Scottish Rite Temple, also known as The Temple Downtown, is a historic former

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 in

Mobile Mobile may refer to: Places * Mobile, Alabama, a U.S. port city * Mobile County, Alabama * Mobile, Arizona, a small town near Phoenix, U.S. * Mobile, Newfoundland and Labrador Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Mobile ( ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It was built to serve as the meeting place for the

Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry (the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction in the United States often omits the ''and'', while the English Constitution in the United Kingdom omits the ''Scottish''), commonly known as simply the Sco ...

. The building was designed by

George Bigelow Rogers George Bigelow Rogers (1870–1945) was an American architect, best known for the wide variety of buildings that he designed in Mobile, Alabama, including mansions in historic European styles and other private residences, churches and public buil ...

, a local Mobile architect who was responsible for designing many of the city's buildings during this period. The

cornerstone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over time ...

was laid on November 30, 1921, with the building completed in 1922. It is the only intact example of the

Egyptian Revival Egyptian Revival is an architectural style that uses the motifs and imagery of ancient Egypt. It is attributed generally to the public awareness of ancient Egyptian monuments generated by Napoleon's conquest of Egypt and Admiral Nelson's defeat ...

style in Mobile. It was placed on 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 ...

on January 5, 1984. It was sold in 1996 to a private citizen and reopened as a banqueting venue.

Architecture

The Scottish Rite Temple was inspired by Ancient Egyptian architectural forms, although combined in a unique way. The building facades on the east and north sides are in the form of Egyptian

pylons Pylon may refer to: Structures and boundaries * Pylon (architecture), the gateway to the inner part of an Ancient Egyptian temple or Christian cathedral * Pylon, a support tower structure for suspension bridges or highways * Pylon, an orange mar ...

. An ancient Egyptian pylon was made up of two battered (tapered) monumental towers, each topped by a cornice, and joined together by a less elevated section containing a central gateway leading into a temple. A battered wall is wider at the base than it is at the top, with an upwardly receding slope. The south facade of the Scottish Rite Temple abuts the adjacent property. It and the rear facade are plain masonry and are not battered. The two entrance doorways, on the elaborate east and north facades, were inspired by the Bab el’Adb Gate, also known as the Gateway of Ptolemy III and Ptolemy IV, at the

Karnak Temple Complex The Karnak Temple Complex, commonly known as Karnak (, which was originally derived from ar, خورنق ''Khurnaq'' "fortified village"), comprises a vast mix of decayed temples, pylons, chapels, and other buildings near Luxor, Egypt. Constru ...

. The east entrance is flanked by a pair of

sphinx A sphinx ( , grc, σφίγξ , Boeotian: , plural sphinxes or sphinges) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of a falcon. In Greek tradition, the sphinx has the head of a woman, the haunches of ...

es by the sculptor Allen W. Barr. The roof is surmounted by two protruding

obelisk An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by Anc ...

s that originally functioned as chimneys.

References

{{NRHP in Mobile, Alabama Buildings and structures in Mobile, Alabama Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Alabama Egyptian Revival architecture in Alabama Former Masonic buildings in Alabama George Bigelow Rogers buildings Masonic buildings completed in 1922 National Register of Historic Places in Mobile, Alabama