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Garfield County Masonic Temple ~
Opened May 4, 1924 ~ Enid, Oklahoma
Original mortgage and Construction by Enid Masonic Lodge #80
This page is a rough draft of things as they occur to me. Some mentions are stories told to me, and unverified.
If you can add detail or corrections ~
Please contact me Or if you have other facts or stories to add.
- Overview
- Structure and History
- Concert Hall
- Banquet Hall
- Theatre-Ballroom
- Art Gallery
- other stories
Overview ~ Garfield County Masonic Temple
Built by the Masons ~ opened May 4, 1924.
The Masonic Temple for Garfield County occupied the 4th and 5th floors, with offices on the first three floors. Originally drawn by the architects to be a four story story building, the clever Masons decided they could simply move up the forms after completion of the second floor, and duplicated it to add the third floor, resulting in a five story structure. The lower floors were regular office space (many of whom were Masons themselves) supporting the Lodge, located on the top two floors.
Charlie Knox bought the mortgage sometime during the Depression. The Front Entrance centered on the North side of the building, has inlaid tile work that says "Knox Building", the name that most long time Enid citizens know it by. Charlie let the Masons keep meeting in the Lodge rent-free (according to one source) until after World War II, when Charlie started demanding rent he knew the Masons couldn't afford, and they moved out. In the 50's there was the first Knox Service Station in the parking lot to the west, with above ground tanks near the alley, offering.self-serve gas and girls on roller skates to wait on customers.
They upper floors sat empty for 50 years when Doug Newelll first toured the old Lodge with the consideration of turning it into a Concert Hall. Like in a dream, he and Brother Greg Smith made their way up the dark stairs and into the dirty dusty, water-and-pidgeon-damaged abandoned rooms of the old Lodge. In investigating the possibilities, accoustic engineers came down from Chicago and eveluated the space occupying the old Blue Lodge Room ~ the largest of the three Halls. Kirkegard (sp?) recommendations being very favorable, Doug and the Enid Symphony Association embarked on a fact-finding and fund-raising effort that gained interest very quickly.
At the time the property was owned by Know Plaza Limited { ~ ~ ~ } Renovations started in 1997 and the Grand Opening of The Enid Symphony Center was held the day after Thanksgiving 1999.
- The Enid Symphony Center occupies the fourth and fifth floors of the five story brick-and-masonry structure of the Masonic Temple building, opened May 4th 1924. It was two years in construction and completed at a cost of $354,000. Nearly ten times that amount was spent in the renovation
Structure and History
- Steel, concrete and masonry core with two layers of structural red brick filling between columns, and red brick facade. Marble and inlaid tile floors adorne stariwells and corridors lining the offices of the first three floors. Oil boiler in the basement provided the circulated radiator heat. Cooling was built into the drafting structure of the building, with transoms above all the office doors to provide air flow. Boiler removed summer 2006.
- The first floor is the only full square floor in the building. All the upper floors are in the shape of a U, with the space in between the wings acting as light well and also heat flu for the interior office space. The stairwelll and elevator shafts also provide drafting columns to help cool the building.
Modern heat and air-conditioning struggle against this drafting to maintain the climate control.
At the SW corner of the there is a square column open shaft that runs all the way from the roof to the first floor or even basement, I'm not sure. This may be tied into the air supply to the physical plant in the SW corner of the basement, or it could be a chimney for exhaust.
The exact purpose I am guessing.
- Picture if you will ~ this building was constructed using a mule team pulling down Broadway to lift the material elevators with block-and-tackle. All the brick, steel, concrete and masonry material was lifted in this fashion. Masonic emblems used to be on each of the nine small mounting spots you see high across the front of the building.
- OG&E had its Public Service Center and offices with main entrance on the NorthEast corner of the building until ????. The upswept pointed concrete awning was added along with other facade updates in the
[~¿early 60's? 50's?~]
- Columns were removed ~?when? during the same remodel??
- Charlie Knox was a Mason and member of the Lodge at the time. He bought the mortgage from the masons when they couldn't afford to maintain payments during the Depression, 193? ? The Lodge continued to meet until after WWII, when Charlie started to demand rent he knew the lodge couldn't afford, and forced them out. Ol' Charlie swore there would never be anything up there again as long as he was alive. The fourth and fifth floors were vacant for fifty years. Through the years, there were some limited uses of the large halls. Charlie allowed people he knew to use the high ceiling rooms for twirling practice, dance rehearsal
- The Phillips University Art Center was located on the fifth floor where our Art Gallery is now.
Pre 1946 ???? as one person told me
- ??? {dates?} The first Knox gas station was located in the parking lot west of the building. From above you can clearly see the patches in the concrete showing the footprint of the old building and islands, and anchor spots for the above ground tanks. Knox was the first to offer self-service gas at a discount. I've also been told that he hired young pretty girls on rolller skates to wait on the customers.
Rooms ~ConcertHall
- Our Concert Hall was originally the 'Blue Lodge Room' ~ where the lodge would meet
when all members were present. We added the full stage, framed in with two layers of flooring board to assure
it is strong and quiet. The design of the stage decor of the back wall mural represent
the Performing Arts Pavillion and surroundings of Government Springs Park. This was a stopping point on the
old Chisholm Trail, the first town center, and why Enid grew up where it is
- The lodge room had very small by comparison three-step risers on three sides of the room for
lodge officers, with rows of chairs or benches along the north and south walls to seat members. There was a simple
pattern blue carpet with rather plain wallpaper (by comparison to now). The new floor design for
Symphony Center represents the look of a royal carpet, but is, in fact, a unique multi-step painting
process directly on the original concrete floor. We didn't want the sound absorbing effect of real
carpeting. Some other accoustical considerations in the design
of the Concert Hall included ~ Added box seats and piano closet wall angles ~ Eliminated suspended
plaster-fabric ceiling panels
- Schroeder difuser ~ Concert Hall ~ John Caton and Greg Smith ~
built at the shop in six-cell modules weighing 250 lb. each and installed in place ~
2 1/2 tons of wall added
Theatre difuser built in Place by Doug and Clark ?Young ~ Slightly smalller than Concert Hall
- The permanent seating in the Concert Hall came out of the 850-seat theatre at Ft. Sill in Lawton.
Refurbished for $125 each plus installation ~ which was a five day project just before Thanksgiving 1999.
The same month saw the finishing of the Banquet Hall with the Carpet and Chandallier going in during the
two weeks leading up to our Grand Opening of Symphony Center the day after Thanksgiving. The Hall holds ~ 340
- Mirror Hall entrance from coat lobby
- Wheat borders ~ We wanted some representation of the commerce of the area
~ faux wall paper ~ seminars for people who payed to learn these techniques while working on our facility
- Masonic cherub in balcony
Eleanor Hoehn Hornbaker Banquet Hall
- Italian Rennaisance style ~ faux finish marble dance floor and wall panels are of styles and colors that would have typified the period. The Portage Urn in the upper left front corner of the room is of two figures using the roll of the dice to settle their differences, instead of going to war. ?Greek? style ~ which was very influential in the Italian rennaisance. The cove it sits in was built to fill what was an opening in the wall, which had to be covered in order satisfy Fire Codes.
There was another slightly larger opening on the back wall that was covered over to complete the firewall that separates the Banquet Hall from the Art Gallery It in was built to fill what was an opening in the wall, which had to be covered in order satisfy Fire Codes.There was another slightly larger opening on the back wall that was covered over to complete the firewall that separates the Banquet Hall from the Art Gallery
- The Banquet Hall was the Knight;s Templar area of the original lodge. We found valence tapestries during the renovation that used to hang over the west interior wall lower window sets. These window sets are mounted with large counterweights inside the casings, can be raised in one peice to open up the Ladies Gallery behind the wall. The floor throughh that hall was raised to allow venting out to the light well area between wings. There was originally a baby grand piano behind the north raised panel. This space is now our Long Kitchen area.
Theatre ~ Ballroom
- The Theatre area was originally the Temple Audutorium. Also called The Grotto.
We took floor space under the balcony to add dressing rooms ~ Replaced the original raised Maple floor
which was too badly damaged to keep.~ poured gypcrete floor to level the room and applied direct the
red oak flooring with a light Chestnut initial stain.The border and dance floor design is an interesting
Tudor inlay look done with simple (yeah right - simple) tape and stain in three colors. All the plaster
cast detail of the room is original, except the stage front border and pie medallions. Similar design
items are available today as a greenware product, still slightly plyable when it arrives. The border bar
came in 10" peices beveled at each end at a rather shallow angle so each peice could be curved slightly
and fit inplace with adhesive and two screws. After painting and gold leafing it is very difficult to
see any evidence of the joints between them.
- The four large Mural frames were in the original Theatre room,
but never had any murals in them.
Our design added the murals for the Four Seasons, with ladies representing Jo Ann Day and Dougs three daughters
Jane Champlin Art Gallery
- Pebble Beach effect floor
- Fully taylorable gallery track lighting
Egyptian Lobby
- The one room in the complex that has been retored to honor the original design style and color ~ except that
we used more elegant finishes, added gold-leaf to the ceiling and borders, and finer Venetian Plaster walls
treaments. The black border floor tile is new to replace the damaged edge tiles
- Sun-God in Egyptian Lobby
- Progression of columns ~ tied reeds to full Corinthian in Banquet Hall
- Old unfinished columns remaining in Egyptian Lobby ~ Light fixture panels depict scenes Masonic mythology surrounding the original construction of King Solomans Temple, restored to their original appearance by our artists
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Entrance and Stairwell
- During the renovation, a suspended ceiling was removed from the first floor lobby which was restored
to the original high ceilings. We added classic sconce lighting to suit our design.
- Original marble steps and wall panels line the entry and first three floors of stairwell
- OG&E had its Public Sservice Center and offices with main entrance on the
NorthEast corner of the building until ????. The upswept pointed concrete awning was
added along with other facade updates in the [~ ¿early 60's? 50's?~]
Columns were removed ~?when? during the same remodel??
- There was a Soda Fountain in the first floor Lobby where you could enjoy 'a refreshing beverage and your favorite cigar.'
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- 84,943 ~ record attendance at OU Owens Stadium ~ Sooners vs. Texas A&M, November 11, 2005
Other Stories
Birds in the rafters ~ or ~ How do you get pidgeons out of a large empty Hall with 28' ceilings?