Marceline Masonic Lodge: Architecture, Part 3
Many architects who designed Masonic lodges during the early twentieth century in Missouri conceived of these buildings as Classical temples, not as styles like Beaux-Arts and Art Deco that seemed to not mesh with the Masonic Ideals. This focus on Classical architecture resulted in GrecoRoman styled Masonic Temples across the country.
In 1923, when construction began on the Marceline Masonic Lodge #481 there were over 655 lodges and 104,084 Masons in Missouri.[1] Such growth required larger and newer lodges in several parts of the state, including Marceline. The Marceline lodge was created out of necessity for a new building, but like so many other lodges they required one that would be able to house a large membership and give the impression of a temple, reflecting some of the basic aspects of King Solomon’s Temple. Thus, members would have sought architectural styles that would be appropriate for their elevated social status and uniqueness. It is unknown if the architect W.E. Hulse gave various options or if the Lodge members requested this style. While Freemasonry is rooted in Egyptian ceremonial practices[2] as numerous sources agree and as confirmed by Lewis,[3] the Masonic tradition has not overwhelmingly selected Egyptian architectural styles, as was mentioned earlier. The Marceline Lodge is an example of this lack of one-style-fits-all.
The Marceline survey indicates the Marceline Masonic Lodge #481 is the only example of Beaux-Arts architecture in Marceline’s downtown business district and the only such style in the survey’s list of properties identified as individually eligible that is in this style in the city.[4]
Houston’s 1926 Architectural Forum article summarized twentieth-century Masonic design as having “established a certain adherence to the use of the architectural styles of the ancient peoples, notably those of the Egyptians and the Greeks.”[5] While there is no other Masonic lodge in Marceline to compare to it, Houston’s assertion appears to be accurate when looking at lodges in the vicinity and at several in the state that were built within the decade before and after the Marceline lodge was erected (1923-1924). The Marceline Lodge is locally because it is the sole example of Beaux-Arts architecture in Marceline.[6]
Beaux-Arts Features
Whiffen notes the principal characteristics that appear in Beaux-Arts buildings: “Coupled columns are among the commonest features of Beaux-Arts Classicism; their presence amounts to presumptive evidence that a building is of this style.” Additional characteristics might include “monumental flights of steps, arched and lintel openings, often set between columns or pilasters [and] may appear together in the same elevation”, and figure sculptures. He also asserts that Beaux-Arts buildings will consist of a 5-part composition.[7] McAlester adds that these buildings tend to have a flat or low-pitched hipped roof or a Mansard roof.[8] It is also cited as a style, like its namesake French school, Ecole des Beaux-Arts, has “always favored reason and correctness and discouraged eccentricity[,] stressed the working plan of a building [,and] paid little attention to transitory fashions in decoration.”[9]
There is an argument to be made for the Marceline Masonic Lodge #481 being a restrained treatment of the Beaux-Arts style. However, it lacks several characteristics as described by McAlister and Whiffen, including, but not limited the necessary five-part composition of the building.
As discussed previously, despite the apparent connections with Egypt and the Temple of King Solomon, fewer regional Masonic Temples than might be expected reflect Egyptian influence; instead, most are Greek- hybrids, Art Deco, Classical Revival, or Neoclassical as evidenced by the region’s lodges listed below in the COMPARISONS section. As seen below, nearly all the other regional Masonic lodges lend themselves to these other styles and not exclusively to a recognizable Beaux-Arts influence, with only a handful of exceptions.
Examples of Beaux-Arts influence in Masonic Temples do exist in the Midwest. In Missouri, for example, the Scottish Rite Temple in Joplin (280 miles south-southwest of Marceline)[10] is a more audacious, towering version of Beaux-Arts in Masonic Temples. The Marceline lodge does not have these same characteristics.
These examples show that a climate ready to absorb anything interesting that wasn’t necessarily from Egypt existed even in rural Missouri, making the Marceline Masonic Temple #481, even more unique in the region. It is indicative of the broad spread of this style during the 1920s. In the absence of documentation, none of the minutes discuss why Beaux-Arts was chosen for this Temple, it is not known precisely why W.E. Hulse & Company or the Brothers of Marceline Masonic Temple #481 adopted Beaux-Arts. However, to a Linn County Mason, the building’s details tied him to Masonic ideals through the paired pilasters and other Beaux-Arts characteristics. The temple in Linn County exemplifies a structure whose scale was consistent with contemporary Masonic taste for larger buildings. It’s buff brick, one of only two buildings in town with such a façade—the other being the Uptown Theatre about a block south—creates an earthy sense and blends in well with the surrounding buildings.
The Masonic Temple and W. E. Hulse & Co.
W.E. Hulse & Co., out of Hutchinson, Kansas was predominantly the architect of courthouses in the region. The firm’s claim to fame are seven courthouses in the Midwest and Plains states. Hulse focused on designing Neo-classical and Beaux-Arts buildings around the Midwest. “He designed seven courthouses in Kiowa, Wallace, Sedgwick, Barton and Pawnee counties erected between 1913 and 1919, as well as the courthouses in Osage and Brown counties erected in 1922-1923 and 1925-1926, respectively. All reflect Hulse’s use of classical design idioms. The Reno County Courthouse built in 1931 departs from this tradition and is one of the state’s few Art Deco county courthouses.”[11] Among the courthouses he designed in the Beaux-Arts style are Pennington Courthouse in Rapid City, South Dakota[12] (Figure 22) and Osage County Courthouse in Lyndon, Kansas.[13] His specialization explains why he went with the choice of Beaux-Arts architecture for Marceline Masonic Temple #481. It would have been the most prominent building in Marceline’s downtown commercial district at the time, being matched only by the Uptown Theatre in 1930, which has a façade that mimics the blonde buff brick of the lodge. Discussions with Hulse’s old firm in Hutchinson, Kansas turned up only courthouse documents and no other designs, not even ones for the Marceline lodge. Thus, it may be that the Masonic Temple is the only such building he designed.
Because of Hulse’s specialization in courthouses, the general layout of the building, according to the Lodge’s historical documentation, has a courthouse shell with interior windows to suit the Masons’ needs.
COMPARISONS
Neither of two buildings that housed other fraternal organizations are of the style. In fact, the Marceline Masonic Lodge #481 is the only example of Beaux-Arts architecture in the City of Marceline.
The two other fraternal order buildings, the Knights of Pythias (known locally as the Zurcher Building) and the Magnolia/I.O.O.F., are of different architectural styles.
The Knights of Pythias building sits south of the Lodge directly across the street from the lodge on the southwest corner of Ritchie Avenue and Kansas Avenue. This building has undergone so many revisions that one style doesn’t standout. The building is no longer used for meetings and now houses an apartment and a clothing store.[14]
The other fraternal order building, the Romanesque-style I.O.O.F. Building, sits two lot north of the Lodge on Kansas Avenue; its façade faces east toward Ripley Park.[15]
The Marceline Masonic Lodge #481 and W. E. Hulse & Co.
W.E. Hulse & Co., a regional architecture firm out of Hutchinson, Kansas, appears to have worked mostly on the creation of courthouses. Seven of the courthouses in the Midwest and Plains states are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Discussions with and research done by the firm Hulse started in Hutchinson, Kansas turned up no additional information about the lodge or other projects of Hulse’s. In fact, they had no record of his involvement with the Marceline lodge. Thus, based solely on these courthouse styles, Hulse appears to have specialized in Neoclassical and Beaux-Arts buildings with an occasional Art Deco design.
CONCLUSION
The Masonic Temple in Marceline, Linn County, Missouri is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places as locally significant under Criterion C: Architecture. The construction of new Masonic lodges throughout the early-twentieth century resulted in landmark buildings and symbols of tangible progress in each city in which they were erected. Masonic rites and their architectural forms and lodge designs are seen in not only urban areas, but in suburban and rural areas like Marceline. The Marceline Masonic Temple #481 is an excellent embodiment of the Beaux-Arts style, a distinctive type of architecture that is not closely associated with typical aspects of the Ancient, Free and Accepted Order of Freemasonry, its ceremonies and associated symbolism.
The Marceline Masonic Temple is a unique local and regional example of an early-twentieth century rural Masonic lodge. It is also the only building in Marceline in the Beaux-Arts style. It demonstrates a simple composition yet stands out from the other buildings in Marceline’s downtown commercial district while blending in well to its surroundings. It manifests dignity and simplicity while standing as statuesque reminder of a building Renaissance in Marceline. W. E. Hulse and Company’s design exhibits a form like the stately courthouses in the Midwest, some of which Hulse designed, making it more unique when compared with other rural Temples in the region. The building’s scale, materials, and organization highlight quality workmanship that went into the façades (despite the later issues with the original roof) and are indicative of a solid architectural unit.
The lodge provides a tangible local link to a period when several fraternal lodges were constructed across Missouri and is reminiscent of the period of significance, 1923-1924. For 99 years it has been the meeting hall for various Masonic bodies and during that time the Marceline Lodge has remained a focus of the city’s social and philanthropic community. Furthermore, this building is noteworthy as the best and purest example of Beaux-Arts architecture in Masonic lodges in northern rural Missouri. The location, design, size, workmanship, and integrity of the Marceline Masonic Temple #481 clearly demonstrate its unique, local architectural significance.
The building’s historical integrity remains largely intact as discussed in Section 7.
The feature that helps it stand out is its buff brick, one of only two buildings in town with such a façade (the other being the Uptown Theatre[16] about a block south). This brick style also helps to create a unique property while producing an earthy atmosphere that allows it to blend in well with the surrounding buildings.[17]
As noted in the “Comparisons” section, the lodge provides a tangible local link to a period when several fraternal lodges were constructed across Missouri at around the same time. For nearly 100 years it has been the meeting hall for the organization’s various sub-groups (The Masons, Eastern Star, Order DeMornay, and Shrine). The location, design, size, workmanship, and integrity of the Marceline Masonic Temple #481 clearly demonstrate its unique, local architectural significance as the only example of Beaux-Arts style in Marceline, Missouri.
[1] “1923 Proceedings – Grand Lodge of Missouri, Volume 2- Appendixes.” ISSUU.
https://issuu.com/momason/docs/gl_proceedings_1923_02. p. 7.
[2] See “Grand Lodge” and “Freemasonry”.
[3] Lewis emphasizes the importance of King Solomon’s Temple in the Masonic Tradition and asserts that any source
that discusses the Masonic tradition will have the same information on Masonic history, symbolism, and traditions.
[4] “Architectural/Historic Inventory Form.”
[5] Houston, R. R. “The Interior Architecture of Fraternal Buildings,” Architectural Forum, September 1926, 130.
[6] This is based on the lack of descriptions of other properties prior to the erection of the Lodge.
[7] Whiffen, Marcus. American Architecture from 1780: A Guide to the Styles, Revised Edition. Cambridge, Mass.:
MIT, 1996, p. 149.
[8] McAlester, Virginia and Lee. A Field Guide to American Houses. New York City: Alfred A. Knopf, 1984,
- 477-481.
[9] Whiffen, Marcus and Frederick Koeper. American Architecture, Volume 2: 1860-1976. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT,
1987, p. 11.
[10] “History of the Building.” Valley of Joplin Masonic Temple. https://www.valleyofjoplin.com/our-cathedral
history. Accessed 2 May 2023.
[11] Schwenk, Sally F. National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form for Historic Courthouses of Kansas.
Section E, p. 30. March 2002.
[12] Gerloff, Scott. National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form for Pennington County Courthouse in
Rapid City, South Dakota, May 1975.
[13] Unknown. National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form for Osage County Courthouse, Lyndon,
Kansas, September 2007.
[14] “Architectural Survey of Marceline (MO.): Final Report.” p. 19.
[15] “Architectural/Historic Inventory Form.” p. 239-240.
[16] Comber, E. Russell, National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form for Uptown Theatre, Marceline,
Missouri, April 2023.
[17] Ibid.
