The New RP Winter 2009

1. INTERNATIONAL MASONIC REVIEW PUBLISHED BY BONISTEEL MASONIC LIBRARY
Volume 17. Issue 1 • • WINTER 2009
BONISTEELML.ORG
Detroit Masonic Temple
Special Issue!
Winter 2009
09
US $9.95

2. THE RISING POINT is the official publication of Bonisteel Masonic Library and
is published four times per year. Masonic Bodies are welcome to reprint from this
publication provided that the article is reprinted in full, the name of the author and the
source of the article are indicated, and a copy of the publication containing the reprint is
sent to the editor. Submissions to this publication and all Correspondence concerning this
publication should come through the Editor Mitchell Ozog. The Editor reserves the right
to edit all materials received.
Fair Use Notice:
The Bonisteel Masonic Library web site and publication THE RISING POINT may at
times contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically
authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to
advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy,
scientific, and social justice issues, etc.. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any
such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If
you wish to use copyrighted material from this site or the publication Rising Point for
purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the
copyright owner. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on The
Bonisteel Masonic Library web site and publication Rising Point is distributed without
profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information
for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.
cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml United States Code: Title 17, Section 107 http://www4.
law.cornell.edu/uscode/unframed/17/107.html Notwithstanding the provisions of sections
106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in
copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such
as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom
use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether
the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall
include - (1) the purpose
and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for
nonprofit educational purposes; (2) the nature of the copyrighted work; (3) the amount and
substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and (4)
the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work. The
fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is
made upon consideration of all the above factors.
M A I L I N G A D D R E S S
THE RISING POINT
Bonisteel Masonic Library
www.bonisteelml.org
2875 W. Liberty Road
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
LAYOUT & DESIGN – Bro. Mitchell Ozog
Bro. Mitchell Ozog , 32º
Editor in Chief.
mozog@bonisteelml.org
Bro. Karl Grube, Ph.D., 32º
Editor
kgrube@bonisteelml.org
WELCOME TO WINTER 2009
Volume 16. Issue 4 - fall 2008
Contents
FEATURE ARTICLES
BONISTEEL MASONIC LIBRARY FUND RAISER
The Bonisteel Masonic Library of Ann Arbor Detroit has established a goal of
raising $5,000 for 2009 operations. Your contribution will assure the continuance of
our award winning quarterly publication Rising Point and the yearly costs of online
publication. Simple scroll down to Pay Pal on the Index page donate by using a credit
card.
www.bonisteelml.org
3 A Message from
the Grand Master
4
6
7
OUR NEW MASONIC TEMPLE
By Frederick A. Cooke
8
12
the story of seven years
of labor
13
19
The Masonic Temple -
briefly told
This is The largest masonic
temple in the world
ParDucci’s detroit masonic
temple lobby
great temple is completed!
By R. J. McLauchlin
BRETHREN, BEHOLD YOUR
TEMPLE
With Old classified
Advertising
For those of you who are new to this publication,
we hope you enjoy what you see and come back.
Suggestions and opinions are welcome.
24
31
NEW TEMPLE IS CIVIC ASSET
Fine Facilities for handling Great Conventions
The TURNING OF A DREAM
INTO STEEL AND STONE
By George D. Mason - Architect of the New MT
And More!!!
26
BRETHREN, BEHOLD YOUR
TEMPLE

3. Our New Masonic Temple more on page 5
Reprint from Detroit Masonic News - December 1919, Volume I, Number I. -(p. 47-48)
Photos and text scanning by Mitchell Ozog 2008. ©
HISTORY

4. Reprint from Detroit Masonic News - December 1919, Volume I, Number I. -(p. 47-48)
Photos and text scanning by Mitchell Ozog 2008. ©

5. ovember 1926,
The STory of
Seven yearS of
Labor
on Masonry’s Greatest
Temple
The fine homes of an older generation passed forever
when wreckers began to clear the ground at Bagg
(now Temple avenue) and Second Boulevard, for
the grat structure which was to come. Just to the
right of this photo was the home of Bro. Rev. D.
Burnham Tracy, 33º, father of the Scottish Rite
in Michigan.
The Story of Seven Years
Of Labor
on Masonry’s Greatest Temple
The work of the wreckers
completed, a stout fence
enclosedthesiteofoperations
whilethegreatdriveforfunds
was being conducted among
the member of the Craft.
Thanksgiving Day, nineteen
hundred and twenty, saw
Ira A. Beck. Grand Master of
Masons in Michigan, turn the
first sod, thus inaugurating
a task which was to require
years to complete.
The STory of
Seven yearS of
Labor
on Masonry’s Greatest
Temple
Reprint from Masonic News - November 1926,
Volume VII, Number XI.

6. The most famed Temple ever erected dates back to
the days of King Solomon. This wise ruler determined
to erect a structure that would fittingly express his
adoration of God whom he devoutly worshiped and
served. To assist him in his glorious undertaking he
selected two skilled counselors, Hiram, king of Tyre,
and Hiram Abiff, a widow’s son, whose devotion stands
without parallel in history. With these skilled helpers,
Solomon erected a magnificent temple of God that
stands at the beginning of all Masonic activity.
The development of the Detroit Masonic Temple is
indicative of the growth and the strength of the Masonic
Fraternity in this community.
The first move towards a suitable home for the
Order in Detroit was made in 1891. In January of
that year, the bodies occupying space over the old
Wayne County and Home Savings Bank on West
Congress Street appointed a committee to confer
regarding the purchase of property and the erection
of a temple which would accommodate the Lodges,
Chapters, Council, Commanderies and the Michigan
Sovereign Consistory. Several meetings were held
by this joint committee in1891 and the early part of
1892. On March 16, 1892 representatives of Zion,
Detroit, Union, Ashlar, Oriental, Schiller and Kilwinning
Lodges, Monroe and Peninsular Chapters, Monroe
Council, Detroit and Damascus Commanderies, and
the Michigan Sovereign Consistory, held the first
meeting of record at which time Michigan Sovereign
Consistory was requested to place a valuation on the
property which it owned on Lafayette Boulevard. At a
meeting held March 23rd of the same year, Michigan
Sovereign Consistory placed a valuation of $37,500 on
the 75 feet between Cass Avenue and First Street on
Lafayette Boulevard, and generously offered to transfer
this property to a new corporation to hold title to this
property, where a suitable structure should be erected
to house all Masonic Bodies, and agreed to accept
therefor certificates of contribution. Thus we have
the beginning of the Masonic Temple Association of
Detroit. The above land was added to by the purchase
of adjoining property, giving a total frontage of 150 feet
on Lafayette Boulevard and a depth of 130 feet on First
Street.
Committeeswereappointedtoraisefundsfortheerection
of this Temple. Complete plans and specifications,
prepared by Mason and Rice, were formally adopted
on December 3, 1892. A committee was appointed to
wait upon the State Legislature to secure an enabling
act to incorporate fraternal organizations, and on
March 19, 1894 the Masonic Temple Association of
Detroit was formally incorporated. In designing the
Temple to be erected on Lafayette Boulevard and First
Street, representatives then in charge of the activities,
planned a structure, that in their opinion, would care for
the needs of the Fraternity for fifty years to come. The
various bodies moved into the Temple in 1896.
Notwithstanding the careful planning and wise devising
of the committee, the Order outgrew the Lafayette
Boulevard Temple in twelve years and in 1908 it was
crowded to capacity. The growth of the Order had
been so rapid that it was found necessary to place
restrictions on the use of the dining room service, the
assembly halls and other parts of the Temple. With
the idea in mind of enlarging the Temple then in use,
the Temple Association finally purchased 50 additional
feet of land on Lafayette Boulevard from the Newland
Estate and 16 feet from the Benevolent Order of Elks.
Some time was spent by George D. Mason Co.,
architects, in devising plans for the enlarging of the
Lafayette Boulevard Temple to take care of the over-
crowded situation It was finally decided, however, that
the land available in that location would not permit the
erection of a Temple that would be adequate for the
needs of the Fraternity. A move was started in 1913
to purchase a new location and a thorough survey
involving many choice sites in the city of Detroit was
instituted. After long and careful study by the committee
in charge, considering every angle which might enter
into the erection of such a structure as would be
necessary, the Association finally obtained options on
350 feet of property fronting on Temple Avenue (then
Bagg Street), running in an easterly direction from the
Northeast corner of Second Boulevard. Because of
the desirable location affording close proximity to the
downtown section of the city, adequate transportation
facilities, and a splendid outlook on Cass Park which
would forever give them an unobstructed approach to
the Temple, the Association entered into negotiations
which resulted in the purchase of this property and
commissioned George D. Mason Company to draw
plans for the new Temple. After the plans bad been
completed, Moslem Temple purchased 50 feet of
additionallandfrontingonTempleAvenueattheeastern
end of the property already secured and presented
the same to the Masonic Temple Association. This
additional property enabled the Association to include
club quarters for Moslem Temple and the final designs
of the structure were formally approved.
During March, 1920 most elaborate plans were
perfected covering the entire membership of the
Fraternity in this community and a campaign to
MORE ABOUT Masonic Temple ON PAGE 9
This is the largest Masonic Temple
in the World

7. secure subscriptions to finance the undertaking was
inaugurated; the committee, through its initial efforts,
secured subscriptions amounting to $2,500,000
In order to save the Association as much money as
possible and secure the greatest values for the money
spent, time and care were used in placing the contracts
for the various portions of the structure.
It was on Thanksgiving day in 1920 that the sod was first
turned. And with many more months of planning and
labor ahead, the Craft was at work on this undertaking
of worldwide interest. A great host stood in Cass
Park for this occasion and flowed in human
currents up and down Second Boulevard
and what was then Bagg Street. It is
certain that no man will forget the
occasion.
George Washington’s own
working tools, brought from his
Virginia Lodge, were employed.
The first mortar was spread
with the same trowel that our
first president used in the corner
stone laying of the National
Capitol. On September 18, 1922,
thousands of Master Masons and
their families witnessed the corner
stone of the Masonic Temple of Detroit
being placed into position.
On Thanksgiving day of 1926 the final ceremony
of this program took place when thousands gathered for
theformaldedicationoftheTempleandtheconsecration
of its rooms, by the Grand Lodge of Michigan, to the
work of the Craft. And as a means of opening the public
portion of the building as a civic center and for the
use of the community at large, a most elaborate and
delightful program was offered in the Temple’s beautiful
auditorium.
The Detroit Temple is unique among the Masonic
buildings of the country because all of the various
bodies are housed in the same structure. There are
some twelve million cubic feet of space in all, making
it the largest and most complete building of its kind in
the world.
The precedents for fraternal buildings are all in Greek or
Egyptian. Nothing of the sort had been done in Gothic,
yet the architect felt that this style best expressed
the traditions of Masonry, Solomon’s Temple and the
beautiful Scottish Rite Cathedral in Washington to
the contrary notwithstanding. Certainly the spirit and
tradition of the Knights Templar and the historic setting
of the Scottish Rite are Gothic, and operative Masonry,
having its origin in the guilds of Europe, has the tradition
of the great cathedrals of which they were builders.
In all, there are twenty-eight units in the building
grouped into three major divisions: the ritualistic tower,
the auditorium and the Shrine Club. Provisions for fifty
Masonic bodies which must operate independently
were included in the plans.
The Ritualistic Building, or fourteen story tower, provides
a home for twenty-six Blue Lodges, the Consistory,
two Commanderies, five Chapters and the Council.
This tower is 210 feet high, dominating the view of
the surrounding neighborhood and facing beautiful
Cass Park, five acres of green lawns and
graceful elms. The Temple in its classical
Gothic architecture and facing of Indiana
limestone gives one the impression of
the massive medieval castles of old.
While it is as yet unfinished, the
plans call for a third degree
auditorium seating eight hundred
on the top floor of the tower. Below
this on the various floors above
the ground level are the ten other
Blue Lodge rooms, all having
different decorative treatment, the
motifs of decoration being taken from
the Egyptian, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian,
Italian Renaissance, Byzantine, Gothic
and Romanesque. These rooms are all true
to period and the composite has not been used.
All of the art work throughout the building, especially
the beautifully decorated ceilings, was done under the
personal direction of famous Italian artists.
On the third floor of the tower we find the quarters of
the Commandery, consisting of the beautiful parlor
treated in the Tudor period with its walls of high oak
paneling and the two figures in armor creating an
atmosphere suggesting the period of knighthood. The
work room of the Commandery (known in the parlance
of Templarism as the Asylum) adjoins the parlor. This
room is truly a poem in stone and wood with a touch
of the cathedral suggested by its Gothic architecture
and stained glass windows, placed as a memorial to
those who gave much of their life to the progress of
this phase of the Order. The Asylum is a reproduction
of the room in the Tower of London where the knights
received their charge before leaving on the Crusades
during the middle ages. These details have also been
carried out in the stone flagging of the floor with its worn
edges suggestive of the rough wear caused by the mail
shod feet of the ancient knights.
Adjoining the Asylum is the small but beautiful Red
Cross Room devoted to a part of the ritualistic work of
A 3rd
auditorium
is located on the
7th floor but remains
unfinished, however, due to
lack of funds. Had this room
been completed, the Masonic
Temple of Detroit would have
been the only building in
the world to house 3
theaters under one
roof.

8. 10
the Templars.
On the second floor we find the Chapter Room, made
most impressive by its heavy red hangings which
cause to stand out in bold relief the white Doric pillars
surrounding the room.
The main lobby is a work of art, the decorative scheme
having been adopted from a room in an old castle in
Palermo, Sicily. The expansive archway of the main
entrance with the especially designed chandelier and
handsomely wrought brass floor plaque are all features
of interest. The bronze doors of the six elevators which
serve the tower are emblazoned with the symbols of
the Craft, the same symbolism being very artistically
incorporated in the decorative scheme throughout the
entire building.
Adjoining the main lobby is the Scottish Rite lounge, richly
furnished with period furniture, beautiful hangings and
Persian rugs, with its high paneled walls, heavy molded
ceilings and cathedral windows creates an atmosphere
suggestive of Scottish Rite Masonry. In this lounge is
hung an original painting of George Washington as
master of his lodge, done by Emanuel Leutze in the year
1855, and also the wonderfully wrought suit of armor
fashioned in Europe especially for the Scottish Rite
quarters.
Stepping from the lounge through an ample hall, one
enterstheScottishRiteCathedralwithitsseatingcapacity
of 1600 and its fully equipped stage for the dramatization
of the Scottish Rite degrees. The Cathedral is a beauty
spot of the Temple made rich by the carvings and color
work of the whole which is most effectively carried out
in the ceiling. The Cathedral is equipped with a four
manual organ of 70 stops, the echo of which is located
in the ceiling. The stage is modern in every detail with a
width of 64 feet from wall to wall and a depth of 37 feet
from foot lights. The proscenium opening is 35 feet. The
height from floor to fly gallery is 28 feet and from floor to
gridiron is 64 feet. There is a counterweight system of
100 sets of lines and a remote control five color preset
switchboard.
Passing along from the Scottish Rite Cathedral on the
main level to the center portion of the Temple we come
to the auditorium or public portion of the structure. In
this section of the building on the third floor mezzanine
is the mammoth Drill Hall, comprising 17,500 square
feet of open floor space. This Drill Hall is used by the
uniformed bodies of the organization Commanderies,
Consistory and Shrine Patrol. The Drill Hall is equipped
with one of three floating floors in the United States;
that is, the entire floor is laid on felt cushions. This type
of construction provides more or less give to the floor
which tends to relieve the marchers.
Immediately under the Drill Hall we enter the Main
Theatre. The Main Theatre of the Masonic Temple is
one of the finest public halls in the United States, having
a seating capacity of about 5000. Because of the
arrangement there is maintained a very intimate contact
between audience and stage. Aside from the Shrine
Ceremonials and an occasional concert conducted by
some of the bodies, this auditorium is available to the
public and is becoming more and more a center for the
finest things in dramatics and music offered to the people
of Detroit. The decorative treatment of the auditorium has
considerabledetailadaptedfromtheVenetianGothicand
in the handling of the color decoration its character his
been consistently carried out. The general tone is gold
which has been enlivened with red and blue to produce
a quiet richness of color seldom attempted in this type
of work. A great deal of careful study was given to the
acoustical treatment of this room which has produced an
auditorium where the hearing qualities are perfect from
every seat. The auditorium is lighted by indirect light from
the balcony rail and from two magnificent electroliers
suspended from the ceiling. These chandeliers weigh
one and a half tons each and take three quarters of an
hour to lower to the ground level. They are thirteen feet
over all, and eight feet in diameter. Having a jeweled
effect with red, blue and amber on dimmers a great
variety of lighting combinations are possible.
It might be mentioned here that the lighting fixture
contract for the Temple called for the greatest number
of special fixtures of any building in the country. There
is a great variety of styles all well studied and in perfect
scale.
The stage of the auditorium is the second largest in the
United States, having a width between walls of 100 feet
and a depth from curtain line of 55 feet. It is equipped with
a counterweight system of 90 sets of lines and a remote
control four color pre-set switchboard. Supported from
the gridiron are two structural steel bridges for carrying
border and other lamps. The proscenium arch is 64
feet wide and 32 feet high. There are 23 well furnished
dressing rooms, both the individual type and those for
ballet and chorus groups, these being on three levels
are served by elevator.
Both the Main Theatre and the Scottish Rite Cathedral
are provided with picture booths, equipped with the
most modern Motiograph machines, effect machines
and spot lights.
The plans for the auditorium provide for an organ, the
lofts of which are located on either side of the proscenium
arch, but as yet the instrument had not been installed.
In this center section of the building directly below
the auditorium and approached by a wide stairway on
either side is the Fountain Ball Room, a very expansive
circular room receiving its name from the tiled fountain
which produces a very beautiful effect when lighted.
The Fountain Ball Room provides enough space for the
seating of 1,800 at a banquet, or will provide for 1,500
couples when the room is used for dancing purposes.
Located a half floor below is the slightly smaller Crystal
Ball Room which is unquestionably one of the most
beautiful rooms in America. The decorations of this room
are in the Italian style and the two magnificent crystal

9. electroliers, from which the room is given its name, lend
the final touch of magnificence. Nine hundred diners
may be accommodated in this ballroom and there is
ample room for 750 couples for dancing.
Adjacent to these ball rooms are the five dinner rooms,
recreation room and public grill. By using all of the
space available for the serving of banquets the catering
department of the Masonic Temple can serve 5000
persons at one sitting.
For the convenience of those using the Temple there
is located on the ball room mezzanine floor a five-chair
barber shop and a soda fountain where light lunches
are served.
Months of planning were used in working out the details
of the mammoth kitchens of the Temple which are
manned by a steward and chef with years of experience.
The staff of the catering department is the best to be
had, the chef having been trained in the leading hotels
of Europe and America. All of the equipment in the
kitchens are electrically operated, including the ovens,
kettles, dish washers, dough mixers, etc. The cooking is
all done in aluminum and great care is used to maintain
absolute cleanliness in the careful preparation of the
food. This department operates its own pastry shop
where the pastries used at the formal banquets as well
as the daily dining service are produced. The Temple is
equipped with two 40-ton ice machines which provide
for the refrigeration and the making of ice.
The ten story unit at the east end of the building is
devoted to the exclusive use of Moslem Temple. The
main floor with its clerk’s desk and offices for the Club
manager and recorder of the Shrine has the appearance
of the most up-to-date hotel lobby.
On the second floor we find the magnificently furnished
lounge with a well appointed writing room and library
adjoining. No pains have been spared in providing the
finest period furnishings, rare rugs and hangings for the
Shrine Club.
Above the lounge we have the fully equipped billiard
room with the card room adjoining, and above that
the club gymnasium equipped with the most modern
apparatus. The remaining floors are devoted to the guest
rooms, there being eighty in all. These rooms with their
connecting baths are as delightful as any hotel rooms
in the city and are available for any Noble of the Mystic
Shrine or member of the Blue Lodge who may care to
take advantage of the same at very reasonable rates.
The power plant of the Temple which is equipped with
the most scientific mechanical devices of the latest
design is sufficient to produce the power, light and heat
for a community of 50,000. High pressure steam, air
and water lines and electric cables are carried through
immense tunnels placed 34 feet below the street, these
tunnels being 10 feet in width. The main tunnel, which
runs east and west, is intersected by two tunnels of equal
dimensions running north and south. In this manner the
steam, air and water lines and the electric cables are
accessible for inspection and repairs at any time. Great
care was exercised in installing the necessary fire
and water protection. The Detroit Water Commission
installed an eight inch main from their service line on
Temple Avenue and a six inch main from their service
line on Second Boulevard. Thus interruption on either
one of the mains will not impair the operation of the
building. The electrical equipment through out the
building is known as remote control apparatus, the
same system being used also on the main switchboard.
Automatic contractors are used everywhere with over
and under load attachments, fuses therefore being used
only at the distributing panels and momentary overload
on any part of the electrical equipment is taken care of
automatically at the main switchboard. In connection
with the engine room is the machine shop where the
repair work about the Temple is taken care of.
The Masonic Temple is one of the most complicated
buildings ever erected in the United States. In the
ritualistic tower but four columns extend in a vertical line
from the basement to the roof, the other great columns
being staggered involving eccentric loads which must
be carried by proper steel fabric. Many mammoth
trusses are used throughout the structure; two Pratt
trusses 39 feet in depth and 78 feet in length support
three floors at the top of the ritualistic tower. Above the
Consistory Cathedral carrying the Commandery and
other apartments between the third and sixth floors
two immense plate girders are used weighing twenty
tons each. These girders are 18 feet in depth and 78
feet in length. The Drill Hall and the Main Theatre are
supported by eight immense Pratt trusses 18 feet in
depth and 76 feet in length, the upper cord of these
trusses supporting the Drill Hall and from the lower
cord is suspended the ceiling of the Main Theatre.
A further idea of the size and extent of this great Temple
erected by the Masonic Fraternity may be gleaned from
the following facts: there are 1,037 rooms in the Temple,
the roof of copper concrete and asphalt is 80,000 square
feet in area-or nearly two acres; the excavation for the
foundations required the removal of 1,620,000 cubic feet
of earth: 3,850,000 bricks were used for partitions and
walls; the exterior contains 100,000 cubic feet of stone
from the quarries of Indiana, and the structural steel
used in the erection of the building weighs 16,000,000
pounds.
This gift of the Fraternity is not only to the local
community, for the Detroit Masonic Temple is assuming
a national as well as an international position because
of its facilities and service.
11
THE MASONIC OF DETROIT
Reprint from
Detroit Masonic Temple, Detroit, Mich
1926 A. L. 5926
Website
http://themasonic.com
tHE CORNERSTONE OF
THE TEMPLE.

10. 12
Anthony Di Lorenzo, New York ornamentalist, held
two contracts for interior decoration in the Masonic
Temple - #1 (Corrado Parducci) $13,160.00 and #2
for $9,680.00. Thomas Di Lorenzo’s contract for
interior decoration amounted to $59,074.00. Joe
Parducci worked in the New York firm of Ricci,
DiLorenzo and Aldolino as a very young man.
When the firm broke up, he stayed with DiLorenzo
who was an ornamentalist and Joe was the
sculptor. Joe met Albert Kahn in New York City
who urged him to come to Detroit and work on
two bank buildings on Griswold Street . Joe came
to Detroit to work for only a couple of months.
Anthony DiLorenzo had some work here and Kahn
wanted Parducci. He worked indirectly for Kahn
through DiLorenzo. Other work came from Detroit
architects Donaldson Meier, Smith, Hinchman
Grylls, and George D. Mason.
The first 8 months, 1924 to middle of 1925, Joe
worked under DiLorenzo. The Masonic Temple
contracts were DiLorenzos’ jobs until Parducci
bought them out for $5,000.00.
William F. Gurche had the contract for the exterior
sculpture. Henry Steinman, a New York sculptor
working in the Detroit studio of William F. Gurche,
sculpted the Tylers on the four towers of the Ritual
Building . Leo William Friedlander, a New York
sculptor and 1913 winner of the Prix de Rome, was
paid $1,100.00 to sculpt the three figures – King
Solomon, King Hiram and Hiram Abbif – over the
Ritual Tower entrance.
All the light
fixtures were
custom-made by the Sterling Bronze Company of New York . The lighting
fixtures in the lodges, hallways, and foyers were designed for the tasks at
hand.
Corrado Giuseppe Parducci’s lobby design was reportedly adapted from an
old castle in Palermo, Sicily . Parducci did model the 5’ bronze floor plaque
depicting Strength, Truth and Beauty. He sculpted the two plaques in the
stone walls of the interior stairs of the Scottish Rite entrance. These two are
repeated in the lobby as plaster plaques.
ParDucci’sDetroitMasonicTempleLobby
Photo of the coin from Bro. R. Spice web site
- http://detroitmasonic.com/souvenirs.htm

11. 13
GREAT TEMPLE IS COMPLETED!
fREEMASONRYJUSTIFIESTITLEOF“THEBUILDERS”
ByR.J.McLauchlin
Solomon,KingofIsrael,Hiram,KingofTyreand
HiramtheWidow’sson,standsentineloverthe
beautifulGothicentranceoftheTemple.

12. 14

13. 15
Reprinted From - Masonic News
The battlements of the Temple through the trees of Cass Park.

14. 16

15. 17
Photo - The electric Fountain
This sculpture depicts the
Master Mason, who after
many years of work, has
transformed himself from the
“rough ashlar” to a “perfect
ashlar,” fitted for use in that
spiritual building, that house
not made by hands, eternal
in the heavens. The Master
Mason has experienced a
process of moral, intellectual
and spiritual development.
In this depiction, he may be
seen as a connecting link
between the divine and the
earthly realms-- he looks
upward, symbolically, to the
heavens while the lower animals, sensing the harmony he has attained, are
attracted to, and look upward to him.
Photo By Bro. William B. Krebaum
A Shriner
in stone

16. 18
This sculpture in
stone above the
entrance of the
Detroit Masonic
Temple depicts
the Entered
Apprentice
Mason working
to perfect a
“rough ashlar,”
a stone as taken
from the quarry
in its rude and
natural state. It is symbolic of the young Mason’s
efforts to improve his own character.
Photo By Bro. William B. Krebaum

17. 19

18. 20

19. 21

20. 22
The beautiful Corinthian lodge room

21. 23
Ask The Man Who Owns One
PACKARD

22. 24

23. 25
DODGE BROTHERS
MOTOR CARS

24. 26

25. 27

26. 28

27. 29

28. 30
City of Detroit
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
DECEMBER 11, 1919
JAMES COUZENS
Mayor
ROSE SCHRAM
Secretary
Detroit Masonic News
114 Broadway.
Gentlemen:
Knowing the high standard of citizenship exemplified by Masonry, I feel that, not only the craft,
but, Detroit in general is exceedingly fortunate in having the Detroit Masonic News added to its leading
journals.
I cannot conceive of any local publication which will have a higher or worthier influence on
Detroit’s civic spirit than this new magazine. It will concentrate the thought of the many splendid
Masonic bodies in developing the highest type of fellowship throughout the city.
The Masonic News must reach a high editorial standard because it will have its widest circulation
in the very best homes of Detroit.
I wish the News and the Detroit Masonic Temple Association the greatest success in this
enterprise.
Yours very truly,
Mayor.

29. 31

30. 32
The largest Masonic temple in
the world, Detroit’s Masonic
temple is a monumental
structure with a rich and colorful
history, befitting one of the
most historic organizations in
the world. Encompassing more
than 1,000 rooms and more than
a million square feet, the temple
has served Masons since 1926
and provides a venue for many
leading entertainers and theater
productions. Its lodges, chapels,
and ballrooms are masterpieces
of architecture rich with the
symbolism of Freemasonry,
evident even in the smallest
details. The temple stands as an
artistic work of architecture and
as the physical embodiment of the
history,traditions,andsymbolismof
Freemasonry.Whatarethesecretsof
the craft? Just look; they are carved
into the walls, inlaid in the marble
floors, and depicted in woodcuts on
every floor.
More info:
Arcadia Publishing -
http://www.arcadiapublishing.com
Detroit’s Masonic TempleBy Alex Lundberg, Greg Kowalski