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| Masonic House of the Temple. Photo: Jorge Bela |
There is plenty of invocation to classical architecture in
Washington. Even modern buildings include ornamental or structural features
that can be traced to antiquity, sometimes in a subtle manner, such as the
patterns on the Metro’s station vaults, sometimes in a truly bizarre way, such
as the superimposition of two different Italian palazzos into what is now the
National Building Museum. L’Enfant’s 18th century plan and several
major early buildings, such as the White House or the Capitol, seemed to set
the path to follow. In the 19th century, however, there was some
appetite to explore other styles, as best exemplified by the Old Executive
Office Building, the Library of Congress or the first Smithsonian Institution.
By the early 20th century the debate was settled, and the classicalworld became the dominant influence for the next seven decades.
I admit that I have a soft spot for buildings that are almost carbon
copies of the wonders of the ancient world. The most famous and beautiful of
them is the Lincoln Memorial (Henry Bacon, 1922), which looks a lot like Athens’
Parthenon. There is, however, an architect who got to design not one, but two
of such buildings: John Russell Pope. One of the most influential architects in
DC, he is better known for his most popular work: the Jefferson memorial, which
closely resembles Agrippa’s Pantheon. Equally spectacular, but far well less
known, is the Masonic House of the Temple, which was clearly inspired in the
Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. (It is remarkable that Russell Pope also designed
two major buildings in the Mall, the National Archives and the National Gallery
of Art West Wing, perhaps his masterpiece. We we will look at these buildings
in future posts).
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| The Library. Photo: Jorge Bela |
The House of the Temple was Russell Pope’s first major piece
of work in Washington. Until then his work was limited to houses and small-scale
projects. Despite it’s massive size and unique architecture, it is not on the
radar for most of Washington visitors. It did achieve some notoriety as the
setting for several scenes in Dan Brawn’s latest blockbuster novel, the Lost
Symbol. For some passersby, it might even look mysterious or spooky. I live just one block from it, and it has been the subject of my fascination
since I bumped into it by chance a few years ago. It has been open to the
public since it was complete.
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| The Grand Stairway. Photo: Jorge Bela |
On the day of my visit, a small group of about 10 people
gathered in the hall while we waited for our guide: Thomas. About half of them
were masons. The visit took almost two hours, and there are plenty of stairs, although
I did see some elevators that could be used if necessary. There are many places
along the way where visitors can sit if tired. Thomas led us through several
rooms, from the gigantic ceremonial hall, which sits just under the pyramid on
the roof, to the much smaller rooms dedicated to specific functions. The level
of decoration and detail is astonishing: no expense ware spared during the
construction. The building even has an early air condition system, which
funneled air from the cooler underground tunnels to the big ceremonial hall.
The system was damaged during the earthquake of 2011 and is not currently
working at full capacity.
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| Thomas, our guide at the temple. Photo: Jorge Bela |
Thomas, who is not yet a mason, gave us a lot of detail
about the rituals that took place on each room. He patiently answered the endless
questions posed by a particularly inquisitive group. The high quality of his
commentary made a substantial difference in a tour that could feel too long (it
lasts longer that the tour to the US capitol, for example). The library, a central
spot for the journey towards enlightenment that masonry provides, was our last
stop during the visit.
Two giant sphynxes seat on each side of the temple’s
main door (it is believed that lions decorated the exterior of original mausoleum).
They represent the pillars that stood at the gate of Salomon's temple. One has
its eyes closed, while the other has its eyes wide open, representing the
transit from darkness to enlightenment that the masonic rituals and believes
provide. The enormous columns, steep staircase, even the sphinxes can be intimidating
from the outside. Nevertheless, the staff is very friendly and welcoming on the
inside. There is no charge, and I strongly recommend the visit to anyone interested
in the masons or in Russell Pope´s architecture.
House of the Temple
1733 16th St. NW • Washington, DC 20009–3103
T: 202–232–3579 • F: 202–464–0487
E: council@scottishrite.org
Near by: Dupont Circle and it's historic mansions. Trendy restaurants on 14th and 17th Streets.
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| Possible rendition of the original Mausoleum. |
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