1964
Detroit Masonic Temple Plate
from the NMJ of the Scottish Rite
This
wonderful china plate was made to commemorate the Detroit Masonic Temple by
the Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction.
It was made in England by the Spode's Mansard Copland Co. and given a U.S.
Patent. It measures 10 inches in diameter.
This medallion was minted for
the Corner Stone Laying Ceremony of the Detroit Masonic Temple on September
18, 1922. The finished Temple was dedicated three years later on November 25,
1926. It is still the largest Masonic Temple in the world standing 14 stories
tall with 1,037 rooms and some twelve million cubic feet of space!
The first shovel of dirt was
turned on Thanksgiving Day 1920 and the Corner Stone was placed on September
18, 1922. George Washington's own working tools were brought from Virginia to
be used for the ceremony.
The Temple was formally dedicated on Thanksgiving Day, 1926. Thousands
gathered for the formal ceremony and consecration by the Grand Lodge of
Michigan.
There are seven Craft Lodge Rooms - all having different decorative
treatments, the motifs of decoration being taken from the Egyptian, Doric,
Ionic, Corinthian, Italian Renaissance, Byzantine, Gothic and Romanesque. The
rooms are all true to the period. All of the art work throughout the building,
especially the beautifully decorated ceilings was done under the personal
direction of famous Italian artists. There is also a Royal Arch room, and a
Commandery Asylum.
The Cathedral has a seating capacity of 1600 and its fully equipped stage with
a width of 64 feet from wall to wall and a depth of 37 feet from the foot
lights. The Cathedral is a beauty spot of the Temple, made rich by carvings
and color work which is most effectively carried out in the ceiling.
In the center portion of the Temple is located 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. The drill hall is used by Detroit Commandery. As of 2006, the
Drill Hall is also the home of the Detroit Derby Girls Roller Team. This 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 is the main theatre. The Detroit Masonic
Theatre is one of the finest public halls in the United States, having a
seating capacity of 4404. Because of its arrangement, there is a very intimate
contact between the audience and stage. 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 stage
of the auditorium is the second largest in the United States, having a width
between walls of 100 feet and a depth from the curtain line of 55 feet.
A special "Thank
You" to Brother Johnny T. Asher for submitting pictures of his medallion!
