I hope you are not fed up with my OHNY coverage yet, I am posting this on my usual days off and have lots of other posts lined up for you...Next stop on my list was the Grand Lodge of Masons in Chelsea. It is a building I pass by every day on my way to work and always wondered what the inside looks like but never got around to checking it out during OHNY weekend. It was the 10th year that the Lodge opened it's doors during the open house weekend and everybody got a commemorative button at sites that had participated every year the weekend has been going on. On our button is a little sketch of the library with the vaulted ceiling and George Washington standing at the end.
On our tour we saw three smaller meeting rooms and a large gathering
place. The meeting halls all had different decorating themes but the
layout of the furniture remained the same. In every room there was a G
above the biggest chair (the seat of the grand marshal?), it stands for geometry. The 19 story building was built in 1910 and in the mid-nineties they hired somebody to bring the beautiful plaster work back to life as it had been painted over numerous times. Now everything is hand painted again in vibrant colors. What a contrast to the white and modern apartments I visited but beautiful in its own way.
What do you think?
I like all the colour - it's invigorating (as it's meant to be?)
ReplyDeleteThe freemasons are the most intriguing thing about American culture to me. They're so secretive! We have a beautiful grand lodge here in Philadelphia that I've been meaning to take a tour of to discover all their hidden secrets. So neat that you got to tour one!
ReplyDeleteI had thought about sneaking away from the group and soy out all their secrets ;) Always have to think about those Dan Brown books etc. and try to imagine that some of the stories might be true but the guy who showed us around told us it's nothing like those stories...
DeleteOhhoh. In all it's awfulness it's quite amazing :)
ReplyDeleteWow, it almost looks like a church in Italy or something!
ReplyDeleteWow, it's gorgeous! Look at all that architectural detail, and all the color is really pleasing. I bet you could have stayed there all day just marveling at all the beautiful details.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Erin (totally intriguing). And there is so much grandeur and detail in this meeting hall. It just makes me even more curious about the whole thing.
ReplyDeleteI think it's absolutely stunning. Not a place I'd like to be everyday or even live in, but that opulence of color? Amazing. All that detail? Breathtaking. I'm so glad you got to tour it, and I'm not tired of these posts *at all*!
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