the Baldwin Building in 1873. Increasingly elaborate stage productions of degrees continued until 1882 when the Indianapolis Scottish Rite purchased and remodeled an old pork slaughterhouse, installing two stages for degree work. Originally a five-story brick building, the back half was raised an additional story to accommodate a theatrical fly system. Theatre spaces occupied both the fourth and fifth floors and were of similar size, each including galleries on three sides with 450-seat capacities. The fourth-floor and fifth-floor auditoriums measured approximately forty by eighty feet. The fourth-floor auditorium included a twenty-eight foot proscenium opening that was primarily used for scenic effects in connection with the conferring of degrees. The fifth-floor proscenium stage opening was twenty by thirty feet and included a forty-five-foot high fly loft.

Despite the popularity of Scottish Rite stages, the Southern Jurisdiction did not follow suit because of Grand Commander Pike. The same year that the Indianapolis Scottish Rite building was completed, Grand Pike addressed the dissimilarity of degree work in each jurisdiction in his 1882 Allocution, stating, “The Rite in this jurisdiction is a Rite of Instruction, and not of scenic pomp and stage-show. We do not indulge in melodrama or pantomime. It is the firm conviction of hundreds of our zealous workers that our books are well worth being studied, and that the Rite, as developed in our Degrees, is destined by God to be in our future one of the chief benefactors of humanity…I can not conceive of a more useless occupation than the arranging and performing of degrees, neither the effect nor the purpose of which is to make men wiser or better, but which are acted as melodramas, to gratify an æsthetic taste and please the imagination, like the pageantry of cardinals and orioles. It is not Masonry.”

The 1886 Cincinnati Scottish Rite stage with scenery painted by E. T. Harvey.

As in Indianapolis, Cincinnati also constructed a series of early stages before building a full Scottish Rite cathedral. Cincinnati’s first Scottish Rite cathedral was destroyed by fire during 1884. The New Scottish Rite Cathedral was described in the Masonic Column of Cincinnati’s Commercial Gazette on July 5, 1885. The article boasted, “When fully completed the Cathedral will constitute the most complete and elegantly fitted building devoted to any one branch of Masonry in the World.” It was competed by 1886 at a cost of $82,500. (Democratic and Chronicle, 16 May 1886, page 2). The Cincinnati Scottish Rite auditorium contained a three-tiered balcony and a thirty-two-foot proscenium opening. The entire scenic installation for their newly constructed Scottish Rite building was credited to E. T. Harvey. His scenery included a tomb, interior palace, palatial chamber, landscape, fiery underworld, ascension of Christ, and a cathedral interior to name a few. As an itinerant artist, Harvey worked at a variety of theatres throughout the region, including Heuck’s New Opera House where the Scottish Rite scenery had been painted. E. T. Harvey would create 18 new sets of scenery for the Cleveland Scottish Rite in 1901 too after they suffered the loss of a previous building to fire (Cincinnati Enquirer, 31, Oct 1901, page 3). Harvey (1843-1918) was an Englishman who immigrated to America in 1860 and worked extensively as a scenic artist in the east. He also worked at the Grand Opera in Cincinnati for 25 years. Harvey was a member of the Scottish Rite and Shrine, as many of the first scenic artists to create Masonic scenery,

Painted scene by E. T. Harvey for the Cincinnati Scottish Rite.

In 1886, the same year that the second Cincinnati Scottish Rite Cathedral was completed, another one was finished in Columbus, Ohio. The “Fort Wayne Daily Gazette” included an article “Gorgeous Quarters. The Magnificent Scottish Rite Cathedral at Columbus, Ohio” (5 Dec. 1886, page 8). The Third Street Universalist church was purchased and remodeled for $12,000. The renovation included a stage and property room. At the time, the newspapers proclaimed the building to be “one of the most complete in the country.” Indianapolis, Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati were only a few examples of a wave sweeping through the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction a full decade before the first small Scottish Rite stages appeared in Little Rock and Oakland.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 685 – The Scottish Rite in Portland Oregon, 1902

Part 685: The Scottish Rite in Portland Oregon, 1902

By 1902, Sosman & Landis studio had delivered Scottish Rite scenery and stage machinery to Southern Jurisdiction Scottish Rite Valleys in Little Rock, Arkansas; Oakland, California; Wichita, Kansas; Guthrie, Oklahoma; Fargo, North Dakota; and Salina, Kansas. Some of this early scenery is still available for examination. The collections from Little Rock, Guthrie and Fargo share many similar compositions, indicating that Sosman & Landis were in the process of developing Masonic stock scenery options.

In 1902, another Scottish Rite scenery collection was being prepared for installation the western region of the United States – Oregon. That year, the Scottish Rite in Portland began the construction of their new home that would later be dedicated in 1903. Portland was just one on many Scottish Rite buildings being constructed during this period to included a theater and scenery.

As with many early-twentieth-century Scottish Rite Valleys, membership rapidly outgrew existing spaces As the size of candidate classes increased, so did the necessary regalia, paraphernalia and stage requirements.

In 1892,The Masonic Temple association of Portland filed articles of incorporation, with the following incorporators: F. A. Moore, J. C. Moreland, John McCracken and D. C. McKercher with a capital stock of $250,000. The purpose of the association was to erect a Masonic Temple at the metropolis (Statesman, 6 Sept. 1892, Page 1).

Postcard of the Scottish Rite in Portland, Oregon.

Later the Scottish Rite began planning for the construction of a cathedral on the corner of Morrison and Lownsdale Streets. The grounds were purchased in 1902 by Oregon Consistory No. 1. Measuring 100 feet by 120 feet, the price of the lot was $18,000. Bonds were issued for the construction of a $100,000 building. Architect and Scottish Rite Mason, Martin Beck, designed the edifice.

Interior of the Portland Scottish Rite in Oregon

The grand opening of the Portland Scottish Rite occurred on May 19, 1903. For the event, there was an grand concert organ recital and ball. By this time, the public attending events was becoming increasingly common. In 1886 an interesting article was published in the “Cincinnati Enquirer” in regard to a public music concert at the Cincinnati Scottish Rite Cathedral (16 Dec. 1884, page 4). The article reported, “It is not a usual thing in the long history of Scottish Rite Masonry that he Cathedrals are thrown open for concert purposes. The first incident of the kind that comes to mind occurred last night in the new Scottish Rite Cathedral on Broadway, between Fourth and Fifth Streets.” That year, the new Scottish Rite Cathedral had been completed at a cost of over a quarter million dollars as was said to be the “finest building for Masonic purposes in the world” (South Haven New Era, 15 May 1886, page 8).

Today, many Scottish Rite buildings host public events as a way to generate revenue, allowing the public a peak at their historic stages.

Scenic artist and final president of Sosman & Landis, Thomas G. Moses (1856-1934), recorded in his memoirs that he was in charge of producing the Scottish Rite scenery collections for Little Rock, Salina, and Portland between 1901 and 1902. However, during these two years, Moses had left Sosman & Landis to establish a studio of his own – Moses & Hamilton. Moses & Hamilton operated out New York from 1901-1904. It was studio founder Joseph S. Sosman who maintained close ties with Moses and his family, finally luring him to return to Chicago during 1904. It is unclear whether Moses returned to Sosman & Landis to paint on any project from 1900-1904, but it would not be unusual as Moses was hired y a variety of other studios during this time. Regardless, Moses takes credit for scenery collection delivered to Portland, Oregon and the 1912 scenery collection delivered to Portland, Maine.

The 1902 drop curtain designed for Portland (Oregon) Scottish Rite is very similar to that created for the Wichita Scottish Rite in 1908. As the two compositions are very unique, I wonder about a possible connection between Wichita and Portland, and the sale of used scenery. Although the majority of 1898 Wichita scenery was resold to the Yankton Scottish Rite, I wonder if certain used pieces made their way west to Oregon. This was the case with the second Little Rock scenery collection being divided between the Scottish Rite theaters in Miami, Florida, and Pasadena, California.

This drop curtain for the Scottish Rite in Portland, Oregon, is similar to that delivered to the Scottish Rite in Wichita, Kansas

Drop curtain at the Scottish Rite in Wichita, Kansas. Like the curtain for the Portland Scottish Rite in Oregon, it was delivered by Sosman & Landis studio.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 684 – Scottish Rite Stages in Salina –1901 and 1927

Part 684: Scottish Rite Stages in Salina –1901 and 1927

In Salina, Kansas, the “Daily Union” published an article that almost read like an advertisement for the upcoming Scottish Rite reunion. The heading stated “THE SCOTTISH RITE. Interesting Facts About Bodies Located Here. Spring Reunion in June” (Salina Daily Union, 14 April 1900, page 1). The amount of information provided in this 1900 article is quite intriguing:

“The Bodies of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, located at Salina, Kan., acknowledge and yield allegiance to the Supreme Council, 33d degree, for the Southern Masonic jurisdiction of the United States of America, whose grand East is in Charleston, South Carolina, and is in fraternal communication with every legitimate Supreme Council in the world.

“The various degrees as conferred by these orders are divided in a series as follows:

The first series comprises the degrees from the 1^st to the 3d inclusive and are termed symbolic, being conferred in the Blue Lodge, actual membership in which is the obligatory qualification for the advancement to the succeeding series.

The second series comprises the several degrees form the 4^th to the 14^th inclusive, are termed ineffable and are conferred in a “Lodge of Perfection.”

The third series comprising the several degrees from the 15^th to the 18^th inclusive are termed the historical and philosophical degrees and are conferred in a “Chapter of Rose Croix.”

The fourth series comprises those from the 19^th to the 30^th inclusive, are termed the modern historical, chivalric and philosophical degrees, and are conferred in a “Council of Kadosh.”

The fifth series comprises the 31^st and 32d degrees, are allegorical and philosophical, and are conferred in a Consistory.

“The work is very solemn and impressive in nature, calculated to improve the mind and character of all coming in under its influence, there by causing them to become better members of the commonwealth.

“The bodies here are thoroughly equipped with all the paraphernalia required for the proper rendition of the work and have among their members several who cannot be excelled in exemplifying the characters required to be taken in conferring the several degrees and are favored with a very competent leader. Owing to the number of applications lately received and a larger number having signified their intention to apply for admission, it has been decided to hold a spring reunion, commencing the 11^th day of June, continuing for four days, at which time the several degrees from the 4^th to the 32^nd will be conferred; the greater majority in full ceremony and form.”

When the article was published in 1900, Salina Masons had already enjoyed their Masonic Temple for four years. They were in the process of planning a major expansion that would result in an even larger stage, complete with fly loft and horseshoe balcony.

*Plans for Masonic Temple stage in Salina during 1901. From the “Salina Daily Republican,” 17 July 1901, page 4*

By 1901, the “Topeka State Journal,” reported the substantial number of Scottish Rite Masons in Kansas, the newspaper reported “Kansas boasts the largest membership in the Scottish Rite of any state in the southern jurisdiction of the United States and the fame of the Topeka officers for their thoroughness and perfection displayed in conferring the degrees is not confined to the borders of the state. No order makes use of as elaborate paraphernalia and so dramatic a ritual as the Scottish Rite and with each succeeding reunion the classes to take the sublime degrees increase in numbers.”

In 1902, the “Junction City Republic” reported about the Fall Reunion at the Salina Scottish Rite noting, “A large number of candidates from this part of the state will be present to take the degrees. This is the fountainhead of all the beautiful allegories and work of freemasonry throughout the world” (24 October 1902, page 1). Membership continued to grow in Salina, as well as the rest of the country and what was once though ample space became cramped quarters.

By 1919, Salina Masons planned for Masonic Temple, referred to as the million-dollar to reflect the expense. Work began in that year, but the concrete design, however, collapsed in 1920 due to faulty construction, occasioning a loss of approximately $250,000 (The Kansas Workman, 1 Sept. 1926, page 6). The arched concrete ceiling of the auditorium gave way. The building was partially re-erected with structural steel and Carthage limestone. The original year scheduled for completion was 1923, until the collapse. During this time, the Masonic bodies were still meeting in their old home when disaster struck again.

*The Masonic building gutted by fire, pictured in the “Salina Evening Journal,” 30 Jan 1922, page 1*

In 1922 the old Masonic Temple was practically destroyed by fire. This was the 1896 building that had been expanded in 1902. Two decades later, the two upper stories of this building were burned out (The Salina Evening Journal, 30 1922, page 1). The Blue Lodge, Order of the Eastern Star, the Royal Arch, the Knights Templar, the Scottish Rite and Shrine all suffered heavy losses of degree paraphernalia. The article reported “Thirty-nine curtains for the stage, used in the ritual work of the lodge and the presentation of degrees, were included in the loss also.” After the fire, the Masonic bodies negotiated with the proprietor of the new theatre building until the Masonic temple was finished. The new scenery collection purchased for the new Masonic Temple was far larger than that in the old building or their temporary theater space.

*From the “Salina Daily Union,” 11 June 1921, page 1*

*The 1927 Masonic Temple in Salina, Kansas*

For their new building, the Salina Scottish Rite would purchase a used scenery collection in 1927. Scenic artist for this collection, Thomas G. Moses, included pasted a newspaper clipping in his scrapbook. It was about the used McAlester Scottish Rite scenery collection purchased by the Salina Scottish Rite Bodies in 1927. The article reported, “The one hundred and seventeen drops of scenery that has been in use on the old stage for twenty-five years, has been sold to the Scottish Rite Bodies of Salina, Kansas, and it has been shipped to them. There was nearly a carload of it. Brother John T. Leibrand, 33°, Wise Master of South McAlester Chapter of Rose Croix, negotiated the sale to the Salina brethren who came to McAlester to inspect it. The scenery was painted by Brother Tom Moses under the direction of that great Scottish Rite Mason and student Bestor G. Brown, and was said to be the finest in the Southern Jurisdiction at the time.” The article also noted, “the Salina brethren are negotiating with Brother John G. Redpath, who had charge of the old stage for years, to superintend the hanging of the drops in their temple.”

*The scenery purchased by the Salina Scottish Rite from the Scottish Rite stage in McAlester, Oklahoma.*

*The painted front curtain for the Salina Scottish Rite*

*The stage at the Salina Masonic Temple for the Scottish Rite*

*The stage at the Salina Masonic Temple from 1927*

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 683 – Scottish Rite Stages in Salina – 1896 and 1901

Part 683: Scottish Rite Stages in Salina – 1896 and 1901

The first Masonic lodge in Salina, Kansas was organized during 1866. A small group met in what was known as the Goddard house located on the corner of Iron and Santa Fe. A second meeting location was on the second floor of J. F. Hanna’s store in the Probert building. By 1886, Salina Masons constructed their first Temple. Keep in mind that during this same year, Scottish Rite cathedrals with stages were already used in the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction cities of Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Fort Wayne.

The 1886 Masonic Temple in Salina cost $25,000, and by 1888 an addition was added to the south. In 1895, this Temple in caught fire and was severely damaged along with much of Salina’s business district. The Salina Masonic bodies immediately began to rebuild their home at South and Santa Fe Avenues (Salina Evening Journal, 30 Jan 1922, page 1). The Masonic losses at he time were recorded to be nearly $150,000. The Salina Daily Republic reported, “the Masonic Temple was ablaze, the flames leaping over the high south wall and making sad havoc with the substantial building and the elegant and costly paraphernalia of the different orders of Masons. The greedy flames devoured the draperies and curtains speedily and torn down the high cupola” (Salina Daily Republic, 4 March 1895, page 1). Note the mention of costly paraphernalia, draperies and curtains. This suggest the possibility of a stage, especially with differentiation between draperies and curtains. Theatre terminology of the time of differentiated between fabric draperies and painted curtains.

The next 1896 Masonic Temple in Salina definitely included a stage. After the fire, a larger temple was built on the old site. Five years after completion, plans were published in a local newspaper, describing the intended improvements that included a three-story addition to the alley. The 1901 extension included a larger stage across tat now covered the entire east end of the main lodge room. A horseshoe gallery also replaced the existing stage a gallery (Salina Daily Union, 28 May 1901, page 3). The “Salina Daily Republican” proclaimed, “The new edifice now being enlarged to the most handsome home of Masonic Bodies in the West —$11,000 Improvements, Making a total cost of $43,000” (17 July 1901, page 4). Of the new improvements, the article reported, “By the work now going on, the Masonic Temple will be remodeled throughout.” The article cited the attached illustrations, “By Fig. 1 it will be seen that a handsomely decorated horseshoe balcony will replace the present affair and that the stage space will be enlarged by the removal of the organ from the corned at the left to the position at the rear, as observed in Fig 2. The new stage is to be equipped with a complete set of new scenery, shifted by regular traps and flys to be put in…With the additions made to the stage and scenery the Scottish Rite ceremonies can now be given the same advantages as in the larger cities.”

Floor plan of proposed 1901 Masonic Temple in Salina, Kansas. From the article “Temple of Masonry,” in the “Salina Daily Republican,” 17 July 1901, page 4.

That same year, the “Salina Herald” noted, “The Scottish Rite bodies in Salina are holding a reunion this week and ‘breaking in’ their new scenery. It is the silver anniversary of the institution of the Mackay lodge of Perfection in Salina and therefore of more than ordinary interest. A class is also being initiated into the mysteries of the different Scottish Rite degrees. This is the first reunion since the Masonic Temple was remodeled and several thousand dollars spent in fixing it specially for the Scottish Rite” (3 Oct 1901, page 3). “The Independent” reported, “The sets of scenery for the stage cost $2,400” (26 Sept. 1901, page 2). The “Salina Daily Union” described “The Temple is now supplied with finer scenery than in any opera house in Kansas and is equaled by no Masonic Temple in the state with the possible exception of Wichita, the scenery is simply superb while the electrical effects heighten the beauty of the stage settings is a hundred fold” (24 Sept. 1901. Page 3). By 1904, the “Salina Evening Journal” published that the Masonic Temple in Salina was one of the finest in the state, “owning a complete set of magnificent scenery painted from the latest designs.” (14 Nov. 1904, page 4). The article continues “The stage is fully equipped with a most complete arrangement of electric lights and the effect produced exceeds most of the large spectacular representations on the stages of the larger theaters in the country.”

As with the rest of the state, the scenery was provided by Sosman & Landis.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 682 – The Oakland Scottish Rite, 1896

Part 682: The Oakland Scottish Rite, 1896

For the past several installments I have focused on the development of the degree productions at Scottish Rite stages in Kansas, Arkansas and Oklahoma Territory. Little Rock, Arkansas, is often cited as the first, and most notable Scottish Rite. The Little Rock Masons remodeled an old synagogue and installed a stage. It was called the Albert Pike Cathedral.

Interesting, in 1896 another old synagogue was purchased and remodeled by the Oakland Scottish Rite bodies. As in Little Rock, the renovation of the synagogue included the installation of a stage with new scenery to confer degrees. The building was located of Fourteenth Street, between Webster and Harrison Streets and dedicated at the Oakland Scottish Rite Cathedral on September 21, 1896.

The first Scottish Rite building in 1896, posted the “The Oakland Tribune,” 21 Dec 1927, page 12

The first paraphernalia used by the Oakland bodies was purchased from the disbanded Lodge of Perfection in Virginia City, Nevada. (Oakland Tribune 12 Dec. 1927, page 16). In 1927, one of the original thirty-eight charter members from the Oakland Scottish Rite from Oakland, California, was still living when the third stage for Oakland was constructed in 1927. Of the Oakland Scottish Rite and his experience in 1883, Hugh Alpheus Kendall, explained, “The work was new to the officers, the paraphernalia was crude, and the meeting place was not suitable for the conferring of degrees inasmuch as the paraphernalia had to be set up before the conferring of the degree and put away immediately after. To remedy this a committee was appointed to look for a home of which we would have the exclusive use.” The old paraphernalia was purchased from the Scottish Rite bodies in Virginia for $100.

On June 22 1896, the Oakland Scottish Rite building committee recommended the purchase of a property general known as the Jewish synagogue. At the time, it was currently occupied by the ACME athletic club. A committee consisting of William Frank Pierce (Inspector General), Charles L. J. W. Pierce and N. W. Spaulding were appointed with the power to act. A corporation was formed under the corporate name of the Masonic Cathedral Association, representing the Oakland Lodge, Scottish Rite of Free Masons. The articles of incorporation were filed on on July 31, 1896 (The San Francisco Examiner, 1 Aug 1896, page 7). The capital stock was $15,000, of which $500 had been subscribed by Directors W. Frank Pierce, C.L.J.W. Pierce, John Martin, D.E. Fortin and G. B. Daniels. The newspaper announcement noted, “The synagogue property, corner of Fourteenth and Harrison streets, will be built upon by the association and the structure will be used as headquarters and lodge rooms by Oakland lodge.”

The actual address was 305 Fourteenth Street. The “Oakland Tribune” noted, “the building was purchased, repaired, painted and furnished in a very modest way” (Oakland Tribune 12 Dec. 1927, page 16). At the time of its dedication, it was the only Scottish Rite cathedral west of the Rocky Mountains. When the Oakland Scottish Rite bodies outgrew their home at 305 Fourteenth Street, the building was used by the Improved Order of Redmen, becoming known as a Redman’s Hall. Unfortunately, the building was razed and there is now a parking lot were the first Scottish Rite in Oakland once stood.

There is a lovely article on the history of the Oakland Scottish Rite, it was originally written by Arthur R. Anderson and published as a booklet for the Oakland Scottish Rite Diamond Jubilee in 1958. The text is posted to the Oakland Scottis Rite website: https://oaklandscottishrite.com/history/

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 681 – The Second Scottish Rite Stage in Little Rock, 1902

Part 681: The Second Scottish Rite Stage in Little Rock, 1902

By 1901, Sosman & Landis had successfully delivered Scottish Rite scenery and stage machinery to the following valleys in the Southern Jurisdiction: Little Rock, Arkansas (1896 and 1898), Oakland, California (1896), Wichita, Kansas (1898), Guthrie, Oklahoma (1900) and Fargo, North Dakota (1900).

On April 17, 1901, the Wichita Scottish Rite reunion included a class of two-hundred candidates, the large Scottish Rite class size to date. The day before, newspapers across the country shared the news from Wichita, “The largest class of candidates for the mysteries of Masonry in the history of the Scottish Rite in the country will be given the degrees here tomorrow, the special occasion being a twentieth century jubilee” (“San Francisco Examiner,” April 16, 1909, page 3). Biggest candidate class? Sure, but the Guthrie Scottish Rite had already boasted of something else– a bigger and better building for bigger and better degrees. And so the American comparison begins – “Mine is better than yours.”

That same spring, the “Guthrie Daily” announced, “The Scottish Rite at Guthrie has the distinction of being the only building erected exclusively for the Masonic Fraternity, and its equipment in stage scenery, electrical lighting devices, robes and general paraphernalia, is the most complete in the United States” (15 March 1901, page 5). That would soon change as the Little Rock Scottish Rite entered into the fray again with the construction of a new home; their second theater.

By September 1901, an article in the “Arkansas Democrat” about the new Little Rock Scottish Rite building reported, “The stage will be the special feature connected with the auditorium and will be the largest and most thoroughly equipped in the United Sates and used for Masonic purposes. The fact there are few stages in theaters in the larger cities than this one will be and none in the United States more perfectly equipped with scenery and electrical appliances, and few its equal. The scenery will of course be all specially designed for the building and for the use of conferring degrees, but that some idea of the magnitude of the scenic effects may be obtained it is proposed to place on this stage nearly one hundred different drops, at least forty complete sets of scenery each entirely different from the other in design and thought” (18 Sept. 1901, page 2).

By November 28, 1901, the “Arkansas Democrat” commented, “The stage equipment will be the most magnificent that can be secured, and it is contemplated that not less than $5,000 shall be expended upon this feature alone. It will be the largest and most equipped in the United States for Masonic purposes – in fact there are few theater stages more perfectly supplied and arranged, and fewer that can equal for scenery and electrical appliances” (page 1).

Sosman & Landis studio delivered a second scenery installation to Little Rock in 1902, after having installed two other scenery orders at their previous stage in 1896 and 1899. Little Rock’s Albert Pike Consistory building and stage were prominently featured in “New Age Magazine” (later becoming “Scottish Rite Journal”). In the article, Rosenbaum proudly claimed, “…the stage equipment in Little Rock is the most perfect in America – not only for Masonic purposes, for which it is used exclusively, but from any other point of view…nowhere else in America, with the possible exception of one theatre in New York, and one in Chicago, is it possible to produce either the scene or electric effects that can be produced on this stage.”

This Little Rock scenery and stage machinery was replaced when the Scottish Rite built its third stage in the 1920s. The used collection was then sold to the Scottish Rite in Pasadena, California. In Pasadena, the scenery and stage machinery began a new life where it is still used to this day. The scenery collection in Pasadena, Austin and Fargo are extremely significant in the scope of both theatre history and Masonic history. These three valleys are stewards to some of the earliest scenery in the Southern Jurisdiction. This is what their predecessors witnessed when they first stepped foot in a Scottish Rite stage to experience a new form of degree work.

This Scottish Rite scenery and stage machinery was delivered to Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1902, is now used at the Pasadena Scottish Rite.

An arbor originally installed on line 89 at the Little Rock Scottish Rite now hangs on line 55 at the Pasadena Scottish Rite. Both line numbers are still visible.

Looking up above the Scottish Rite stage in Pasadena, California, at Brown’s special system, originally installed in Little Rock, Arkansas, during 1902.

A backdrop painted by Sosman & Landis studio, installed at the Little Rock Scottish Rite. It is now used at the Pasadena, Scottish Rite.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 680 – The Scottish Rite in Fargo, North Dakota, 1900

The Scottish Rite in Fargo, North Dakota, 1900

The past few posts examined early Scottish Rite contracts between the Guthrie Scottish Rite and E. A. Armstrong Manufacturing company between 1899 and 1900. Another Scottish Rite theater project occurred during this same time in Fargo, North Dakota. It also included a scenery collection manufactured by Sosman & Landis.

The first steps toward a new Masonic building in Fargo began during 1894. Land was not purchased until February 1898, with the contract for work being finalized during May 1899. On June 7, 1899, the cornerstone was laid for the Masonic Temple at 501 First Avenue North in Fargo. It would be the home to several Masonic orders in Fargo. The building was first occupied on June 6, 1900, but not fully completed. This building would include a Scottish Rite theater, lodge rooms, banquet hall, kitchen, billiard room, armory, reception room and offices. In 1914, an addition was made on the west side of the building. A library, museum, gymnasium, and swimming pool were included in the work. All told, this massive complex included 55,155 square feet of total floor space. The building would be home to the Scottish Rite until 1968 when it was razed as part of an urban renewal plan. In 1968, the Masonic Temple was purchased by the Fargo Parking Authority with the intent to construct a parking lot. Demolition began on June 19, 1968.

The Scottish Rite auditorium in the Fargo Masonic Temple pictured in a 1903 Reunion program

The Scottish Rite stage in the Fargo Masonic Temple pictured in a 1903 Reunion program

Scene created by Sosman & Landis for the Fargo Scottish Rite stage

The turn of the twentieth century is a period at Sosman & Landis produced some absolutely stunning work. The nineteenth-century aesthetic still dominated Scottish Rite scenery, as scenic artist and stage carpenter David A. Strong (1830-1911) was still actively involved with its production. Thomas G. Moses was on his way out the studio door again; this time to start a new business with Will Hamilton, establishing Moses & Hamilton in NYC during 1900. Back in Chicago, Strong still reigned as the “Daddy of Masonic Design” and was still very active as a scenic artist at the Sosman & Landis studio. My research suggests that Strong was very involved in the production of scenery for Little Rock (1896, 1899, 1901), Oakland (1896), Wichita (1898), Guthrie (1900), and Fargo (1900). After 1900, his contributions to Scottish Rite scenery begin to diminish.

Fellow scenic artists referred to Strong as “Old Trusty” and a member of the Dusseldorf School. Of Strong, Moses wrote, “His color was deep and rich and his drawings very correct.” In “Paint Mimic Scenes, Men Who Have Found Fame in the Wing and Drop Curtains” Strong was included as a well-respected scenic artist with the article reporting, “David Strong, “Old Trusty,” still at work in this city, is the only survivor of the good old Dusseldorf school. Everything that comes from his facile brush – and he could walk over miles of canvas of his own painting – has the quality of opaqueness peculiar to his school and seldom found nowadays. (“Chicago Sunday Tribune” article, Dec, 18, 1892, page 41). It is the comment “seldom found nowadays” that rings true. Even in 1892, the artistry of Strong’s generation was diminishing. The last vestiges of this art form are likely still hanging in a handful of Scottish Rite stages across the country.

Sosman & Landis scenery produced for Little Rock, Wichita, Fargo and Guthrie, have a unique aesthetic and compositional approach to the painting. Like a person’s signature, it is easy to identify that a particular scenic artist worked for all four collections. Artworks associated with the Dusseldorf school included an active middle ground, with the primary not taking place in the fore ground. The 1892 “Chicago Tribune” article comment about the “quality of opaqueness” to Strong’s work; this was in direct contrast to the English practice of glazing (Chicago Tribune, Dec. 18, 1892). The opaque application of solid color for Strong also meant that a subject could be worked up from dark to light, the approach of the slapdash tradition. The use of glazes often meant that the composition was painted up in the reverse, from light to dark. Each was a successful method, yet supported differing approaches to color mixing and paint application. That being said, most audiences would be unable to identify the differing techniques or aesthetic nuances as they both read well from a distance.

Sosman & Landis setting for the Scottish Rite stage in Fargo, North Dakota.

Sosman & Landis setting for the Scottish Rite stage in Guthrie, Oklahoma.

A second scenic artist also contributed scenery to the Little Rock, and Wichita collections during this time, approaching the subject matter in the English tradition of glazing. However, this style is only apparent in a few settings, such as the Egyptian scenes and Royal Chamber. Overall, the majority of the scenery for Scottish Rite collections during the late nineteenth century at Sosman & Landis has in identical feel and aesthetic approach to the subject matter. My research suggests that it was Strong who was the main artist; he would have been in his mid to late sixties at the time. Few pieces beyond the 1904 Sosman & Landis scenery installation for the Duluth Scottish Rite remain and are, what I believe to be, indicative of Strong’s work. The floral wreaths for the 1909 setting of Darius’ Festival Palace created for the Scottish Rite in Winona, Minnesota, was another example. However, by 1909, Strong was 79 years old, and likely unable to contribute as much painting to each Scottish Rite project. Keep in mind that Storng was one of the artists for the original production at the “The Black Crook” at Niblo’s Garden in 1866. “The Black Crook” is considered by many to be America’s first musical.

For more posts about Strong, see past installments #127, 215, 248, and 382.

Sosman & Landis setting for the Scottish Rite stage in Austin, Texas, using glazing techniques.

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…