The Masonic Lodge Room, 1870-1930: A Sacred Space of Masculine Spiritual Hierarchy

Author(s): William D. Moore

Source: Perspectives in Vernacular Architecture, Vol. 5, Gender, Class, and Shelter (1995), pp.
26-39
Published by: Vernacular Architecture Forum
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 Chapter3
The Masonic Lodge Room, 1870-1930:
A Sacred Space of MasculineSpiritualHierarchy
WilliamD. Moore

We havea holyhouseto build, somingof interestin Freemasonry and, moregen-

A templesplendidand divine, erally,in fraternalsocieties. The movement suf-
To be withgloriousmemories filled, fered fromwhat one commentatorat the time
Ofrightand truth,to be theshrine. called "The Tuberculosis of Fraternalism."6 Ma-
How shallwe buildit,strong and fair, sonic membershipdeclined. Lodges went bank-
Thisholyhouseofpraiseandprayer... rupt.Freemasonry neverregainedthe statusithad
Thishouse,thisplace,thisGod'shome, attainedin thisgolden sixty-year era.
Thistemplewitha holydome By drawingupon architectural,diagrammatic,
Mustbe in all proportions
fit, artifactual, documentaryevidence, thisessay
and
Thatheavenly messengers maycome analyzes the spaces in which AmericanFreema-
To dwellwiththosewho meetin it... sons of thisera practicedtheirrites.It will argue
Albert Pike,"TheMason'sHolyHouse" thatthese roomsservedas both theatersand sites
ofworship,and thattheconceptsof hierarchy and
Freemasonry,a ritual-basedfraternal brotherhood incorporationwere centralto their function and
with roots stretchingback to sixteenth-century design. Finally,the Masonic lodge room will be
Britain,reached its greateststrengthin the United relatedto transformations occurringin American
States,in bothpopularityand influence,in the last societyat the time, with emphasis placed upon
thirdof the nineteenthand firstthirdof the twen- changesin Americanreligion,economicstructures,
tiethcenturies.'This period was contemporane- and conceptionsof gender.7
ously called the "Golden Age of Fraternity."2
Free- Anybuildingthatheld a Masonic meetingroom
masonrywas at the core of thisgolden age, as it became known as eithera Masonic hall or a Ma-
was both the archetypicalfraternalorganization sonic temple.8Atthebeginningof the timeperiod
and the most successfulone. In 1879 therewere under discussion, these structureswere usually
an estimatedfivehundredand fifty thousandFree- multiple-usebuildings,like the Charlestown,Mas-
masons in the UnitedStates.3In 1896,membership sachusetts,Masonic Hall, dedicated in 1876 (fig.
was claimed to be seven hundredand fifty thou- 3.1). This hall was builtby the CharlestownSav-
sand, and by 1925 the numberwas reportedat ings Bank, which occupied the firsttwo levels,
over three million.4By the 1920s most towns in while the Masons occupied the top floors.9 By the
the UnitedStatesboasted a lodge of Freemasons, 1910s and 1920s, Masonic temples were oftende-
and every lodge had a room, a "Mason's Holy voted entirelyto Masonic purposes. For example,
House,"5 dedicated and set aside for the perfor- the temple designed by J.William Beal, Sons, and
mance of the Masonic rituals. builtin Quincy,Massachusetts,in 1926 contained
The 1930s witnessedthe collapse of thisblos- onlyspaces fortheuse of the fraternity (fig.3.2).10

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 TheMasonic LodgeRoom,1870-1930 27

hanced by theirpresencewithintheirinstitutional
space (fig.3.3). The lodge room and the members
of the organizationfunctionedwithina dialectical
relationship.The room had only the significance
-rat " assignedto itby theMasonic membership;yet,by
being presentwithinthis space, which theyhad
set aside as different,
theindividualmembers'per-
i ' sonal worthwas elevated.13The roomwas shaped
and decoratedby themembersof the lodge, but it
simultaneously transformed themen thatinhabited
it.The grandeurof thesemen'ssurroundings trans-
.. portedthemfromtheirown particularlocationsin
time and space and allowed them to occupy a
.a

grander,timelessrole.Withinthisspace, theywere
no longermerelynineteenth-century residentsof
Massachusetts,but had become partof the chain
of Masonic officers,a chain which both theirlit-
eratureand ritualportrayedas being eternal.
"Bur
. ...
?. . ??~u~~ Certain characteristicsof the Masonic lodge
roomrarelyvaried.As a rule,the roomwas above
Fig.3.1.Charlestown, MasonicHall,1876.
Massachusetts, streetlevel, was longer than it was wide, had a
(PhotographbyWilliamD. Moore.) high ceiling,symmetrically placed doors on one
end, and an altar in its These featuresare
center.14
While much could be writtenabout theway in evidentin the interiorof the lodge room of Mont-
which Masonrywas expressed on the exteriorof gomeryLodge in Milford,Massachusetts,photo-
these structures,thisessay will concentrateon the graphed in 1897, in a floor plan of the second
lodge roomswithinthebuildings,forthesespaces floor of the Worcester,Massachusetts,Masonic
were of centralimportanceto theMasoniccharac-
terof the buildings."In 1886, at the dedicationof
the Masonic temple in Waterbury,Connecticut,
J.W. Richardscalled thelodge room"a soul within
a tabernacleof clay."He said thatitwas here that
"Masonic thoughtand activityare born; here that
lifecourses which gives meaningto all the exter-
nals."12The lodge room was where Masonic ritu-
als were enacted. It was where the abstractidea
of a fraternity of men took concrete form,and
where a lodge defineditself.
For these reasons, when Masons had institu-
tional portraitsmade the photographswere often
taken withinthe lodge room. In posing fortheir Fig. 3.2. Quincy,MassachusettsMasonicTemple, 1926,
theidentitiesof theofficers
1898 portrait, ofMount J.WilliamBeal, Sons, Architects.
(Photographby
Carmel Lodge of Lynn,Massachusetts,were en- WilliamD. Moore.)

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28 WilliamD. Moore

Fig.3.3. Officers
ofMountCarmel
Lodge,Lynn, 1898.
Massachusetts,
(From One Hundred Years,Mount
CarmelLodgeofLynn,
Massachusetts
Mass.:Historical
[Lynn, Committee
oftheLodge,19051,
opp. 14.
of
Courtesy the ofthe
Library
GrandLodge,A.F.&A.M., of

voI'C
Boston.)
Massachusetts,

3-
u
- .;-v

Fig.3.4.MontgomeryLodgeRoom,
Milford, 1897.
Massachusetts,
(FromClarenceA. Sumner,
-z"-:
CentennialHistoryofMontgomery
Lodge,A.F.&A.M.,Milford,
Massachusetts,U.S.A.
[Boston:The Lodge,18991,
n.p.
CourtesyoftheLibraryofthe
GrandLodge,A.F.&A.M., of
Boston.)
Massachusetts,

Temple, designed by George C. Halcottand built who v top hat,throughthe altar,and ends
in 1914, and in a diagramfromDuncan's Masonic with t_ warden, sittingwith his back to
.__-or
Ritual and Monitor,a guide to the Masonic ritual the viewer. The secondaryaxis is perpendicular
fromthe second half of the nineteenthcentury. to the primaryone, and runsfromthe juniorwar-
From the latterdiagram,space withinthe lodge den on the rightthroughthe altarto the farwall
room can be understoodas being orderedaround splittingthe room in the other direction.In the
a pair of axes. The primaryaxis runs down the Milfordlodge room, this axis terminateswith a
centerof the lengthof the room. Startingat the largeemblematicpaintingon thefarwall (fig.3.4).
letterG on thewall-a symboldenotingbothGod In Halcott'sfloorplan, the presence of the axes is
and geometry-theaxis runsthroughthe master, indicatedby the elevated platformsmeantforthe

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 TheMasonic LodgeRoom,1870-1930 29

Fig.3.5.SecondFloorPlan,

M
MasonicTemple,Worcester,
r - -7--JA1 co
At
00o C-)
ExAM Halcott,
1914,GeorgeC.
Massachusetts,
Architect.
(FromMasonic
L
R D
Doo L)IV Massachusetts
TempleWorcester
CI . QoI'
Mass.:Worcester
[Worcester,
0 TYLER and Educational
MasonicCharity
of
xRoom
I RI- n.d.],n.p.Courtesy
Association,

r-
~~0' LODGEE

fc.TC.
JaWTI](
5ToRF- 6Ap EPI cC A.F.&A.M.,
the ofthe Grand ARCHIV'E~S

RonM pIM Library Lodge,to oG

x

14,1
Zia, PPOPIF)MIC
Boston.)
ofMassachusetts,

Lobe
4? Ts

C HALCOTT NE
GrORFGE
ACsCMITecr
THrE M L
IC TEMPLE
A~55 M5'ASO
Wo,CE5T--P SECO /4DFLOOR PLAN woRce.l, MAs

Fig.3.6."LodgeofEntered FellowCrafts,
Apprentices,
orMaster Masons."(FromMalcolmC. Duncan,
Duncan'sMasonicRitualand Monitor [NewYork:

-? f
/? ~ '?
(I2Iil
ll?
Dick& Fitzgerald,
1866],8.)

'\
I
1I VNl
.
t1 ]
5i;I:
officers'chairson threesides of the lodge rooms
"%ii / ~ 17 (fig. 3.5). Everything in the lodge room is orga-
R
i
nized around these two axes. A person's or an

.. -....... ~--"`--20 object'srelativeproximity to the axes was directly

relatedto theirritualsignificance.
,-,: The axes terminatein the chairsof the officers,

21x of the worshipfulmaster,the seniorwarden, and

the juniorwarden(fig.3.6). These chairsboth de-
fine the ends of the axes and ennoble the men
who occupy them.This double functionof the of-
ficers'chairs resultedin theirassuming exagger-
ated proportions.The backs of these chairs,like
the master'schairin the lodge room in Lynn,Mas-
sachusetts,oftenstretchedto more thansix feetin
height.They took on monumentalscale in order
to attractattention,since theirpositioningidenti-
fied the ends of the axes and defined the space
1.0,)GE OF F.NTERED AIPRENTICES, FELLOW CRAFTI, OR MARTER ,IARON%. withinthe room.15The importanceof these seats

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30 D. Moore
William

and theiroccupants was furtheremphasized by as a corporatebody composed of individuals.Fur-

theirtraditionallydictatedlocationupon platforms ther,it arrayed them around the edges of the
thatwere raised a rituallysignificant numberof room,where theywere roughlyequidistantfrom
steps above the main floor.'6These exaggerated,the altarin the centerof the floorwhere the axes
elevated ornamentalseats served as benchmarks crossed.
by which membersunderstoodtheirpositioning As ritualhierarchy of space was determinedby
withinthe ritualspace. proximity to thecentralaxes of theroom,themost
Justas the officers'chairsmarkedthemas sig- rituallysignificant positionin theroomwas located
nificant,the greaterportionof the lodge members wherethe axes intersected. This sacred space was
occupied seating furniturethat indicated their reservedforthealtarand the Bible. All seats faced
identicalorganizationalstatus.Members'settees, thisspot, which was further differentiated by be-
like those visible along the walls of the Milfording ceremonially lit,eitherby candles or by spot-
lodge room, also would be located on the plat- lights.This is the position in the room where ini-
formslocated around the perimetersof the lodge tiatestook theiroaths, as is illustrated in another
roomsin Halcott'sfloorplan. These seatswere the image fromDuncan 's Ritual(fig.3.7). At the altar
institutional individualswere raisedfromthe realmof the pro-
equalizers,the materialmanifestations
of the Masons' ideology of equality. Whethera fane,statuswas conferred, liminalitywas resolved,
brotherwas a bank presidentor a ditchdigger,if and incorporation was enacted.'7 This was theloca-
he was not a lodge officer, he sat withthe restoftionand thesewere theactivitiesthatthe architec-
his brethrenon these settees. tureof the lodge roomwas designedto privilege.
the members'seats faced the cen-
Significantly, The act of incorporating individualsinto a fra-
ter of the room. This arrangementallowed the ternal organizationsimultaneouslyexcluded all
membersof a lodge to see one another,to know others.Inclusionand exclusionwere complemen-
who theirbrotherswere, and to be witnessesof taryeffectsof the same action. The lodge room
one another'spresence. This seatingformationis was organized to promotethe act of incorpora-
in directcontrastwiththatof the pews in a tradi- tion,but it was also arrayedto reinforcethe defi-
tional Protestantchurch,where the pews were nitionof thecorporatebody. The lodge roomwas
aligned in rows facingtowardthe altarand pulpit designed to shut out the exteriorworld and out-
at the frontof the sanctuary.Thus, the minister siders.Windows were eithernonexistentor ren-
was the only person withwhom a memberof the dered imperviousto vision by shuttersor stained
congregationmaintainedeye contactduringthe glass. In most cases, lodge-roomwindows were
service.A memberof the congregationsaw only so farabove streetlevel thattherewas no riskof
outside observers.'"A man with a sword, called
thebacks of the heads of theirfellowparishioners.
This type of seatingpromoteda one-on-onerela- thetyler,sat in an anteroomto guardthe entrance
tionshipwithGod and withHis ministers. In Prot-to the room. A set of stairsseparated the room
estantchurches,interpersonal was
interaction sty- fromthe pedestrianrealm.Often,sound proofing
mied within the sanctuaryby the individually was installedin the walls of lodge rooms.'9 Eso-
isolated attitudedictatedby the positioningof thetericsymbols,the understanding of which united
pews. membersand excluded outsiders,oftendecorated
The Masonic floorplan, in contrastto the Prot- thewalls and ceilingof the lodge room,as can be
estant one, assured the brethrenthattheywere seen in theexamplesfromboth Lynnand Milford,
partof a group.It encouragedthemto witnessone Massachusetts.In its totality, the lodge room was
another'spresence and to conceive of the lodge a fantasticrealm in which the power of the orga-

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 TheMasonic LodgeRoom,1870-1930 31

importantpeople in rituallyand physicallyel-

evated positionsin furniture thatattractedatten-
it
tion, emphasizedhierarchy. Second, itprivileged
incorporation by centrallylocatingthe site where
vows of membershipwere taken. Finally,it rein-
forcedcorporatedefinitionby placing the mem-
bershipin positionswhere theycould witnessthe
presence of theirbrothersand by distancingthe
Worshiful
ter AlConductor. exteriorspatialand temporalworld.22
How did these fantasticspaces functioncultur-
ally?Whywas such a large portionof the Ameri-
can male populationdrawnto use these elaborate
rooms?One key to this puzzle lies in perceiving
Worshipful 1aster. Altar. CandiLdte. Conductor.
the floorof the lodge room as a stage and under-
standingthe ritualsenacted thereas popular par-
Fig.3.7. "Candidate TakingtheOathofa Master The evenings of ritualin the
ticipatorytheater.23
Mason."(FromMalcolmC. Duncan,Duncan'sMasonic
lodge roomwere community dramaticswithwhich
Ritualand Monitor [NewYork:DickandFitzgerald],
Masons entertainedthemselves in an America
1866,94.) withoutmovies, radio, television,or any of the
otherformsof today'smodernentertainment. Ma-
nizationwas emphasized and outside realitywas sonic literatureof the period supports such an
consciouslyabrogated. understandingof Masonic ritualas theater.H. R.
As fantastic realms, lodge rooms were often Evans, a thirty-thirddegree Mason in the Scottish
decorated in historicalmotifsso thatthe Masons Rite,writingin 1916,statedthisreadingsuccinctly.
could separate themselvestemporally,as well as "The Masonic degrees,"he wrote, "fromEntered
spatially, from the ordinary world. Revivalist styles Apprenticeto Sublime Princeof the Royal Secret
presented on furnitureand wall decorations al- [thethirty-second degree],are dramas,and should
lowed the Masons to leave the presentand lose be so regardedby Masons."24Similarly,the nine-
themselvesin a romanticizedpast. Some of the teenth-century actorEdwin Booth, also a member
most outstandinguses of revivalistdecorationare while referring
of the fraternity, to the centralleg-
foundin the temple of the Grand Lodge of Penn- end of the Masonic ritual,wrote, "In all my re-
sylvania in Philadelphia. The Egyptianroom of search and study, all my close study of the
in
thistemplewas decoratedin 1889(fig.3.8). The de- masterpiecesof Shakespeare... I have never,and
sign of the lavishlydecorated interior ofthis hall was nowhere, mettragedyso real,so sublime,so mag-
the work of George Herzog,one of Philadelphia's nificentas the legend of Hiram.. . . To be a Wor-
most prominentinteriordesignersof the time.20 shipfulMaster,and to throwmy whole soul into
WhileHerzogwas responsibleforthedesignof the thatwork,withthecandidateformyaudience and
temple'srooms,he was supportedby the Masonic the Lodge formy stage, would be a greaterper-
Temple ArtAssociation,which includedamong its sonal distinctionthan to receive the plaudits of
membershiptheimportant Americanengraver John people in the theatersof theworld."25
Sartain,who was a thirty-third degreeMason.21 Manyof the Masonic ritualswere participatory
The lodge room,then,was a space designedto enactments structured aroundmemorizeddialogue
fulfillspecificfunctions.First,by placing certain and standardizedfloormovements.Initiates,who

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32 WilliamD. Moore
Fig.3.8.Egyptian
Hall,Philadelphia
MasonicTemple,Philadelphia,
Interior
Pennsylvania. designby
GeorgeHerzog,1889.(Courtesy of
theMasonicLibrary& Museumof
Philadelphia.)
Pennsylvania,
44!
could not be expected to know the plot or dia-
logue of a dramatheyhad neverwitnessed,were
assigned a guide and spokesmanwho responded
forthemwhen theywere rituallychallenged.
OtherMasonic rituals,like those of the Scottish
Rite of Freemasonry,were not participatedin by
the initiates,but were performedby membersof
the organizationfortheiredification.In these in-
stances,justas the characteristicsof theatricalpro-
ductionand ritualenactmentwere mergedin the
actions of the participants,the formalqualitiesof
the lodge room and the theaterwere synthesized.
In the 1910s,Kenwood Lodge No. 303 of Milwau-
kee, Wisconsin,builta new temple,designed by
the architectsLeenhoutsand Guthrie,thatempha-
sized the connectionbetweenlodge roomand the-
The floorplan of the lodge roommetall the
ater.26
requirements of theMasonic ritual(fig.3.9). There
is an altar at the center of the room. Members'
seating is located around the perimeterof the
room,the doors are symmetrically arrangedat one
end, and the chairs
officers' are in theirritually
prescribedpositions. This particularroom,though,
is worth noting because the space behind the
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.. .......
master'schairis separatedfromthe main area of
the lodge room by a line representinga curtain
and is clearlylabeled "Stage."
An understanding of the lodge room as theater
is furtheradvanced when it is realized that the
ritualsoftenwere performed by membersin elabo-
rate costumes and makeup. In performingthe
fellowcraftritualof the second degree in 1928,for
example,PacificLodge No. 233 of New York City
utilizeda team of thirty-one membersin fullcos-
tume,representing a wide range of characters.27
Atthe heightof the blossomingof the golden age
of fraternalism between 1870 and 1930, scores of
companiesprovidedcostumesand props forthese
productions.Amongthelargest ofthesefirmswere the
Pettibone BrothersManufacturingCompany of
Cincinnati,Ohio, the Ward-StilsonCompany of
Anderson,Indiana,theHenderson-Ames Company
of Kalamazoo, Michigan,and M. C. Lilley& Com-
pany of Columbus,Ohio.28
The firstthreedegreesofMasonryin thisperiod,
called the Blue Lodge degrees, culminatedwith
raisingan initiateto the statusof MasterMason,
and comprised the most commonly performed
 TheMasonic LodgeRoom,1870-1930 33

,F 7
Masonic rituals.In these degrees, the masterof Fig.3.9.FloorPlanof
the lodge played the role of King Solomon. More KenwoodLodge,Mil-
7..'-
accurately,the masterof the lodge did not play waukee,Wisconsin,
King Solomon; he metaphoricallybecame King ri.
Leenhouts & Guthrie,
Solomon, and the lodge room became Solomon's ca. 1915.(FromG.L.S.,
temple.In manycases, the masterwould don an "Freemasons as Build-
elaborate robe and crown to signal thistransfor- ers:II TheTempleof
L;
mation. KenwoodLodge,Mil-
Writingin 1886, ArthurW. Clarkof Michigan, waukee,Wis.,"The
discussed the rationale for using costumes. He Builder1 [101[Oct.
wrote: i-. of
1915]:238.Courtesy
theChancellor
Robert
Al
TheWorshipful Masteris no longer simply theMas- R.Livingston
Masonic
terofa Lodge.Thelofty teachings of the Order lift Library& Museum,
-Z
!t
himto theawfulseatofSolomon,KingofIsrael. NewYork.)
TheSeniorWardenis no longer there;itisHiram,
KingofTyre,thefriend and bosomcompanion
ofKingSolomon,themighty builder.
Whatshouldbe theirdressand insignia? Imag-
ine theheaven-chosen Kinghearing theconfes-
sionsoftheblackest criminals inhiskingdom while
seatedupon thestoolofa cameldriver without FortNewton also recognizedthe theatricalquali-
hiskinglyrobes,sceptreor hisattendants!! ties of Masonrybut refusedto admitthattheater
Theverythought provokes ... Therepre-
ridicule. was all thattherewas.30 He wrote,"IfMasonryis
sentation shouldbe,as nearly as practicable,
a true onlya dramaticclub,whose performances prelude
imitation oftheoriginalevent, anda faithfulrepro- a banquet and a smoker,let us admitit, and not
ductionofthecostumesand insignia, as wellas keep up the hoax of having a noble history,a
ofthelanguageanddemeanor oftheoriginal char- profound philosophy, and a beautiful symbol-
acters.. . . A wantofpropercareand conformity ism."31Newtonmade thissuggestionin an article
in regardto clothing and ceremony detracts in- entitled"TakingMasonrySeriously,"and he cer-
calculably from the and
solemnity impressiveness tainlymeantit to conveyirony.This noted mystic
oftheworkin everydegree,in everyplace,and did not believe that Masonry's philosophy and
at everytime,and no eloquenceoftheritualist symbolismwere a sham. Instead,he believed that
can supplythelackor entirely atoneforthein- therewas somethingbeyond thetheatricalaspects
congruity.29 Newtonand Clarkwere notalone
of theinstitution.
in thisbelief.The materialevidence survivingfrom
Clark's rhetoricalstyleand word choice indicate Freemasonry'sheyday makes it clear that enor-
thathe perceivedmore to the Masonic ritualthan mous amounts of time, effort,and financialre-
theatricals.He refersto "loftyteachings"and the sourceswere expended in outfitting these rooms.
"solemnityand impressivenessof thework."Clark Althoughrecognizingthe lodge room as a the-
was not alone in seeing beyond the play acting. ater sheds some lighton its use, it does not ad-
Writingin 1916,the internationallyacclaimedUni- equatelyexplain the importanceof hierarchyand
versalistpreacherand MasonicphilosopherJoseph incorporationas manifestedin the room's spatial

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34 William
D. Moore

configuration.To furtherunderstandthe room's
formalqualities,we mustshiftmetaphorsand view
the room not as a theater,but ratheras a spiritual
space, as a domain thatmen inhabitedin an at-
temptto deal withforceslargerthanthemselves.
Justas Masonic writtenrecordsjustifythe un-
derstandingof ritualas theater,Masonic writers
also supportan interpretation of the lodge room
as a religiousrealm.AlthoughFreemasonry'ssta-
tus as a religiousorganizationwas hotlydebated
duringthe period under examination,the lodge
room was repeatedlyidentifiedand treatedas a
sacred space by the order'smembers.32 A Mason
fromKansas wrote in 1890, "Freemasonryis not
only a brotherhoodbut a church.. . . It is an es-
sentialpartof our ceremonialto joyfully recognize
our relationshipto God, our dependence upon
Him,and to expressour sense of need. A Masonic
templeis a religioustemple.The veryword'temple'
impliesworship."33
Similarly,wheneverdiscussionofbehaviorwithin
thelodge roomoccurred,thefirst pointofreference
was churchetiquette.For example, the editorof
TheMasonic Chroniclestatedin 1887, "We never
could see thepropriety ofsmokingin LodgeRooms
any more than in a church,"34and again in 1894
commented,"To pursue the habit[ofchewingto-
bacco] in a lodge-roomis scarcelyless reprehen-
sible thanin a lady's parloror in a cushionedand
carpeted church.""35 The New England Craftsman
in 1907 noted, "Lodge meetingsshould be con-
ductedwithas muchdignityas a churchservice."36
This linkbetween lodge roomsand churchesis
further substantiatedby the factthatat the end of
the nineteenthcenturyboth formsof ritualspace
were furnishedwiththe same furniture. The func-
tional tie between the chair of the Masonic wor-
furniture, issued two catalogs in the 1880s, one
labeled ChurchFurnitureand the other labeled
LodgeFurniture.Both catalogsincludeda number
of identicalengravingswith identicalprices. The
onlydeviationbetweenthese images is thatin the
ecclesiasticalcatalog the chairswere labeled pul-
pit chairs,while in the fraternal catalog theywere
called lodge chairs(fig.3.10).37
In identifyingthelodge roomas a place ofwor-
ship, as a sacred space, we come one step closer
to fullyunderstanding itssignificanceas a cultural
form.Anthropologists, like CliffordGeertz, and
sociologists,such as Emile Durkheim and Peter
Berger,have shown thatreligionis a culturalcon-
struction, thatit is a productof social forces.38A
fullercomprehensionof theforcesdetermining the
lodge room's formand directingthe design of its
furnishings maybe reachedby comparingthe val-
ues expressedby thesesanctuariesto the religious
and social changes takingplace in Americansoci-
etyat the time.
No. 4 LODGE CHAIRS.
.r.
.i..

shipfulmasterand the chairof the Christianmin-

ister was so close that they assumed the same
forms.One manufacturer, in fact,issued two lines Fig. 3.10. "No. 4 Lodge Chairs."(FromS. C. Small&
of catalog offeringthe same merchandise.S. C. Co.,Illustrated
Catalogue... ofLodgeFurniture
Small & Company,a furniture firmbased in Bos- [Boston:The firm,18861,5. Courtesy,The Winterthur
ton, Massachusetts,which specialized in fraternal Library:PrintedBook and PeriodicalCollection).

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 TheMasonic LodgeRoom,1870-1930 35

The lodgeroomemphasized hierarchyandcor- sought insightthroughunpredictablerevelation.

porateidentity. These emphasesweremanifesta- Masons searchedforitin the perfectreproduction
tionsoftheconcerns ofthementhatdesignedand of a supposedlyancientritual.While the spiritual-
createdthesespaces. Americanmale interest in istsfledthe churchbecause it was not transform-
thesetwoconceptscan be explainedby examin- ingquicklyenoughand insteadheld theirreligious
ingchangestakingplace in theworkplaceand in eventsin parlors,withinthewoman's sphere,men
religion. foundthemselvesunhappyin a feminizedchurch
During the firsthalf of the nineteenth century, and founda place to worshipwithinthe masculine
thetraditional structure oftheworkplace had bro- realm,in a space shaped and inhabitedby men.4"
ken down.39Artisans foundthemselves devalued Whilethespiritualists soughtsalvationin thehome,
as capitalism redefined themas sourcesof labor the Masons builttemplesin business districtsand
power.4" Hard work in the complexeconomiesof foundnothingsacrilegiousabout worshipingat an
thelate nineteenth and earlytwentieth centuries altarunderthe same roofas a bank or store.
was nota guaranteeofsuccess.Upwardmobility Understanding theMasonic lodge roomas a re-
was no longera matter of timeand thedevelop- ligiousspace revealsan explanationforthe reviv-
mentof skills;it had becomea matter of chance alistdecorativeschemesused in theirelaboratein-
and socialconnections.41 In contrast,thefraternal teriors.If this masculine spiritualsystemwas to
hierarchy was comprehensible, ascendable,and offera solutionto theMasons' religiousyearnings,
visiblewithinthelodgeroom.42 it could not be just a solace for the present; it
AtthesametimethattheAmerican workplace must also providesatisfactoryexplanationsforthe
was undergoing change,Americanreligionwas present,the future, and the past. The universality
also beingtransformed. In themid-nineteenth cen- thatadherentsclaimed forFreemasonrythus had
tury,American religion underwent what has been to be temporalas well as spatial.W. C. Atwood,
termed,by a number of a
scholars, process of the grand oratorof Missouri,expressed this idea
The hallmarks ofthistransforma-in 1908,when he stated,"The principlesof Free-
"feminization.'"43
tionhavebeen identified as shiftsfromthecorpo- masonryare as unchangeableand eternalas God
rateto theindividual, fromdoctrine from Himself.They are hoarywithage; theyhave en-
to faith,
reasonto emotion, fromritualto communication, dured the crucial testsof generationsucceeding
frommaleauthority to femaleauthority, fromac- generation. "46

tivityto passivity,andfrom an emphasis on a stem The legends and belieftales of Masonrytraced

God to a lovingand forgiving Christ. the organizationthroughouthistory,stretching
The spiritualist movement has been identified back at least to the buildingof King Solomon's
as the radicaledge of thislargerreligioustrans- Temple,butin some cases back to Adam himself.47
formation.44 It is significant thatthe spiritualist Differentepisodes of the organizationalhistory
movement andMasonry arephotographic negatives claimed as ancestorsthe Egyptians,the ancient
of each other.Spiritualists purposefully avoided Jews,IslamicArabs,the knightsof the crusades,
dogmaor orthodoxy, whiletheMasonsreveledin the buildersof the medievalcathedrals,the archi-
theirmysteries and celebrated theirsharedknowl- tects of England's architecturalrenaissance,and
edge. Spiritualists found that wisdomcould be America'sfoundingfathers.By citinga particular
gainedwhena powerful spiritinhabitedthebody aspect of thisgenealogy,theMasons could appro-
ofa submissive medium. Masonsbelievedthaten- priatelydecorate theirtemples in the Egyptian,
lightenmentwas gained throughan individual's Gothic,Persian,Norman,Georgian,or American
continued studyand personal effort.Spiritualists Colonial styles.

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36 WilliamD. Moore

In the largesttemples,such as thosebuiltin ThisMasonictelescoping ofhistory led to curi-

New York,Chicago,Philadelphia, and Brooklyn, ous layerings of patriarchy. example,in 1898
For
multiplelodge roomswere locatedin the same the lodge in Belmont,Massachusetts, was pre-
structure and each roomwas decoratedin a dif- sentedwitha chairthathad a provenancethat
ferent historical
style.These buildings-with me- supposedly linkedittoHenryPrice,thefirst grand
dieval Europejustdown the hall fromcolonial masterof Masonsin Massachusetts in the 1730s
Virginiaand both one flightup fromancient and an associateofJosephWarrenand theother
Egypt-materially expressedthe organization's revolutionary forefathers. This revolutionary Ma-
of and
ideology universality literally surrounded sonicrelicwas placed in the lodge room where it
the membership withthe message.Masonswho servedas the master'schair.50 Thereafter,every
maynot have been interested in learningabout timetheBelmont lodgeofMasonsmet,themaster
theorganization fromtheprinted page couldnot securedhiscultural authority bytransforming him-
help but pickup thisfacet of the ideologyfrom selfinto an ancient religiouspatriarchwhile simul-
thewallsaroundthem. taneouslyoccupying theplaceofone ofAmerica's
Further, withthe transformations takingplace eighteenth-century forefathers.
political
in religionand industryin late-nineteenth-centuryIn conclusion, whiletraditional hierarchieswere
America, existingconceptions of masculinity had attacked by both liberaltheology and the changes
come intoquestion.No longerwas themanthe wroughtby industrialcapitalism,the Masonic
spiritualfoundation ofhisfamily. No longercould lodge room,throughits use of furnishings and
the clerk,factory worker, or industrialistcarry ritual
enactment, continued to expressorder in an
himself the
with traditional pridethatcamefrom understandable manner. As corporate identity fell
beinga craftsman.48Themenofthisperiodneeded to theideologiesoffreelaborand evangelicalism,
criteriaby whichtheycould reassurethemselves thefurnishing plan of thelodgeroomcontinued
oftheirownmasculinity.49Freemasonry, alsoknown to emphasize sitewherevowsofmembership
the
as the "Ancientand HonorableCraft," provided wereundertaken. The lodge room,then,can be
guidelinesthathad supposedlycome down un- understood as a place in whichmasculinevalues
changedthrougheternity. By claimingallegedly thatwere disappearing in theoutsideworldwere
ancientMasonicdefinitions ofmasculinity as their preserved. It was a theater in whichmillionsof
own,menofthisperiodoffluxcouldpretend that American menentertained one anotherby acting
theirsocialframeofreference was notshifting. By out morality plays and a spiritualspacewherethe
ensconcing themselves in rooms that referredto same men found religious meaning andworshiped
olderdesigntraditions,theMasonsbuttressed their whattheyunconsciously recognizedas a disap-
systems ofbelief. pearingsocialorder.

Notes

whosefinancial
I wouldliketo extendmythanksto theLuceFoundation, in part,madethisessay
assistance,
possible. I would also like to thankRichardCandee, MarkC. Carnes,EdwardS. Cooke, Jr.,KeithMorgan,and
RobertBlairSt. George fortheircommentson earlierdraftsof thisessay.
1. The best currentwork on the early roots of Freemasonryis David Stevenson,The Originsof Freemasonry:
Scotland'sCentury,1590-1710 (Cambridge:CambridgeUniversity Press,1988). For the importanceof Freema-
sonryin the UnitedStatesin the period underdiscussion,see LynnDumenil,Freemasonryand AmericanCul-
ture,1880-1930 (Princeton,N.J.:PrincetonUniversity Press, 1984). My thoughtsthroughoutthis essay have

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All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 TheMasonic LodgeRoom,1870-1930 37

been informedby MarkC. Carnes,SecretRitualand Manhood in VictorianAmerica(New Haven: Yale Univer-

sityPress, 1989). Althoughwomen have been initiatedintoMasonic lodges in Europe (MargaretC. Jacob, Liv-
ing theEnlightenment: Freemasonryand Politicsin EighteenthCenturyEurope [New York: OxfordUniversity
Press], 1991), Freemasonryin the UnitedStateshas consistently accepted only men. For a discussion of the
relationship of organizations, thus Freemasonry, women in the period underdiscussion,see
fraternal and of to
MaryAnn Clawson, Constructing Brotherhood: Class, Genderand Fraternalism(Princeton,N.J.:PrincetonUni-
versityPress,1989), 178-210.
2. W. S. Harwood, "SecretSocietiesin America,"NorthAmericanReview164 (May 1897): 620-23.
3. Dumenil,Freemasonryand AmericanCulture,xi.
4. Harwood, "SecretSocieties";Dumenil,Freemasonry and AmericanCulture,xi.
5. AlbertPike, the authorof the epigraphabove, was the greatestMasonic ritualistof the nineteenthcentury.
Althoughhe spent timeas both poet and newspapereditor,his greatestaccomplishmentwas redrafting and
expanding the ritualsof the ScottishRite of Freemasonry.The most complete biography of Pike is Walter
Brown,"AlbertPike,"(Ph.D. diss., Universityof Texas, 1955).
6. See Carnes,SecretRitualand Manhood, 215n. 3.
7. Althoughmost of the examples in thisessay are drawn fromthe Northeast,the conclusionsare more widely
applicable, as Masonic cultureand architecture
variedonlyslightlythroughout the UnitedStatesin thisperiod.
8. Althoughnot a hard-and-fast Masonichallstendto be multiple-usebuildingswhile Masonic temples
distinction,
usuallyhold only spaces used solelyby membersof the fraternity.
9. HenryPrice Lodge,A.F.&A.M.,Charlestown, Mass. 75thAnniversary (Charlestown,Mass.: The Lodge, 1933).
10. Quincy Masonic Association,QuincyMasonic Temple,1170 Hancock Street(Quincy, Mass.: The Association,
1927), n.p. The firmofJ.WilliamsBeal, Sons, whichwas formedfollowingBeal's death in 1919, also designed
Masonic templesforHyannisand Greenfield,Massachusetts.See "Architect Beal Dies in Hanover,"TheBoston
Herald (July8, 1919); "Layingof Cornerstone,"Cape Cod Magazine 8 (6) (Nov. 1924): 19; and "Greenfield,
Mass., to Have New Temple,"NewEngland Craftsman18 (10) (July1923): 295-96.
11. For a discussionof the symbolicsignificance of a Masonic temple,see WilliamD. Moore, "A
of the architecture
GothicHouse of the Temple," TheScottishRiteJournal100 (10) (Oct. 1992): 42-50.
12. J. W. Richards,"OrationDelivered at the Dedicationof the Masonic Temple, at Waterbury, Connecticut,"The
Masonic Chronicle7 (5) (Feb. 1889): 49.
13. For a sociological discussionof the dialecticalrelationshipbetween humansand objects,see PeterL. Berger,
TheSacred Canopy:Elementsofa SociologicalTheoryofReligion(Garden City,N.Y.: Doubleday, 1967), 6-10.
14. The rectangularshape of the lodge roomwas relatedto the secondaryMasonic symbolof the Oblong Square,
which in turnwas supposedlyderivedfromany numberof Biblicalarchitectural precedents.See the entryfor
in
"Oblong" George Oliver,"A of
Dictionary Symbolical Masonry," in RobertMacoy, ed., GeneralHistory,Cy-
clopedia and DictionaryofFreemasonry (New York: Masonic PublishingCompany, 1873), 602-3, and the entry
for "Oblong Square" in KennethR. H. Mackenzie, TheRoyal Masonic Cyclopedia (New York: J. W. Bouton,
1877), 522-23.
15. WilliamD. Moore, "M. C. Lilley& Company:Manufacturers of Masonic Furniture,"
TheScottishRiteJournal100
(9) (Sept. 1992): 59-64.
16. "A Model Lodge," TheMasonic Chronicle3 (5) (Feb. 1884): 54.
17. My understanding Arnoldvan Gennep and Victor
of Masonic ritualis informedby theworksof anthropologists
Turner.See especiallyArnoldvan Gennep, TheRitesof Passage, trans.Monika B. Vizedom and Gabrielle L.
Caffee(Chicago: University of Chicago Press,1960), and VictorTurner,TheRitualProcess:Structureand Anti-

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38 WilliamD. Moore

Structure(Chicago: AldinePublishingCo., 1969). The Masonic Ritual,whichhas a tripartite structureon many

levels, is a textbook of and
example the ritualimportanceof separation,liminality, incorporation.
18. For a discussionof the importanceof highwindows in lodge halls,see Dennis R. Brownridge,"SecretSocieties
and TheirImpacton theArchitectural Landscape of the West,"(Ph.D. diss.,University of Oregon, 1976), 43.
19. For example, the lodge rooms of the templeof the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts,built in 1899, are sound
proofedwith "seaweed quiltingin asbestos,in double thickness,and wired to the framing." J. Waldo Denny,
HistoryofJosephWebbLodge,2d ed. (Boston: L. H. Lane, 1901), 225. This sound proofingmay also have been
utilizedto accentuatesounds,knocksor gavel taps,forexample,thatwere important featuresof the ritual.
20. "Masonic Temple MarksCentennialof NormanHall Decoration 1891-1991,"ThePennsylvaniaFreemason38
(2) (May 1991): 3. See also MarkC. Luellen,"The DecorativeDesigns of George Herzog (1851-1920)," Nine-
teenthCentury12 (3 and 4) (1993): 19-26.
21. James Isaac Buchanan, "Reportto SovereignGrand CommanderHenryL. Palmer,August14, 1898,"Proceed-
ings of theSupremeCouncil of theAncientAcceptedScottishRitefor theNorthern MasonicJurisdiction (1898):
134-40. The factthatJohnSartainwas a thirty-third degree Mason indicatesthathe had reached the highest
level of the ScottishRiteof Freemasonry.There are threeprimarydivisionsof AmericanFreemasonry."Sym-
bolic," or "Blue Lodge," Freemasonryis composed of the firstthreedegrees and is requiredof all American
Masons. Afterundergoingthe firstthreedegrees, a Mason may choose to participatein eitheror both the
ScottishRiteor the York Rite.The latteris also knownas the AmericanRite.Each of these riteshas itsown set
of degrees and ritualsthatare conferredupon itsmembers.Throughoutmuchof the nineteenthcentury,there
were otherritesin whichMasons could choose to participate, but the Masonicestablishment ruledthese "clan-
destine"and succeeded in drivingthemout of existence.There are also a number of related organizationsthat
are open only to Masons. The most well known of these are the AncientArabicOrder Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine,otherwiseknownas the Shriners, and the MysticOrderVeiled Prophetsof the EnchantedRealm,which
is called the Grotto.
22. For a discussionof the importanceof hierarchy and corporateidentityto secretsocietiesin general,see Edward
A. Tiryakian, in EdwardA. Tiryakian,
"TowardtheSociologyof EsotericCulture," ed., On theMarginofthe
Visible:Sociology,theEsoteric,and theOccult(New York:JohnWiley& Sons, 1974), 266-67.
23. This understandingis supportedby Clawson, Constructing Brotherhood: Class,Genderand Fraternalism,
228.
24. H. R. Evans, "Lodge Furnishings and Degrees," TheBuilder2 (7) (July1916): 207.
25. Edwin Booth as quoted inJosephFortNewton,"EdwinBooth as a Mason," TheBuilder1 (5) (May 1915): 100.
26. G. L. S., "Freemasonsas Builders:II The Temple of Kenwood Lodge,Milwaukee,Wis.,"TheBuilder1 (10) (Oct.
1915): 238-40.
27. "AnEffective Masonic Degree Team," Iowa Grand LodgeBulletin29 (10) (Dec. 1928): 762-64.
28. Fora history see Moore,"M.C. Lilley& Company."
ofone ofthesefirms
29. ArthurW. Clark,TheMasonic Chronicle5 (8) (May 1886): 91.
30. Newton was one of the most widely published and influentialMasonic authorsof his generation,but has
received littlescholarlyattention.The mostcomprehensivework to date on Newtonis BillyJimLeonard,"Jo-
seph FortNewton:Ministerand Mystic,"(Ph.D. diss., Boston University, 1975), which focuseson his Christian
writingsand largelyignores his Masonic works. Newton's
Similarly, own autobiography,Riverof Years (New
York:J. B. Lippincott,1946), skimslightlyover his Masonic involvements.
31. JosephFortNewton,"TakingMasonrySeriously,"TheBuilder2 (3) (Mar. 1916): 90.
religiousquality,see Dumenil,Freemasonryand American
32. For a discussionof the debate over Freemasonry's
Culture,42-71.

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 TheMasonic LodgeRoom,1870-1930 39

33. Ibid., 31.

34. TheMasonic Chronicle7 (3) (Dec. 1887): 29.
35. "ForTobacco-Chewersto Read," TheMasonic Chronicle13 (10) (July1894): 153.
36. TheNewEngland Craftsman2 (12) (Sept. 1907): 464.
37. S. C. Small & Co., IllustratedCatalogue ... ofLodgeFurniture(Boston: The firm,1886); S. C. Small & Co.,
IllustratedCatalogue ... of ChurchFurniture(Boston: The firm,n.d.). By comparingthe chairsin the S. C.
Small catalogue images withthose in the photographof the officers of Lynn'sMountCarmelLodge, it would
appear thatthese men are occupying Small'slodge chairno. 4.
38. See CliffordGeertz,"Religionas a CulturalSystem,"TheInterpretation of Cultures(New York: Basic Books,
1973); tmile Durkheim,TheElementaryFormsofReligiousLife,a Studyin ReligiousSociology,trans.Joseph
Ward Swain (London: G. Allen& Unwin,1915); and PeterL. Berger,TheSacred Canopy.
39. For a case studyof how thisprocessoccurredin one community, see Paul E. Johnson,A Shopkeeper's Millen-
nium: Societyand Revivalsin Rochester, New York,1815-1837 (New York: Hill and Wang, 1978).
40. For a theoreticalexplicationof the process by whichworkersbecome devalued sources of labor power, see
HarryBraverman,Labor and MonopolyCapital (New York:MonthlyReviewPress,1974).
41. Johnson,A Shopkeeper's Millennium,15-36.
42. For a discussionof how the structureof Freemasonry echoed thetraditional structureof the artisanworkplace,
see Clawson, Constructing Brotherhood: Class, Genderand Fraternalism,145-77.
43. See Ann Douglas, TheFeminizationofAmericanCulture(New York:AlfredA. Knopf,1977); BarbaraWelter,
"The Feminizationof AmericanReligion:1800-1860,"in Clio's ConsciousnessRaised: New Perspectives on the
Historyof Women,ed. MaryS. Hartmanand Lois Banner(New York: Octagon Books, 1976).
44. Ann Braude, Radical Spirits:Spiritualismand Women'sRightsin Nineteenth-Century America (Boston: Bea-
con Press,1989).
45. This does not necessarilymean thatMasons stopped attendingotherreligiousinstitutions, only thatFreema-
sonrymetmen's spiritualneeds thatwere not metby the church.There is evidence,though,thatMasonrydid
take the place of otherreligiousstructures withinmen's lives. Tony Fels, in his article"ReligiousAssimilation
in a FraternalOrganization:Jewsand Freemasonry in Gilded Age San Francisco,"AmericanJewishHistory74
(June 1985): 391, indicatesthatMasonrywas the only religiousaffiliation of 83.5 percentof the Masonic
populationof San Franciscoin 1890.
46. W. C. Atwood,NewEngland Craftsman3 (5) (Feb. 1908): 179.
47. The best explicationof Masonic legends and belieftales appears in AnthonyD. Fels, "The Square and Com-
pass: San Francisco'sFreemasonsand AmericanReligion,1870-1900,"(Ph.D. diss.,StanfordUniversity, 1987).
48. For examples of workers'pride in theircraft,see David Montgomery, Workers' Controlin America:Studiesin
theHistoryof Work,Technology, and LaborStruggles (New York:CambridgeUniversity Press,1979), 9-15.
49. See Cames, SecretRitualand Manhood, 94-127.
50. Paul C. Whitney,"The CentennialHistoryof BelmontLodge,A.F.&A.M.,Belmont,Massachusetts," in Belmont
Lodge CentennialAnniversary (Cambridge,Mass.: Powell Printing Company,1964), 16.

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