The Masonic Temple, Philadelphia.

The Masonic Temple , Philadelphia .

IN view of the interest now centreing on the providing of a temple more adequate to the requirements of the Craft and a worthier home of the mother Grand Lodge , we extract the following description of a building which is described by our valued contemporary , The American Tyler , as the finest Masonic temple in the world .

" Nowhere else on the face of the globe is there a Masonic temple , devoted wholly to the uses of the Craft , so large , so magnificent or so perfect in its architecture as the temple in Philadelphia . It is the most costly edifice ever erected for the exclusive use of the Masonic Fraternity .

Beautiful and splendid as it is to-day , and representing as it does an expenditure of nearly $ 2 , 000 , 000 , it is constantly being improved in various details , and when the schedule of improvements now under contemplation shall have been completed , it will represent an investment of considerably over $ 2 , 000 , 000 . The ground on which the temple stands was purchased in 1867 and has a frontage on four

streets—ORIKNTAIi HAIJ-.

one hundred and fifty feet on Broad and Juniper Streets , respectively , and two hundred and forty-five feet on Filbert and Cuthbert Streets—the temple occupying the entire block . The corner stone was laid June 24 th , 1868 , and the temple was completed and dedicated September 26 th , 18 73

, the cost up to that date being $ 1 , 569 , 092 . About $ 300 , 000 have since been expended on alterations , improvements and decorations . It is a perfect type of Norman architecture , and was built of Quincy and Fox Island granite . In its construction and furnishing none but the best and most

durable materials were used , and , after a lapse of over thirty years , no fault has been discovered in the structure . It is indeed a lasting monument to the Fraternity it represents . It has been well said that , when all proposed improvements shall have been made , it will be one of the wonders of the

world , and will attract , delight and instruct visitors from every part of the globe . "An idea of the splendour of the interior of the structure may be had from the accompanying reproductions of various halls in the building . For the magnificence and beauty one

finds there , too great credit cannot be given to ' The Art Association of the Masonic temple , ' which was organized October 22 nd , 1887 , with the object of decorating and embellishing the various halls , of giving them artistic , historic and Masonic beauty , and also of adorning them with statuary , paintings and other works of art . The funds for this

purpose were supplied by the members of the association , from annual dues of one dollar each , contributions from individuals and from the various bodies meeting in the tunple . In a profusely illustrated booklet , Bro . William Steffe , secretary of the association , has described in detail

the extensive work of that organization . Under its immediate supervision Egyptian , Ionic , Norman and Oriental Halls and the library have been decorated , and handsome bronze gates have been installed near the entrance . " The beautifying of Corinthian Hall , grand banquet hall , the Grand Master ' s and Grand High Priest ' s apartments , and other offices and corridors , by the Grand Lodge ' s

Committee on temple , is largely the result of the impulse given by the association . "The association has sought ' to beautify , lo dignify , to vivify the cold , dead walls , the naked pillars , and the blank ceilings , so that they might speak through the mystic symbols

and the historic figures which adorn them , and thus teach Freemasonry to the eye , while its ritualistic ceremonies teach it to both the eye and the ear , and through them to the understanding and the heart . ' " Norman Hall is an oblong apartment elaborately

decorated and rich in gold and colour , yet quiet and dignified . In the panels on the walls appear life-size ligures represented as bearing the working-tools of the Freemasonthe plumb , trowel , square , mallet , rule and compasses . Ionic Hall is notable for its refinement and elegance , both in

architecture and artistic decoration , and is a marvel of beauty . The pillars are finished in an ivory ( one and their capitals are enriched with gold . The panels , which are filled with full-length portraits of Past Grand Masters , are in Pompeiian red , while the walls are a delicate blue . The