Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 104, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 May 1911 — A BIG MASONIC TEMPLE [ARTICLE]

A BIG MASONIC TEMPLE

Magnificent Structure to Be Built in Chicago. Work on Groat Building, to Cost $406,000, to Begin May I—Auditorium1 —Auditorium to Have Seating Capacity of 4,500. Chicago.—More beautiful than any Masonic temple in the country, or In toe world, for that matter,’ will be the building that toe Shriners of Medinah Temple will dedicate to the uses of toe craft in Chicago at Ohio, Cass and Ontario streets, it is declared. Plans for toe structure already are well under way. Building operations will begin by the first of May. Early in April, 1912, the dedication wiU take place. When completed the building will represent an outlay of $406,000, which ialnore money than toe far-famed New theater of New York cost its mtUionalre founders. Of course, in the case of toe Medinah temple, the cost of the land was a comparatively small Item compared with the extensive New theater property that borders on Central Park West in New York. The Lambert Tree property, on which toe new Medinah Temple ie to

stand, runs 105 feet on Ohio, 218 on Cass and 150 feet on Ontario, situated directly behind the Studio building, which fronts on State street. Messrs. Huehl and Schmidt are the architects for the new building, and Mr. Huehl, with a large staff of assistants, is personally at work on the drawings. The first floor, underneath the auditorium, will be occupied by the banqueting rooms. The auditorium proper will be in the form of a great theater, seating over 4,500 people, a capacity as large as the Auditorium theater before the recent alterations. There will be three tiers, the first floor seating 1,280, the balcony will have a capacity of 1,672, and the gallery will hold 1,580 persons. Then, there will be numerous boxes besides. Thefre will be large parlors, candidates’ rooms, rooms for the caretaker, for the Arab patrol and for the bands, in the two wings on each side of the stage. A magnificent new organ is to be a part of the equipment While it has been definitely settled that the style of architecture shall be Turkish, it has not been finally determined of what material the building shall be constructed. Mr. Huehl said he hoped to be able to use terracotta and brick. In Turkey, however, they use for their elaborate effects a red freestone which thsy can cut almost like butter, and so get the most Of-~ nate decorative results with little cost. There, too, the climate is not quite as strenuous as it is here, and the flight of time does not leave upon buildings such perceptible damage. Another important consideration is the fact that to get the same decorative effect with terracotta the expense in this cornu try would be enormous. “I would be more like engraving' than sculpture work," said Mr. Huehl, “and the men who do this work charge seven dollars a day.” Arrangements have been almost completed for the sale of the present temple to Oriental Consistory when the Bhriners of Medinah temple move into their new home. Members of Medinah temple bewail the fact that they have to leave their present building, which has always been very much admired. The move was a necessity, however, since they have quite outgrown their present quarters, and It is barely po» sible to get their members into the building, ranch less into the auditorium, on any special occasion. There are 9,000 members of Medinah temple living today. They are scattered all over the world, but 6,000 of them live In Cook county, and their present hall holds barely 1,100 persons. Every man’s business, whatever it is, becomes a liberal education to him. Just as soon and just as far as ha lives, not in its methods, but in Us princb pies.—Phillips Brooks. ' r