Masonic Hall in New York City is the headquarters of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York. The building was constructed to replace a previous Masonic Hall (built in 1875 and designed by Napoleon LeBrun), that stood on the same site.
The current building was designed by Harry P. Knowles, one of the architects of the New York City Center. It actually consists of two interconnected buildings, one (constructed in 1913) on the corner of 23rd St and 6th Avenue, and the other (constructed in 1907) facing 24th St. The 23rd St. building is primarily a commercial office building, with rents generating funds for the Lodge's charitable activities and the upkeep of the 24th Street building. The 24th St. building consists primarily of lodge meeting rooms, including the 1200-seat Grand Lodge Room, all elaborately ornamented. The Hall's interior was restored in 1986-96 by Felix Chavez, Fine Art Decorating.[1]
The Grand Lodge of New York (officially, the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York) is the largest and oldest independent organization of Freemasons in the U.S. state of New York.[1][2] It was at one time the largest grand lodge in the world in terms of membership.[citation needed]
The Grand Lodge is over 230 years old, having been founded December 15, 1782. GLoNY acts as the coordinating body for many functions undertaken throughout the state. Its various committees organize blood drives, the New York Masonic Safety Identification Program - (NYMSIP) and charitable events around New York. The GLoNY has jurisdiction over approximately 60,000 Freemasons, organized in more than 800 Lodges, most of them located within New York State.[3]
History[edit]
Colonial and federalist eras: 1730–1820[edit]
It is not known when the first Freemason set foot in the American colony of New York, but the first documented presence dates from the mid-1730s, when Daniel Coxe, Jr. (1673–1739), was appointed by the Duke of Norfolk, the Grand Master of the Premier Grand Lodge of England (known to historians as the "Moderns"), to act as a Provincial Grand Master for the provinces of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. As no authenticated records exist of his tenure as Provincial Grand Master, it seems doubtful that he exercised any authority in Masonic endeavors as he died a few years after his appointment. From 1738 to the 1780s additional Warrants were issued by GLE (Moderns) to Francis Goelet (1738–1753), to George Harrison (1753–1771) and to Sir John Johnson (1771–). As Johnson was a supporter of the British during the American Revolution, he is believed to have taken his warrant with him when he fled to Canada, thus leaving the Moderns Lodges without a Provincial Grand Master.[4]
To further complicate matters, by the 1750s, the Antient Grand Lodge of England (known to historians as the "Ancients"), a rival Masonic Grand Lodge, had also created a Provincial Grand Lodge of New York, which subsequently chartered lodges under its own jurisdiction. Additional lodges were chartered in New York by the Grand Lodge of Scotland and the Grand Lodge of Ireland. The Ancients retained their charter throughout the Revolution, however, and it was based upon this charter that an independent Grand Lodge of New York was created in 1781, with Robert R. Livingston as Grand Master. The Grand Lodge of New York was officially organized on December 15, 1782, under the Provincial Grand Warrant dated September 5, 1781, from the “Athol” or Antient Grand Lodge of England. The Grand Lodge declared its independence and assumed its modern title “Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York” on June 6, 1787. While the "Athol" Charter descended from the "Ancients", Livingston himself was a member of a "Modern" Lodge. Thus the two rival Grand Lodge traditions, which in England did not unite until 1813, had already merged before that in New York State.
St. John's Lodge No. 1, A.Y.M.[edit]
St. John's Lodge, chartered in 1757, is the oldest operating Lodge under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of New York.[5] St. John's Lodge is the custodian of what is now known as the George Washington Inaugural Bible. On April 30, 1789 it was upon this Bible that George Washington took his oath of office as the first President of the United States.[6]
In 2009, the Lodge formed a registered public charity for the purpose of preserving, maintaining and restoring the George Washington Inaugural Bible. In 2014, the St. John's Lodge No. 1 Foundation, Inc. received recognition as an IRS 501(c)3.
Community and charity[edit]
GLoNY has a long history of supporting charitable causes. Among the organizations that are rooted in its charitable endeavors are, the Masonic Medical Research Laboratory, Acacia Village and Masonic Home in Utica; the Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Library and Museum in New York and Utica; the Masonic Youth Camp at Camp Turk in Woodgate; the DeWint House at Tappan and its many charitable activities of its annual Brotherhood Fund Drive. The Grand Lodge sponsors Child Identification Programs, Drug and Alcohol Awareness programs in schools, and gives thousands of dollars a day to worthy charities around the State.
Religious and Racial Equality[edit]
In May 2012, at its Grand Lodge Session, GLoNY had approved the findings of a Special Committee which has determined that certain Grand Lodges, notably those following the Swedish Rite, restrict their membership to members of the Christian faith. As a consequence of this, the members of the Grand Lodge of voted unanimously that non-Christian Masons living in these Grand Jurisdictions will not come under the exclusivity enjoyed by said Grand Lodges. A notice was sent out to all Grand Lodges with which the GLoNY is in amity, that the GLoNY will recognize as Regular any Lodges opened up in these territories by any other regular Grand Lodge. Furthermore, the committee's tenure was continued for an additional two years in order to determine if further measures need to be taken.[citation needed]
Organization of Triangles Inc.[edit]
The Organization of Triangles Inc. is a Masonic youth movement for young women aged between 10 and 21 years old. The Organization of Triangles Inc. was founded in 1925 by Rose E. Scherer in the State of New York. For over ninety years, the Triangle has provided the young a vibrant and dynamic group where they can make friends and improve. The triangle form the character, is a service-oriented fraternity that builds a basis for its members to develop their life skills and leadership skills, citizenship, public speaking, the value of teamwork, confidence and self-esteem. Members have opportunities to express their opinions, learn how to make their ideas a reality, helping others around them to form friendships with other members, all in a safe and controlled environment. The founder of the Organization of Triangles Inc. Rose E. Scherer was born on the 18th of November of the year 1883, in the city of New York. Scherer was Great Matron of the Order of the Eastern Star. Scherer conceived the idea of a fraternal group for young daughters of the Order of the Eastern Star and the Masonic fraternity, in order to be a preparation for future membership in the adult organizations, their proposals were accepted under the patronage of the Order of the Eastern Star.[7][8]
Grand Masters[edit]
Robert R. Livingstone, a Founding Father of the United States who co-drafted the Declaration of Independence, was an early Grand Master of New York Freemasons.
DeWitt Clinton, a Governor of New York who ran for the American presidency in 1812, was an early Grand Master of New York Freemasons.
Daniel D. Tompkins, Vice President of the United States under James Monroe and Governor of New York, was a Grand Master of New York Freemasons.
Stephen Van Rensselaer III, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives who played a pivotal role in deciding the 1824 presidency in favour of John Quincy Adams, was a Grand Master of New York Freemasons.
The current Grand Master is Jeffery Williamson. [9]
1781-1783 William Walter
1783-1784 William Cock
1784-1800 Robert R. Livingston
1801-1805 Jacob Morton
1806-1819 DeWitt Clinton
1820-1821 Daniel D. Tompkins
1822-1824 Joseph Enos
1825-1829 Stephen Van Rensselaer
1830-1843 Morgan Lewis
1844-1845 Alexander H. Robertson
1846-1849 John D. Willard
1850 William H. Milnor
1850 Henry S. Atwood
1851 Oscar Coles
1852 Nelson Randall
1853 Reuben H. Walworth
1854-1855 Joseph D. Evans
1856-1859 John L. Lewis Jr.
1860 John W. Simons
1861 Finlay M. King
1862 John J. Crane
1863-1864 Clinton F. Paige
1865-1866 Robert D. Holmes
1867 Stephen H. Johnson
1868-1869 James Gibson
1870-1871 John H. Anthon
1872-1873 Christopher G. Fox
1874-1875 Ellwood E. Thorne
1876 James W. Husted
1877 Joseph J. Couch
1878 Edmund L. Judson
1879 Charles Roome
1880 Jesse B. Anthony
1881 Horace S. Taylor
1882 Benjamin Flagler
1883 J. Edward Simmons
1884 William A. Brodie
1885-1888 Frank R. Lawrence
1889-1890 John W. Voorman
1891 William Sherer
1892 James Ten Eyck
1893 Frederick A. Burnham
1894 John Hodge
1895-1896 John Stewart
1897-1898 William A. Sutherland
1899 Wright D. Pownall
1900-1901 Charles W. Mead
1902-1902 Elbert Crandall
1904-1905 Frank H. Robinson
1906-1907 Townsend Scudder
1908-1909 S. Nelson Sawyer
1910-1911 R. Jodson Kenworthy
1912-1913 Charles Smith
1914-1915 George Freifeld
1916-1917 Thomas Penney
1918-1919 William S. Farmer
1920-1921 Robert H. Robinson
1922-1923 Arthur S. Tompkins
1924-1925 William A. Rowan
1926-1927 Harold J. Richardson
1928-1929 John A. Dutton
1930-1931 Charles H. Johnson
1932-1933 Chris C. Mollenhauer
1934-1935 Robert Elliott Owens
1936-1937 Jacob Charles Klinck
1938-1939 Dana B. Hellings
1940-1941 Henry C. Turner
1942-1943 William Frederick Strang
1944-1945 Charles W. Froessel
1946-1947 Gay H. Brown
1948-1949 Frank M. Totton
1950-1951 Richard A. Rowlands
1952-1953 Ward B. Arbury
1954-1955 Raymond C. Ellis
1956-1957 Nathan Turk
1958-1959 H. Lloyd Jones
1960-1961 Carl W. Peterson
1962-1963 Harry Ostrov
1964-1965 Clarence J. Henry
1966-1967 Frank C. Staples
1968-1969 Charles F. Gosnell
1970-1971 William R. Knapp
1972-1973 Lloyd S. Cochran
1974-1975 Arthur Markewich
1976-1977 Albert W. Schneider
1978-1979 William R. Punt
1980-1981 Bruce Widger
1982-1983 Ernest Leonardi
1984-1985 Calvin G. Bond
1986-1987 Robert C. Singer
1988-1989 Roswell T. Swits
1990-1991 Richard P. Thomas
1992 Sheldon K. Blank
1993-1994 Gary A. Henningsen
1995-1997 Earle J. Hino Jr.
1998-1999 Stewart C. McCloud
2000-2001 Carl J. Smith
2002-2003 Carl J. Fitje
2004-2005 Edward R. Trosin
2008-2009 Edward G. Gilbert
2010-2011 Vincent Libone
2012-2013 James E. Sullivan
2014-2015 William J. Thomas
Napoleon Eugene Charles Henry LeBrun (January 2, 1821 – July 9, 1901) was an American architect known for several notable Philadelphia churches, in particular St. Augustine's Church on Fourth Street[1] and the Cathedral-Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul on Logan Square. He also designed the Academy of Music at Broad and Locust Streets. LeBrun later moved to New York City, where he established the firm Napoleon LeBrun & Sons, which designed numerous notable buildings.
Life and career[edit]
Cathedral-Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul (1846-64) in Philadelphia
The Academy of Music in Philadelphia (1857)
In Philadelphia[edit]
LeBrun was a son of the Napoleonic ambassador to the United States who, after the downfall of that regime, remained in the United States and settled in Philadelphia. LeBrun's early architectural training began at the age of 15 when he was placed in the offices of Thomas Ustick Walter in Philadelphia;[2] Walter later became architect of the United States Capitol. After six years with Walter, LeBrun left to set up his own office in 1841,[2] eventually receiving as his major commissions the Cathedral-Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul (1846–64) and the Academy of Music (1857).
As a young man in his twenties, LeBrun found opportunity in the booming industrial development of the Schuylkill Valley of Pennsylvania in the 1840s. His other early work includes the original version of Trinity Episcopal Church, Pottsville (1847), still standing though much altered by later revisions. His design for the church led to the commission for the Schuylkill County Prison (1851)[3] when the county seat moved from Orwigsburg to Pottsville. He also designed the first Columbia County Courthouse in Bloomsburg and the 1854 Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown. Although both were later extensively redesigned and expanded, the notable marble facade of the Montgomery County Courthouse remains his outward and identifying creation.
In Philadelphia, LeBrun was known for his many churches, including not only St. Augustine's and the Cathedral-Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, but also St. Patrick's Catholic Church (1841) on 20th Street and the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany (1848) on 17th Street, now St. John Chrysostom Albanian Orthodox Church.[4]
In New York City[edit]
The now-demolished Masonic Temple in Manhattan (1875) which helped established LeBrun's reputation in New York City
The steeple of the Church of St. John the Baptist (1872) in Manhattan, New York City
In 1864, LeBrun relocated his office and family to New York City, establishing his reputation there with the Masonic Temple (1870) on West 23rd Street in Manhattan, designed in the Second Empire style;[2] in 1911 the Temple was torn down to be replaced with the current Masonic Building designed by Harry P. Knowles. In 1870, LeBrun's son, Pierre, joined the firm, which became "Napoleon LeBrun & Son" in 1880, and in 1892 "Napoleon LeBrun & Sons" after his younger son Michel also joined.[2]
As in Philadelphia, LeBrun and his firm, often with Pierre as the lead architect, designed numerous churches in New York City, including the Roman Catholic Church of St. John the Baptist (1872) on West 31st Street and the Episcopal Church of St. Mary the Virgin (1894–95) on West 46th Street in the Times Square neighborhood.[2] St Mary's was the first church in the world to be designed with a concealed steel skeleton,[5] for this reason it was known in its early days as the "Chicago Church", after the Chicago school of architecture, which was largely responsible for the use of steel skeletons in skyscraper construction.
Other ecclesiastical commissions included the Seventh Presbyterian Church (1842, demolished), the Scots (or Second) Presbyterian Church (1843, no longer extant), the Church of St. Peter the Apostle (German Catholic)on 5th Street (1843, no longer extant), the Protestant Episcopal Church of the Holy Nativity (1844, demolished 2013), the Lombard-style Church of the Epiphany (1869–70, burned down),[6] and St. Ann's Roman Catholic Church on East 12th Street, for which LeBrun designed a French Gothic sanctuary in 1871 which sat behind the original 1847 facade; in 2006 everything but that facade was demolished - it now stands freely in front of a college dormitory built on the site of the sanctuary.[7] His office is also responsible for the current St. Michael's Church (34th Street, Manhattan) church, rectory, convent, and school (1904-1907), which incorporate elements of an earlier church by Lawrence J. O'Connor which was demolished for the construction of the North River Tunnels and Pennsylvania Station.[8]
LeBrun designed his first building for the Fire Department of New York in 1880, and the firm continued to work for the Department, designing over 40 buildings, including fire houses, a fire pier and a warehouse.[2] It was also instrumental in designing some of the earliest skyscrapers, including the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower.
Death[edit]
LeBrun died in 1901 in New York City, and was buried in Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.
See also[edit]
Firehouse, Engine Company 31