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The Kora Temple is an historic
Masonic Freemasonry or Masonry refers to Fraternity, fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of Stonemasonry, stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their inte ...
building at 11 Sabattus Street in Lewiston, Maine. The temple was built in 1908 by the Ancient Arabic Order, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. The
Shriners Shriners International, formally known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (AAONMS), is an American Masonic society established in 1870 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. Shriners International describes itself ...
are a
fraternal organization A fraternity (from Latin ''frater'': "brother"; whence, "brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club or fraternal order traditionally of men associated together for various religious or secular aims. Fraternity in ...
affiliated with
Freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
and are known for their charitable works such as the
Shriners Hospitals for Children Shriners Children's is a network of non-profit medical facilities across North America. Children with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-center ...
which provide free medical care to children. The Kora Temple serves as a ceremonial space and clubhouse for the Shriners. The temple building was added to the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1975 for its distinctive Moorish-inspired architecture.


Description and history

The Kora Temple is located just northeast of Lewiston's downtown area, on a parcel of land bounded by Blake, Main, and Sabattus Streets. It is a three-story brick building, with a flat roof topped by a pair of onion domes. The main facade is ornate, with groups of pointed arch windows trimmed in terra cotta filigree predominating. The main entrance is set in a bulbous rounded arch, and there is a band of smaller but similarly arched windows on the third floor above. The building cornice consists of vaulted sections interspersed with pointed-arch niches similar in shape to the windows. The Kora Temple was organized in 1891, and originally met in Masonic lodge facilities on Lisbon Street, before acquiring a wood-frame building at this site. This temple was built in 1908 to a design by architect
George M. Coombs George M. Coombs (November 27, 1851 – March 27, 1909) was an American architect in practice in Lewiston, Maine from 1874 to 1909. Life and career George Millard Coombs was born November 27, 1851, in Brunswick, Maine to John Matthews Coomb ...
, at a cost of $100,000. The building reflects
Moorish The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or se ...
and
Exotic Revival In the United States, the National Register of Historic Places classifies its listings by various types of architecture. Listed properties often are given one or more of 40 standard architectural style classifications that appear in the National ...
architectural styles. The interior is ornately decorated with floor-to-ceiling murals, gold
filigree Filigree (also less commonly spelled ''filagree'', and formerly written ''filigrann'' or ''filigrene'') is a form of intricate metalwork used in jewellery and other small forms of metalwork. In jewellery, it is usually of gold and silver, ma ...
, and Tiffany chandeliers. The murals, which depict scenes from Arabic and Islamic history and decorate the Temple's dining hall, were painted by Harry Cochrane, a Shriner and accomplished Maine artist, between 1922 and 1927. The paintings were restored in the 1970s.


Gallery

File:Kora Temple stairway.JPG, Stairway File:Kora Temple dining hall ceiling.JPG, Ceiling in dining hall File:Kora Temple dining hall wall detail.JPG, Wall detail in dining hall File:Kora Temple dining hall balcony.JPG, Balcony in dining hall File:Kora Temple auditorium balcony.JPG, Balcony in auditorium File:Kora Temple dining hall mural.JPG, Portion of large mural in dining hall File:Kora_Shrine_Temple,_Lewiston,_ME.jpg, Kora Shrine Temple, Lewiston, ME; from a c. 1915 postcard


See also

*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Androscoggin County, Maine __NOTOC__ This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Androscoggin County, Maine. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Androscoggin Cou ...


References


External links


Kora Shrine Official Website
{{National Register of Historic Places Masonic buildings completed in 1908 Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine Buildings and structures in Lewiston, Maine National Register of Historic Places in Lewiston, Maine 1908 establishments in Maine Shriners Masonic buildings in Maine