Detroit Masonic Temple Library is a 501(c)(3) non-profit Michigan Corporation organized on October 14, 1882 and incorporated on July 9, 1981. |
at the library on a Wednesday evening April 22, 2009 7:00 pm 4th Floor Detroit Masonic Library Presenter: Wesley Thompson M.A. Masters thesis on on George D. Mason (Eastern Michigan) Refreshments will be served. $5.00 donation Lecture Title: Detroit’s Forgotten Dean: The Architecture of George Dewitt Mason Brief Synopsis of Lecture: “Few architects can survey almost a complete local course of architecture as George D. Mason could in Detroit”.[i] Emil L. Lorch, the Director of the College of Architecture at the University of Michigan, spoke these words at Mason’s ninetieth birthday celebration. Although it surely did help that Mason and Professor Lorch were long time friends, it should not take away from just how right professor Lorch was in his analysis of Mason and his work. By the time Mason turned ninety, his career as a architect in Detroit had spanned over seventy years, and he had some of Detroit’s, along with other communities’ noted structures to his credit. Mason, with his early partner Zachariah Rice, or his later associate architects; received commission after commission by using a mixture of basic and eclectic styles in their architecture. These styles include, but are not limited to, Richardsonian Romanesque, Gothic, Tudor, Federal, and Arts & Crafts. Added to this was the functionality of his work. The buildings he was commissioned to design included churches, manufacturing operations, public buildings, and places of residence for both the cities’ elite and later poor. Unfortunately much of Mason’s work has been somewhat overshadowed by other architectural gems, most notably the work of his own more famous student, Albert Kahn. Join us at the Detroit Masonic Temple Library with architectural historian Wesley R. Thompson who presents his interpretation of “Detroit’s Forgotten Dean” George Dewitt Mason. [i] Lorch, Emil L. “George D. Mason: A tribute and greeting on his ninetieth birthday, July 4, 1946”. Folder 12, Box 13, Emil L. Lorch Papers. Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. |
Brethren, At this event, we will have open discussion and will be selecting our next book to read and discuss. We will also identify the next meeting date. |
Library offers three Detroit Masonic Temple Tours
A Masons Architectural Tour of the Detroit Masonic Temple is offered by Dr. Thomas Brunk, Ph.D., President of the Detroit Masonic Library. Brunk@SpamCop.Net (Continuing Education Credits are available)
An historical tour of the Detroit Masonic Temple for public groups and Masonic Lodges is offered by Bro. John Snider johnsnider@hotmail.com (Lodge night degrees and a tour of the Temple are available)
A Lecture Tour of the Egyptain Lodge and Corinthian Lodge is offered by Karl Grube, Ph.D., President of the Bonisteel Masonic Library. Tour includes a 15 minute lecture on the History of the Detroit Masonic Temple . kgrube@bonisteelml.org (Masonic brothers from SE Michigan are pre)
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