Masonic Building | office building, high-rise, 1913_construction, Neo-Renaissance (architecture)

 office building, high-rise, 1913_construction, Neo-Renaissance (architecture)

292-foot, 19-story Neo-Renaissance office building completed in 1913. Designed by Harry P. Knowles as a loft and lodge rooms building for the Masonic Hall's Order of Freemasons, it is faced in limestone, reddish-brown brick, and terra-cotta. Metalwork was designed by the Winslow Bros. Company.

The West 23rd Street facade spans seven bays. The double-story limestone base is articulated by a colonnade of Doric pilasters which supports a dentiled and modillioned entablature. The easternmost bay features an arched entry with recent brass-and-glass doors and brass-and-glass transom surmounted by an original round-arched window opening with tripartite divisions; at this bay, the entablature is capped by a stone balustrade. Four of the remaining bays have original protruding metal storefronts with grilled bulkheads, large shop windows, and glass block transoms. These are surmounted by original metal spandrels and pivoting windows in a tripartite arrangement with decorative panning and transoms.

The 12-story shaft features two windows per bay. The first floor of the shaft is sheathed in limestone; the remaining stories are faced in reddish-brown brick. White headers at regular intervals create a pattern.

The five-story crown is divided into three bands. The lowest band, of three stories, is articulated with a terra-cotta arcade of segmental-arches, with bundled laurel and raised keystones that connect piers framing the tripartite window configuration. Spandrels duplicate those above the storefronts. Above the arcade a string course supports a band of rectangular windows, arranged in groups of three, which are divided by embellished panels. The remaining fascia from the original cornice is in turn capped by terra-cotta segmental-arches, one per bay, holding a tripartite window arrangement. The windows are separated by smooth piers and surmounted by a balustrade.

Above the ground floor, the 5-bay Sixth Avenue facade duplicates its counterpart on West 23rd Street. The northernmost bay contains four service doors with original transoms and a cornice with cresting. The remaining bays contain modern metal-and-glass storefronts.

The rear elevation, faced in brick, is divided into two segments. The western part has one column of windows, and features a giant seal of the Masonic order at the top. The eastern part, recessed, is painted beige and has two columns of trebled windows; a similar third column has been altered into a staircase which is faced in brown metal panels.

The Order of Freemasons is a fraternal and philanthropic group whose members see themselves as the spiritual heirs of the craftsmen responsible for the architectural monuments of the ancient and medieval worlds. The building's architect, Harry Knowles, was an active member and became a master mason in 1896. This building was constructed on the site of the former Masonic Hall for the purpose of generating income to support the organization's functions. It is connected to the building on West 24th Street that houses the organization's ceremonial rooms. The ground floor is occupied by a Chase Bank branch.

daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2018/05/masonic-temple-a...
hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015010943267?urlappend=%3Bseq...
usmodernist.org/AM/AM-1912-07.pdf
www.oldnyc.org/#711664f-b


www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SJOe_8-c0E