The New Masonic Temple

New (Old) Photographs of the New Masonic Temple in St. Louis

2009-05-30T10:22:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Temple board president John Vollmann we have these three incredible photographs. Click on each of the images to get a much higher resolution version.

If you would like to visit the temple, you may do so at one of the ten meetings held a year at Napthali Lodge #25. You can only visit the temple on these dates and no other. Napthali Lodge #25 meets on the third Thursday of every month at 7:30pm or 7:00pm if we are conferring a degree. We have a small meal and social gathering starting between 6:00pm and 6:30pm.

Napthali Lodge #25 goes dark in the summer time and our last meeting this year is on June 18th 2009.

If you would like to visit simply contact John W. Ratcliff at email: jratcliffscarab@gmail.com

If you are not a Freemason with a current dues card, but are interested in joining the fraternity, feel free to contact us as well.

Scheduled meetings for the rest of this year are:

Thursday, June 18th, 2009
Thursday, September 17th, 2009
Thursday, October 15th, 2009
Thursday, November 19th, 2009
Thursday, December 17th, 2009

Some new Photographs of the Temple

2007-04-30T08:03:00.000-07:00

The New Masonic Temple 80 Year Anniversary Celebration

2006-10-22T11:49:00.000-07:00

Brother John W. Ratcliff, Junior Warden of Napthali Lodge #25, giving the educational presentation on the building of the temple.

On this past Thursday, October 19th, an open presentation was given at the New Masonic Temple in the third floor Blue Lodge room where Napthali meets. The presentation was received by about thirty guests.

Much of the text in the presentation is actually in 'future tense' since it was copied directly from Masonic publications before the Temple was completed.

Here is the link to the presentation in HTML where you can browse it online. The bulk of the presentation is in the 'notes' section, since the slides are mostly showing pictures from the temple.

If you don't want to fuss with the online version, we have just uploaded the Powerpoint Slides directly. Read the notes section of the slides to get the spoken text that should go with it.

The oline presentation is here.
The power point slides are here.

Meryl Jannusch, member of the Temple Board Association, showing off the Happy Birthday cake for the celebration.

The 80 Year Anniversary of the New Masonic Temple

2006-10-14T13:44:00.000-07:00

Napthali Lodge #25 will be holding a special presentation on Thursday, October 19th, 2006 at the New Masonic Temple located at 3681 Lindell Boulevard in Saint Louis. This educational presentation is to mark the 80 year anniversary of the building of this magnificent structure. Napthali lodge was established in 1839; now in its 167th year, and was one of the original tenants in the building. The New Masonic Temple was built by Missouri Masons, through their donations, for a cost of four million dollars. Built to serve the 25,000 Master Masons in the Saint Louis area as well as the Royal Arch, Eastern Star, and Knights Templar it stands today as a monument to the great achievements Masonry made in the past century. It once held the Grand Lodge of Missouri and the personal office of Most Worshipful Grand Master Harry S. Truman.

Next Thursday Brother John W. Ratcliff will be presenting a 30 minute educational lecture about the building of the temple. Using material and photographs from the 1920s the presentation will focus on the great struggle the craft undertook to build this historic monument. Napthali Lodge will open with its regular business meeting promptly at 7pm and try to dispense with essential business briefly. All Master Masons are welcome and invited. Immediately after the business meeting the lodge will be open to guests for the presentation. Spouses, friends, and children are welcome and invited to attend the open presentation and share some light refreshments. Although there will not be a formal tour of the building this is still a great opportunity to see the beautiful lobby and sit in the magnificent blue lodge room where Freemasons have met for 80 years.

It took great dedication and vision to build the temple 80 years ago. Today the temple is a grand monument that has been passed down to us by our fathers and grandfathers. It is worthwhile to honor them and their great achievement simply by continuing to meet in the Blue Lodge room for so long as we can.

If you plan to attend the meeting please send an email to Brother John W. Ratcliff. We would like to have a general idea how many people to expect to be sure to have enough refreshments.

School of Instruction at the New Masonic Temple

2006-03-11T21:15:00.000-08:00

Today, on March 11th, 2006, The Grand Lecturer of the Grand Lodge Of Missouri held a school of instruction at the New Masonic Temple which was hosted by Naphtali Lodge #25; over 85 Master Masons were present for this incredible day.

Master Masons met for followship and donuts at 8:00am. Instruction began at 9am with the second section of the third degree. Afterwards there was a break for a lovely lunch and more fellowship. In the afternoon the entire initiation ceremony was practiced. The School of Instruction was organized by Regional Grand Lecturer Right Worshipful Brother Joe W. Johnson. The refreshments were generously provided and served by Brother Johnson's family; including his wife, daughter, and son-and-law who together made this special day a great pleasure for all who attended.

The day ended with a complete and thorough tour of the entire building. It was a tremendous honor to explore this great architectural treasure which has been handed down to us by our forefathers 80 years ago this October.

Please click on the following link to access a photo-gallery of facility. These photographs were uploaded at full resolution, mostly to showcase the amazing stained glass in the commanderie room.

Finally, remember that on this Thursday, March 16th, Naphtali Lodge will be holding its regular meeting at the New Masonic Temple. Master Masons are always welcome. On March 30th Naphtali will hold a special communication to confer two Entered Apprentice Degrees. Master Masons of Missouri and the surrounding area are welcome and invited to sit in lodge while these ancient ceremonies are conducted in this incredible facility.

Remember, Master Masons of Missouri, this building belongs to you! It was built for you by your fathers, and grandfathers, and they left it as a legacy for you to protect. The fastest, and best way to keep this facility alive is simply to sit in lodge with your brother.

To hear the voices of 85 Master Masons in unison sitting in the single blue lodge room (that can hold180) was a glorious thing. Let us not wait for another major event to fill these seats once again. Please feel weclome to share in followship with Naphtali Lodge #25 on the third Thursday of each month in the hopes that the lodge will humbly reflect that order and beauty which reigns forerver before his throne.

The New Masonic Temple

2005-10-27T20:33:00.000-07:00

October 2006 is the 80th Anniversary year of
The New Masonic Temple of Saint Louis
Master Masons of Missouri please attend!

Check out the TV New Story from "Show Me St. Louis" on KSDK Channel 5!

3681 Lindell Boulevard
Saint Louis, Missouri 63108

The New Masonic Temple was dedicated October 26, 1926. It contains over six million cubic feet of space, is 185 feet high, equivalent to a fourteen story building housing a ground floor and 6 1/2 upper floors. Today it sits directly across the street from Saint Louis University and is a prominent feature on Lindell Boulevard right next to the Scottish Rite building.

This is a handcrafted structure filled with art treasures including historic stained glass windows, ornamental marble components and furniture much of which was hand crafted by Master Craftsmen.

The New Temple : An Architectural Treasure

The traditional temple, in ancient times, was frequently placed upon a high cliff, or platform, of natural rock. Often the rocky exposed surface was faced with cut stone and then built up to form a level terrace on which the temple building was erected. The Acropolis at Athens and the Temple of Solomon illustrate such an ancient temple form.

Architects for the Masonic Temple based their design on that concept to build an artificial platform, or terrace, which would house some of the halls, or apartments, in the proposed Temple building. Architectural expression was given the first two stages of the Temple as platforms, or terraces, using balustrades with appropriate moldings instead of cornices.

Original instructions required that the proposed Temple be monumental in character and be so constructed to last into future generations. There was no known precedent for a fourteen story Temple. The ancient traditional temple was always a single story building. As a consequence, the Architects studied classic forms in Greece and Rome. Gothic forms and modernist styles were considered and the Grecian model was chosen.

The design of the exterior of the Temple is classic Ionic Greek architecture. Its lines are simple and its masses are substantial. Its proportions are towering and its monumental size makes it conspicuous from all directions.

Facing on all four sides of the Temple is Bedford stone. The trim around the building is gray Chelmsford granite. Entrance doors and exterior decorations are of bronze.

In ancient times, it was customary to adorn the walls of temples with trophies made from bronze shields of the enemy captured in war. That practice suggested the use of bronze discs on the frieze and walls of the second platform. Those discs bear the Masonic emblems, or insignia, of the Masonic bodies for whose use the Temple was erected.

Built in three receding stages, emblematic of the three stages in Freemasonry, it is reminiscent of primitive temple architecture in the pyramidal effect produced. The monumental proportions of the Temple make it a conspicuous and awe inspiring symbol of the fraternity. It expresses the dignity, importance, mystery, and spirit of Freemasonry.

On either side of the lower tier of columns are the Square and Compasses. Large bronze discs on the face of the second stage display emblems of the five groups which compose the Temple Association. Two Latin inscriptions are on the front of the Temple.

Above the upper tier of columns appears the inscription, in Latin, which the Grand Lodge of Missouri places upon every charter issued by it, "Let There Be Light and There Was Light." Over the main entrance to the Temple there appears, in pure classic Latin, the inscription, "To The Glory Of The Great Architect Of The Universe And The Brotherhood of Man." These inscriptions proclaim the purpose of the craft.

The Temple is flanked by driverways on either side. There is a seperate ornate entrance on the east side. A cartouche over the east entrance and a carved panel directly above the bronze doors completes the exterior arrangement of features. Other door openings and windows are distributed around the building as necessary.

Ornamental treatment in the plans and specifications for the Temple included sculptural decorations. A sculptural group appears in the plans for crowing the Temple pediment. The principal figure in the group represents Mercury, the messenger of the gods, who first brought light to earth. At the ends of the south pediment, and corners of the second terrace, bronze griffins are shown in defensive attitude. Flood lighting emphasizes the magnificent facade in glowing light.

The approach from Lindell Boulevard is by a monumental flight of steps. Provision is made for guarding the steps on either side by sculptured figures of the Sphinx. A beautiful Masonic altar, carved of Chelmsford granite, is positioned in the center of the stair.

Among the great buildings of the world, the Masonic Temple is notable for its prominence. It is archtecture in its highest form. The dignity, nobleness, and simple grandeur of the Temple stir emotions of awe and reverence when viewing that huge pile of masonry. Its vast size creates a lasting impression of its superb and imposing permanence.

About this Website

This website is a work in progress. It was created by myself, Brother John W. Ratcliff. I am member of Naphtali #25 which meets at the New Masonic Temple. This is not an 'official' website, but simply represents my own enthusiasm for this great architectural treasure. It is my goal, over the coming years, to gather a complete history of the temple and record it before it is lost. Please email me if you have questions or concerns about anything on this website.

Some Additional photographs of the New Temple

The Blue Lodge room where Naphtali #25 meets.

The statue of Brother George Washington in the foyer.

The New Temple from Lindell.

A closer view showing the top floor.