ATTACHMENT “A” TO NOMINATION RESOLUTION N-21-175 / D-21-175
KEISHA LANCE 55 TRINITY AVENUE, S.W. SUITE 3350 - ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30303-0308 TIM KEANE BOTTOMS 404-330-6145 - FAX: 404-658-7491 Commissioner MAYOR www.atlantaga.gov KEVIN BACON, AIA, AICP Director, Office of Design Designation Report for 1331 Metropolitan Pkwy – Masonic Building Landmark Building / Site (LBS)
In Accordance with Section 16-20.005(d) of the City of Atlanta Code of Ordinances
Street Address(es): 1331-1333 Metropolitan Pkwy, SW
Application Number: N-21-175 / D-21-175
Proposed Category of Designation: Landmark Building / Site (LBS) - Exterior
Zoning Categories at Time of Designation: NC-9 (Neighborhood Commercial – 9) / Beltline Zoning Overlay
District: 14 Land Lot: 105 County: Fulton
Designation Report Sections: 1. Eligibility Criteria 2. Minimum Findings 3. Physical Description of the Property 4. Period of Significance 5. Neighborhood History and Context 6. Ownership, Occupancy, and Use of the Property 7. History and Narrative Statement of Significance 8. Bibliography 9. Contributing / Non-Contributing Structures 10. Potential for Transfer of Development Rights and Economic Incentives 11. General Boundary Description 12. Boundary Justification 13. General Plat Map 14. Property Photographs 15. Exhibits and Appendix
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1. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
As more fully described in this Designation Report, the 1331 Metropolitan Pkwy-Masonic Building Landmark Building / Site (LBS) meets the following criteria for a Landmark Building / Site (LBS), as defined in Section 16-20.004(b)(2)(a):
Group I - Historic Significance:
Three (1) total criteria - if qualifying under this group alone, at least one (1) criterion must be met. The 1331 Metropolitan Pkwy-Masonic Building Landmark Building / Site meets two (2) criteria:
(2) The 1331 Metropolitan Pkwy-Masonic Building Landmark Building / Site is associated with the important historical trends and traditions of the Free and Accepted Masons, the longest continuous fraternal organization in world history. The Masonic Lodge at 1333 Metropolitan Parkway was chartered on October 29, 1913, with the building completed in 1922. The building was named “Capitol View Lodge” because of its placement on a small promontory with a view of the state capitol building. Between the late 19th to the first half of the 20th century, Masonic membership in the country steadily increased. By the 1950s and early 1950s, Masonic membership reached its height the United States, with more than four million members nationwide and an estimated 970 members at the Capitol View Masonic Lodge #640.1
(3) The 1331 Metropolitan Pkwy-Masonic Building is associated with an extremely important cultural and social pattern of African-American history in Atlanta through the association of the National Alliance of Postal and Federal Employees located in the #1331 unit of the building between 1979-1990s. NAPFE is a national industrial labor union, headquartered in Washington, DC and was founded in Lookout Mountain, TN, in 1913 by, representatives of postal employees from 13 states. Its purpose was to fight and eliminate racial discrimination in the United States Postal Service. As noted in its own materials: “NAPFE union’s mission, broadly defined, to work to “eliminate discrimination and injustice in the federal service”.2
1 Capitol view Masonic Lodge 2 Postal unions.com
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Since the Railway Post Office Union in the first half of the 20th century was segregated, African American railway Post Office clerks had no organization to defend their interests.
Group II- Architectural Significance:
Eleven (11) total criteria - if qualifying under this group alone, at least five (5) criteria must be met. The 1331 Metropolitan Pkwy-Masonic Building Landmark Building / Site (LBS) meets six (6) criteria:
(1) The 1331 Metropolitan Pkwy-Masonic Building Landmark Building / Site (LBS) clearly dominates and is strongly identified with a street scene and the urban landscape given its prominence in the Capitol View Historic District and as a neighborhood and commercial center at the intersection of Metropolitan Parkway and Dill Avenue. The 1331 Metropolitan Pkwy-Masonic Building is visually prominent at the corner of Dill Avenue and Metropolitan Parkway with its viewshed extending along both streets and within the surrounding neighbors for a considerable distance. Its prominence is heightened by the upward slope of Metropolitan Parkway as one approaches the property from the north.
(2) The 1331 Metropolitan Pkwy-Masonic Building Landmark Building / Site (LBS) is the work of exceptionally important master architect in Atlanta. Designed by prominent architect Robert Smith Pringle, who was the lead partner at the Atlanta architectural firm Pringle & Smith Architects. Their firm is credited with contributing, through their architecture, to the growth and development of Atlanta and the Southeast.
(4) The 1331 Metropolitan Pkwy-Masonic Building Landmark Building / Site (LBS) is an example of a style that is extremely rare in the City of Atlanta, as it directly reflects through its design and fenestration patterns its use as ceremonial space for a fraternal organization – the Free and Accepted Masons.
(5) The 1331 Metropolitan Pkwy-Masonic Building is exceptionally fine example of a unique style or building type given its intact Neoclassical Style, its symmetrical façade that uses marble for architectural accents, and its multi-story massing (office and ceremonial space above retail space) located outside of the central business district of the City of Atlanta.
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(9) The exhibits a high degree of architectural integrity as it contains almost all its original features, materials, and finishes in their original condition and location.
(10) The 1331 Metropolitan Pkwy-Masonic Building Landmark Building / Site (LBS) has virtually all character-defining elements of its type and design intact. Originally constructed in 1922, the four-story Neoclassical Style commercial building possesses several of its original features and materials that identify its use as a multi-tenant commercial space and a Masonic Temple.
(11) The 1331 Metropolitan Pkwy-Masonic Building Landmark Building / Site’s (LBS) retains is original site orientation. The building has not been moved or altered from its original orientation facing the corner of Metropolitan Parkway and Dill Avenue, previously known as Stewart Avenue and Dill Avenue.
Group III - Cultural Significance:
Three (3) total criteria - if qualifying under this group alone, at least one (1) criterion must be met, as well as least three (3) criteria from Groups I and II. The 1331 Metropolitan Pkwy- Masonic Building Landmark Building / Site (LBS) meets three (3) criteria:
(1) The 1331 Metropolitan Pkwy-Masonic Building Landmark Building / Site (LBS) has served as a focus of activity and a gathering spot in the urban fabric of the city. The 1331- 1333 Metropolitan Parkway building was primarily used as a gathering spot for the Masonic Lodge #640 of the Free and Accepted Masons. The building was also used as a community center for society organizations to gather and hold meetings. The Order of the Eastern Star and the International Order of the Rainbow Girls were among the main societies that held activities at the Masonic Lodge. The Masonic Lodge was additionally used as a central hub for various retail and commercial services that have served the surrounding community, such as a pharmacy, dentistry, and a barbershop.
(2) The 1331 Metropolitan Pkwy-Masonic Building is broadly known and recognized by residents throughout the City of Atlanta due to its significant size and Neoclassical Style which stand out from the surrounding 1-2 story early and mid-century residential
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neighborhoods. The building has remained a prominent landmark in the neighborhood as new and old development has filled in and altered the surrounding city blocks.
(3) The 1331 Metropolitan Pkwy-Masonic Building conveys a sense of time and place and has distinctive features that make it an exceptionally good resource for historic interpretation. The architectural features, size, and location of the Masonic Lodge conveys a strong sense of time in history that is highlighted by the materials, style, and signage / labels that show the building’s previous use as a Masonic Lodge and center for African American association through the presence of the National Alliance of Postal and Federal Employees.
2. MINIMUM FINDINGS
The 1331 Metropolitan Pkwy-Masonic Building Landmark Building / Site (LBS) meets the specific criteria referenced in Section #1 of this report (“Eligibility Criteria”). Further, as more fully described in this Designation Report, the 1331 Metropolitan Pkwy-Masonic Building Landmark Building / Site (LBS) also meets the “minimum criteria” for a Landmark Building / Site (LBS) as set out in Section 16-20.004(b)(1) of the Code of Ordinances of the City as follows:
Section 16-20.004(b)(1):
The 1331 Metropolitan Pkwy-Masonic Building Landmark Building / Site (LBS) possesses an integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association, taking into account the integrity of the limited, cumulative physical changes that occurred during the entire period of significance: 1922-2016.
Section 16-20.004(b)(1)(a) – (c): a. The 1331 Metropolitan Pkwy-Masonic Building Landmark Building / Site (LBS) is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history,
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particularly for its association with the Masonic fraternal movement and African American advocacy through the National Alliance of Postal and Federal Employees; and c. The 1331 Metropolitan Pkwy-Masonic Building Landmark Building / Site (LBS) embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, particularly its original, early 20th century commercial form and Neoclassical Style.
3. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPERTY:
Summary Description:
The 1331 Metropolitan Pkwy-Masonic Building is a contributing building at the current address(es) of 1331-1333 Metropolitan Parkway, SW. Historically its address was 453 Stewart Avenue in the early 1920s, then later 1333 ½ Stewart Avenue. The building is a Neoclassical Style with elements in brick and marble. It was designed by Robert Smith Pringle in the years before his successful partnership with Francis P. Smith. The first stone was laid September 1921 with the building completed in 1922. The building was named "Capitol View Lodge" by the Masons because it sat on a small promontory with a view of the State of Georgia Capitol. Originally, Lodge #640 was home to about 550 Masons.
The four-story lodge adheres to a tripartite formula of: base, shaft, and crown. The base was constructed for retail space, the second floor contains office space, and the upper floors housed the Mason's auditorium and ritual / ceremonial space. The building has a parapet roof form and only at the rear of the side elevation are all four floors apparent, as the front facade exhibits windows on just three floors. The exterior "crown" is the cornice and frieze, with the middle floors composing the shaft. The fenestration is symmetrical and leads the eye vertically up the building. Further, the building has a "Main Street" commercial feel, which suits its larger context to the Capitol View neighborhood / Metropolitan Parkway area and its multi-use functionality, including retail, service, and community organizations.
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Date of construction and source(s) used to determine date:
1922 – Fulton County Tax Plat Records
Date(s) of significant/major exterior alterations and/or additions:
- Date of Construction -1921-1922
- Date of alterations – unknown
Present Day East (Front, Metropolitan Parkway) Façade:
The east facade that faces Metropolitan Avenue is generally symmetrical. The base of the building, at the sidewalk level, is all marble and contains commercial retail space. There are two glass door storefront entrances centered on the façade, flanked by large display windows. At each end of the sidewalk level (the corners of the building) are more elaborate, marble framed doors - the right with a label of “National Alliance of Postal and Federal Employees” and the left inset into the building. The marble framed doors have broken pediments with the Masonic symbol of the letter “G” engraved over the door frame’s cornice line. The doors themselves are modern, metal glass doors - the right one accessible by five marble stairs directly off the sidewalk.
The shaft of the building has two fluted Corinthian columns that run the height of the second and third floor, which are flanked by windows. The windows are five-over-one, tinted, awning- style windows, with the third-floor row having triangular marble pediments and all the windows having marble casing / “framing”.
The crown section of the facade has a boxed eave with moderate overhang and a line of dentils. Beneath the cornice and dentils line is a wide frieze band that has four circle symbols that continue throughout the east facade. The second through fourth floors have a yellow brick exterior with a running bond pattern.
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Present Day South (Dill Avenue) Façade:
The south facade along Dill Avenue contains the tenant unit numbers 631 and 633 Dill Avenue that housed a variety of businesses over the majority of the 20th century. The first floor has eight marble columns embedded between yellow running bond bricks, creating “bays” in the south facade. The first floor also has a door centered on one of the bays with an arched window above the frame, and two storefront doors and windows closer to the north-facing rear facade. To the right of the door noted above, one in each bay, are two arched windows aligned at the height of the arched window above the door noted above. On the corner of Dill Avenue and Metropolitan Parkway is a recessed storefront entrance with glass doors and windows. The corner is supported by a large marble column with a thick cornice band stretching from the east (front, Metropolitan Parkway) facade to the south facade. The second story has fourteen, tinted, awning-style, five-over-one windows. The third floor has four, single-pane, single-hung windows situated in pairs – one pair close to the east (front, Metropolitan Parkway) facade and one pair near the west (rear) facade. There is a noticeable gap between the windows on the south façade to accommodate the dedicated Temple space within the building. The fourth floor has nine smaller, tinted, awning-style, four-over-one windows. The cornice area mimics the east (front, Metropolitan Parkway) façade cornice.
Present Day North (Interior Side) Façade:
Brick on the north facade is a dark red color in a common bond pattern, with windows placed in rows at the three floor levels. Seven wooden, single-hung windows are located at the first level. On the second floor there are twelve windows and on the third floor there are five windows with three grouped closer to the east (front, Metropolitan Parkway) facade and two grouped towards the west (rear) façade. Similar to the south (Dille Avenue) façade, there is a visual gap in the row of windows on the floor due to the ceremonial Temple space inside the building. On the fourth floor, above the gap in the third floor windows are nine, tinted, awning- style, four- over-one windows.
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Present Day West (Rear) Façade:
The brick on the west (rear) facade continues in the color and pattern of the north (interior side) facade. A single brick chimney is connected to the rear façade with five, tinted, awning-style, five-over-one windows. The facade is the least detailed and contains less windows than the other four facades of the building.
4. PERIOD OF SIGNIFICANCE:
The period of significance extends from the construction of the building in 1922 through its active use as a gathering spot for Freemasons and the Capitol View community, commercial space for businesses and the social justice organization of the National Alliance of Postal and Federal Employees. The period of significance is 1922-2016.
5. NEIGHBORHOOD HISTORY AND CONTEXT:
The 1331 Metropolitan Pkwy-Masonic Building is in the federal National Register of Historic Places Capitol View Historic District. The Historic District was listed in 2016 for significance at the local level under “Criterion A” in the area of “community planning and development” and under “Criterion C” in the area of “architecture” for its importance to the City of Atlanta as an early settlement that evolved into a streetcar and automobile suburb on the southside of Atlanta.3 The following description is an excerpt from the National Register of Historic Places Nomination for the Capitol View Historic District:
“The Capitol View Historic District is a large, urban, primarily residential neighborhood in Atlanta, south of Adair Park, east of Oakland City, west of Capitol View Manor, and northeast of Sylvan Hills. Downtown Atlanta is approximately four miles to the north/northeast. The neighborhood is roughly bounded to the north by the former Atlanta & West Point railroad line; to the west by Sylvan Road; to the south by the southern end of Perkerson Park; and to the east by Metropolitan Parkway (historically Stewart Avenue). Metropolitan Parkway
3 Capitol View Historic District Nomination, p.14
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functions as the primary north-south thoroughfare, while Sylvan Road and Allene Avenue act as secondary north-south traffic corridors. The Metropolitan Parkway alignment very closely corresponds to the north-south land lot line dividing land lots 105 and 88, and 104 and 89. Dill Avenue is the primary east-west thoroughfare through the district and Deckner Avenue acts as a secondary east- west traffic corridor. The oldest major section of the neighborhood is the northeastern portion of the district (north of Deckner Avenue and west of Metropolitan Parkway) which contains many early 20th-century bungalows. There are also a few 19th-century houses along Metropolitan Parkway. The Stewart Avenue (now Metropolitan Parkway)/Dill Avenue intersection has served as an important reference point in the district's growth and development. While the streetcar remained in service through the early 21st century, Dill Avenue, which accommodated the city trolley line, acted as the focal point for development in Capitol View. Later, as the automobile gained popularity and became more widely available to the middle-class, Stewart Avenue (now Metropolitan Parkway) assumed a more dominant role in the regional transportation network.
The Metropolitan Parkway/Dill Avenue intersection represents the highest density development within the district and is site to multiple commercial and institutional buildings. Sylvan Road also acts as an important north-south thoroughfare and there exists a distinct node of commercial properties at its intersection with Dill Avenue. These corners historically acted as neighborhood centers of commerce and activity which also correspond to the historic streetcar line. Other commercial properties are interspersed along Dill Avenue, Sylvan Road, and Metropolitan Parkway within the district.”4
4 Capitol View Historic District Nomination, p.7
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“Commercial and Institutional Buildings:
The 1331 Metropolitan Pkwy-Masonic Building was originally used as a pharmacy for the community before expanding into the home base for the freemasons of the area. On the street level there were several businesses that resided in the space over the roughly 60-year period of use as a Masonic Temple. Due to the geographics of the area, properties within the district grew out of a need for services for local residents. Locations correspond to the primary transportation corridors, occurring in two distinct nodes: the Dill Avenue and Metropolitan Parkway intersection, and the Dill Avenue and Sylvan Road intersection. There are a few isolated commercial buildings along Dill Avenue and at the corner of secondary north-south intersections with residential roads. These likely correspond to historic streetcar stops. The fact that commercial activity prospered and expanded along Dill Avenue between 1900 and 1930, which was after the streetcar route was truncated at Ashby Street (now Sylvan Road) in 1902, strongly suggests that these businesses were intended to service the Capitol View neighborhood and that they were not counting on through-traffic. After 1930, automobile-oriented commercial ventures began to appear on maps at commercial nodes, indicating that residents began to rely more on cars for transport and less on the city's streetcar network.”5
6. OWNERSHIP, OCCUPANCY, and USE OF THE PROPERTY:
General commercial, office and retail uses, and Masonic Temple: (City directories and tax records were used to identify occupants by year and unit number.)
Property Owners: ● Capitol View Masonic Temple Co./ D.W Watson (1939) - Deed ● Stewart Ave. Building Inc. (1939 - 1947) - Deed ● Temple Building Inc. (1947 - 1979) - Deed/Plat records ● National Alliance of Postal & Federal Employees – (1979 to 2016) Fulton County Tax Assessor (FCTA) ● Metro Masons LLC – (2016 to present) FCTA
5 Capitol View Historic District Nomination, p. 8
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Property Use / Occupants: ● Capitol View/Drug Co (1921-1961) – City Directory (CD) ● F L Corley phys (1925-1930) – CD Between 1926 – 1930, the street address number changed from 453 Stewart Av. to 1333 & 1333½ Stewart Av. (633 & 631 remained the same on Dill Av.) ● C V Lodge No. 640 F&AM (Prior to 1930 - 1979) - CD ● Dickey E A Dentist (1930) - CD ● Lynn J Worth dentist (1930-1932) - CD ● Order of Eastern Star (Lebanon Chapter No. 105) (1930- 1979) - CD ● C V Variety Store (Bessie Roe) - 631 Dill Av. (1930-1935) – CD ● Capitol View Barber Shop (Mathew J Hicks) - 633 Dill Av. (1931-1953) - CD ● Capitol View Woman’s Club (1935) – CD ● Mrs. M.R. Pope (1938) - Deed ● E. West, by Atty (1938) - Deed ● Lebanon Assembly No. 9 - Order of Rainbows for Girls (1940 - 1979) - CD ● Fulton County Selective Service Board No. 6 (1943~1947) CD ● Joiner Wm R Real Estate (1951~1958) - CD ● C V Tea Room (Vernon E Callahan) restr - 631 Dill Av. & 1331 Stewart Av. (1953-1961) - CD ● Capitol View Chapter No. 60 (RAM) 1333½ Stewart Av. (1958-1979) - CD ● State Farm Ins. Co. genl (1958-1961) - CD ● State Farm Mut Auto Ins. Co (1958-1961) – CD Between 1965-1970, the street address number changed from 1333 ½ to 1331 Stewart Ave. (1970-1979) ● French Poodle Hair Fashions - 1331 Stewart Av. (1965~1972) - CD ● Williams Pharmacy -1333 Stewart Av. (1970~1990)- CD ● National Alliance of Postal Workers & Federal Employees. 1331a. (1979~1991) – CD ● Unique Styles Beauty Shop - 1331 Stewart Av. (1983~1991) -CD ● Atlanta Sewing Machine (1991) – CD
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7. HISTORY AND NARRATIVE STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE:
Capitol View Masonic Temple Free & Associated Masonic Lodge (F. & A. M.) #640:
The Capitol View Masonic Lodge #640 began on July 29, 1913, when the lodge met under dispensation in the basement of Capitol View Baptist Church on Beattie Avenue in southwest Atlanta. The Lodge was chartered on October 29, 1913, and by 1921 preparations were underway to build a temple at the corner of Stewart and Dill Avenues.6 The first stone was laid September 1921 with the building completed in 1922. The building was named “Capitol View Lodge” because of its placement on a small promontory with a view of the state capitol building.
Between the late 19th to the first half of the 20th century, Masonic membership in the country steadily increased. By the 1950s and early 1950s, Masonic membership reached its height the United States, with more than four million members nationwide and an estimated 970 members at the Capitol View Masonic Lodge #640.8 This period of increased membership is suggested by historians to correlate with returning veterans from World War II and the Korea War. During the 1930-1960s decades, Capitol View Masonic Lodge #640 was heavily involved with other civic groups and membership-based organizations like the Order of the Eastern Star, Women’s Clubs, and youth organizations due to its location in a heavily residential, then “suburban” area of Atlanta. The building itself and the Masonic Lodge activities created a multi-use and multigenerational “everyday” and sacred space that fulfilled the needs of the community and the needs of the rituals associated with the Freemasons.
By the late 1960s and early 1970s, Masonic membership began to dwindle across the United States. In response to the membership losses, many larger Masonic lodges merged or consolidated with other lodges and relocated into smaller, more affordable, buildings than their previous grand temples. By 1976, Capitol View’s membership had declined by 50%. The Lodge merged with a smaller lodge in Rico, Georgia and continued to meet at Capitol View Masonic Temple at 1331 Metropolitan Parkway, SW until 1979.9
6 Capitol View Masonic Lodge 8 Capitol view Masonic Lodge 9 Ibid.
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What is Freemasonry:
Freemasonry is the institution, practice and principle of the international order of Free and Accepted Masons. Freemasonry originally began as a craft guild in the Middle Ages, that later developed into a secret society during the 17th century and was extremely influential, and controversial, in the early American republic. The size and power of its membership and its presumed incompatibility with democracy put Freemasonry under attack for its elitism and secrecy during the 18th century. When masonry went into decline in the United States during the second half of the 18th century, Freemasonry reinvented itself as a broader, nonpolitical movement in the late 19th century.
Origins of Freemasonry:
During the Middle Ages, skilled stoneworkers, or masons, were in large demand in Western Europe where the construction of castles, cathedrals, and other large structures placed a premium on their skills. Masons were therefore free of many of the strictures of medieval European society. They were allowed to travel widely and were not tied to lands or medieval lords. To protect their privileges, masons formed a guild, closely guarded their trade secrets, and developed an elaborate system of codes to prevent others from claiming to be members.
By 1700, the Mason’s Guild had been taken over by scientists and philosophers who were less interested in masonry than the guild’s progressive tradition and ancient roots. The Masons had over the years invited nobles and merchants to join the guild to gain business and extend their influences. These new members had brought an interest in the ideals of the Renaissance, and especially the mystical progressivism of Rosicrucianism, into Masonry. (The Rosicrucian of the early 17th century combined utopian ideas with the metaphors of alchemy and other magical traditions to challenge traditional morality and religion.)10
After Pope Clement XII banned Freemasonry from Catholic countries in 1738, asserting that its ideals conflicted with Roman Catholic Church doctrine, the organization became completely separated from its roots as a trade guild. It instead evolved into a secret society devoted to scientific exploration and social and political progress. The collapse of Freemasonry in Europe
10 Ridley, J. G. (2011). The Freemasons: A history of the world's most powerful secret society. p. 287
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Growth in the United States & Georgia:
The new England masonic movement established its first American lodge in 1717. The Masonic movement in America was slow to expand, largely because of controls by the Grand Lodge in London. During the American Revolution, however, lodges in North America gradually served their ties with the Grand Lodge in London. By 1790, American Freemasonry was independent of British control; by 1800, the new American movement boasted 16,000 members in more than 350 lodges. In the early 19th century, Freemasonry grew rapidly in cities like New York, Boston, and Philadelphia where they became closely associated with upper class society.
The Grand Lodge of Georgia has existed since 1786. The Grand Lodge of Georgia was incorporated with “perpetual duration” on February 6, 1796, by an Act of the General Assembly of Georgia passed for that purpose and has been delivered down to the present day.”11
The following description is provided by Leave of Georgia Masonry, written by the Grand Lodge of Georgia:
“of all the colonies in America, probably none had a greater Masonic influence in its inception and its development than did Georgia. The influences and the men governing the growth of the colony from those governing the growth of the Craft, the men who were the guiding forces in the development of the colony and other states were leaders of the Craft.”12
Missions, Values, and Symbols of Freemasons and Masonic Temples:
The mission of the Freemasons is, “to labor in order to accomplish God’s design, but they were also expected to conduct themselves honorably within the structures and hierarchies that the Great architect [God] had established on earth”.13 Freemasons have ancient values performed when individuals go through the Masonic initiation ceremony. The values of Freemasonry
11 History of Freemasonry in Georgia 12 Park, William B., Leaves from Georgia Masons 13 Moore, W. D. (2006). Masonic temples: Freemasonry, ritual architecture, and masculine archetypes. Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee Press. p. 13
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ATTACHMENT “A” TO NOMINATION RESOLUTION N-21-175 / D-21-175 possess religious origins that are practiced in every Masonic Temple. While religious ties with Catholicism in Europe conflicted with the practices and beliefs of the freemasons a noted above, many masons of Georgia were religiously tolerant and spiritual people. Further, many Masons across Georgia have been credited as leaders and founders of churches across the state. It was not uncommon for Masonic Temples to be associated with surrounding churches either through individual membership ties or community gatherings. Capitol View Masonic Lodge #640 is a prime example of this trend of combining community and sacred spaces.
Over the centuries that Freemasonry has been in the United States, various elements of Masonic symbols and images have been adopted by the United States government in emphasizing progress and idealism for the nation’s prosperity, such as “the Great seal, the designs on American currency, and arguably the American flag all bear Masonic symbols''14.
The men that choose to be initiated into the society would have to undergo a symbolic death and rebirth ceremony performed by high-ranking masters of the lodge. The degrees of Freemasonry retain the three grades of medieval craft guilds, those of Apprentice, Journeyman or fellow (now called Fellowcraft), and Master Mason. The candidates of these three degrees are progressively taught the meanings of the symbols of Freemasonry and entrusted with grips, signs and words to signify to other members that he has been so initiated.
Masonic Temple Design and Building Configuration:
While the use of symbols was standard practice when constructing Masonic Temples, there was not a formal standard across the organization that stated an architectural type or style temples had to be in. This liberty created a variety of design and styles for masonic temples across the United States. While the exterior building styles and non-Masonic spaces were determined by the designers or the lodge members on a case-by-case basis, the interior spaces were formulated with a consistent layout, including the lodge rooms themselves within the Masonic Temples. Lodge rooms were more than a meeting space for a private society, but a sacred space in which the Masonic ideals of the craftsman were taught. The rooms themselves were didactic tools used to educate the membership through visual cues and
14 Ridley, J. G. (2011). The Freemasons: A history of the world's most powerful secret society. p. 288
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ATTACHMENT “A” TO NOMINATION RESOLUTION N-21-175 / D-21-175 spatial layout. The rooms were shaped physically by the members of the fraternity but the men that used the space were molded by the values or the society that was Freemasonry.
Across the United States between 1870-1930, the stylistic elements and design of Masonic temples referred to Hiram Abiff, the chief architect of King Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem (957 BCE) and the Temple itself, as a central model for the lodge rooms, rituals and the masonic culture.15
The lodge space that is contained within a Masonic Temple acted as a multivalent sign for a complex constellation of interrelated abstractions cognitively linked to the temple by the fraternity.16 The lodge room is important because of its layered symbolisms. Rituals held within the lodges allowed members to transcend time and enter an alternative reality. While the rituals were performed, the lodge room symbolized Solomon’s Temple while it also represented every space used by Freemasons throughout history. Often lodges did not have windows in order to perform these rituals in a timeless setting disconnected from chronological ties.17 While lodge rooms were designed to distance the membership from everyday reality to strengthen the connections among fellow Masons, this practice created a standard for ceremony space used by Freemasons around the world and throughout history. However, while lodges were considered sacred spaces they were also used as entertainment space for community theater and community-based events.
At the beginning of most Masonic chapters, meetings were held in rented or leased spaces commonly occupied by non-masonic commercial ventures. Capitol View Masonic Lodge #640 followed this trend. In most cases between the 1870-1920s, Masonic temples were designed and built to house stores and offices on the street level and spaces for Masonic organizations such as drill halls, banquet rooms, and armories on the upper floors. This merger of commercial and ritual space was to provide additional revenue for the upkeep of the buildings without the burdens of taxation onto the lodge members.18
15 Moore, W. D. (2006). Masonic temples: Freemasonry, ritual architecture, and masculine archetypes. Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee Press. p. 20
16 Ibid. 17 17 Ibid. 18 18 Ibid. 124
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In situations like Capitol View Masonic Lodge #640, when masonic organizations wanted to create a “purely masonic” building but were limited in financial resources, they would acquire and build upon existing buildings in prominently located areas to transform them into Masonic structures by reconfiguring the interior of the spaces and building above the single story buildings.19 As mentioned, the interior spaces were designed to create a space for rituals, community theater, and other organizational events. The rituals performed among freemasons across the United States had a dedicated standard floor plan with an altar and Bible at the center and the seating for officers and members located around the periphery, to ensure that all lodge rooms were cognitively interchangeable sites for the Masonic teachings. The rituals enacted within the organization were believed to be sanctioned by God, the “Great Architect of the Universe” and were meant to educate men in how to act as “craftsmen” and build according to God’s plans.20
Order of Eastern Star:
Associated with the Masons of the Capitol View Masonic Lodge was the Order of the Eastern Star (Lebanon Chapter) located at 1333 ½ Stewart Avenue. The Order of the Eastern Star is the largest fraternal organization in the world to which both women and men can be members. Worldwide, there are over 500,000 members under the General Grand Chapter and members must be 18 years or older. Men involved in the organization must be Master Masons, while women must have a specific relationship to a Mason. Originally a woman had to be the daughter, widow, wife, sister or mother of a Master Mason, but the Order now allows other relatives as well as allowing Job's Daughters (see below) and Rainbow Girls (see below) to become members when they reach the age of 18.
The Order of the Eastern Star is a social order with similar spiritual values as described among the Freemasons, but it is not a religion. Its appeal rests in the true beauty of the refreshing and character-building lessons that are so sincerely portrayed in its ritualistic work.21 Since its origin, the Order of the Eastern Star organization has similar spiritual satisfactions as the male masons in areas like charity and education. The Lebanon Chapter of the Order of the Eastern
19 Ibid. 129 20 ibid. 39 21 General Grand Chapter OES - Order of the Eastern Star
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Star on Stewart Avenue resided in the shared space with the Freemasons until 1979 when the organization’s membership declined and relocated.
Job’s Daughters International:
Job's Daughters International is a Masonic affiliated youth organization for girls and young women aged 10 to 20. The organization is commonly referred to as simply Job's Daughters or “Jobies”. Historically this organization required blood relative association to join the organization. Until August 2015, an inspiring member had to be related to a Master Mason or Majority Member. Now, members can be sponsored by a Majority Member and Master Mason if there are no blood ties found.
The organization was originally founded as “The Order of Job's Daughters” by Ethel T. Wead Mick in Omaha, Nebraska, on October 20, 1920. The organization was created to bring young girls together to build character through moral and spiritual development. Ethel Mick was fond of the Book of Job and took the name of the organization as a reference to the three daughters of Job. The Book of Job, chapter 42, verse 15 says, "In all the land were no women found so far as the Daughters of Job, and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren".22 She founded the Order with the assistance of her husband, Dr. William H. Mick, and several Freemasons and members of the Order of the Eastern Star of Nebraska. By June 1923 the Job's Daughters had been endorsed by the Grand Chapters of the Order of the Eastern Star in Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington, DC. The order spread rapidly in the early 1920s.
Chapters were referred as Bethels as were their physical meeting locations. Each Bethel is numbered sequentially according to when they were instituted in their jurisdiction. Bethel chapters usually meet at a Masonic Lodge building, but occasionally meet at church halls. In the mid-1930s, the organization’s name was changed from the International Order of Job's Daughters to Job's Daughters International. Today, a Bethel chapter is similar to a troop of Girl or Boy Scouts. The Job’s Daughter International organization had similar age requirements, and fundamental missions and beliefs, of those involved in the International Order of the
22 “Job's Daughters International.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, March 27, 2021.
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Rainbow Girls. However, there are distinctive differences are their origins and their definitive ties to Freemasons.
The Rainbow Girls:
The International Order of the Rainbow for Girls (IORG) is a Masonic youth service organization that teaches leadership training through community service. Young girls and women aged 10 - 20 learn about the values of charity and service through their work and involvement with their local and Grand state chapters or county service projects. The order came into existence in 1922 when the Reverend W. Mark Sexson, a Freemason, was asked to make an address before the South McAlester Chapter #149, Order of the Eastern Star, in McAlester, Oklahoma.23 It was towards the end of Sexson’s visit where he suggested the creation of a similar order for young women as a beneficial tool to connect and inspire youth in the Freemasons community.
The first initiation consisted of a class of 171 young women on April 6, 1922 in the auditorium of the Scottish Rite Temple in McAlester, Oklahoma. The original name was "Order of the Rainbow for Girls". The organization runs under the guidance of an assigned chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star and often associated through familial ties to local Masonic lodges in the area. Over the 20th century, the missions of the Rainbow Girls have evolved to “emphasize the positive representation of girls in this age category so to be empowered to be elected to hold office, travel locally or globally, conduct speaking engagements, oversee charity projects, and participate in all facets of Assembly work.”24 The Capitol View Masonic Lodge #640 housed the Rainbow Girls organization under the Order of the Eastern Star - Lebanon Chapter from the 1930s to 1979.
National Alliance of Postal and Federal Employees (NAPFE):
After the Capitol View Masons moved out of the lodge, the Temple Building Inc., the official property owner, sold the building to The National Alliance of Postal and Federal Employees (NAPFE). NAPFE’s office was located on the first floor of the masonic lodge and listed its address as 1331 Stewart Avenue, SW (now Metropolitan Parkway, SW) from 1979 to 2016.
23 International order of the Rainbow for girls. (2020, December 24). 24 Ibid.
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NAPFE is a national industrial labor union, headquartered in Washington, DC and was founded in Lookout Mountain, TN, in 1913 by, representatives of postal employees from 13 states. Its purpose was to fight and eliminate racial discrimination in the United States Postal Service. As noted in its own materials: “NAPFE union’s mission, broadly defined, to work to “eliminate discrimination and injustice in the federal service”.25 Since the Railway Post Office Union in the first half of the 20th century was segregated, African American railway Post Office clerks had no organization to defend their interests.
Black postal clerks had been serving aboard railroad cars for years, during a time when the cars were made of wood and safety was marginal. When steel cars began to replace the wooden cars, and the workplace became safer, the Railway Mail Association began to recruit white workers for employment. NAPFE was established to give black workers and clerks a unified voice with postal authorities and to prevent the elimination of African Americans from the Railway Mail Service (RMS). The RMS was a significant mail transportation service in the United States between the mid-19th century and the mid-20th century. The RMS carried the majority of letters and packages mailed across the United States during this period of time. As such, discrimination faced by African American Railway Post Office clerks was the main reason the NAPFE was founded. As NAPFE expanded and social justice issues began to be embedded American society, the alliance began to protest the use of photographs for identification on civil service exams.
By 1923, African American individuals from all postal service occupations showed interest in joining the only African American union available to them. At this time, the NAPFE became the first industrial union in the postal service. In 1965, the NAPFE voted to allow federal employees to join the union, regardless of their craft. In 1972, NAPFE introduced the Youth Division, which allowed children of union members to take an active role in union proceedings and develop leadership skills. NAPFE eventually expanded to include other divisions such as the National Alliance of Postal and Federal Retired Persons, and the Management Division.
25 Postal unions.com
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Robert Smith Pringle:
The building was designed by prominent architect Robert Smith Pringle during the emerging years of Pringle and Smith Architects – a firm formed with prominent Atlanta architect Francis Palmer Smith. The following biography has been provided by the Georgia Institute of Technology Library Archives and Special Collections:
Francis Palmer Smith obtained a B.S. in Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania in 1907. After two years of work as a draftsman for architecture firms in Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio, Smith came to Atlanta to serve as a professor and the director of the Georgia Tech Department of Architecture. Georgia Tech began offering architecture classes in 1908 and by 1911 more than 40 students were enrolled in the program. The early years of the architecture program were shaped by the Beaux-Arts model of education. Similar to the program at Smith’s alma mater, University of Pennsylvania, the Georgia Tech architecture program was designed to prepare the student to serve as an architect’s assistant immediately upon graduation and eventually establish his own architecture practice. Design was stressed, as was freehand drawing and watercolor instruction. Students also studied architectural history and construction methods.
While the director of Georgia Tech’s architecture department, Francis Palmer Smith also participated in the growth of Tech’s campus. He designed several buildings on campus including the original Whitehead Memorial Infirmary (now known as the Chapin Building) and the Mechanical Engineering Building (now the J.S. Coon Building). Together with his former professors at University of Pennsylvania, Paul Cret and Warren Laird, Smith created an early master plan for Georgia Tech’s campus growth. Smith remained the director of Tech’s Department of Architecture until 1922 when he went into private practice in Atlanta.
From 1922-1934, Frances Palmer Smith partnered with Robert Smith Pringle. The firm of Pringle and Smith was very prolific, completing hundreds of projects
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in just over a decade. Pringle and Smith designed many houses for Atlanta neighborhoods such as Peachtree Heights and Druid Hills in addition to designing well-known commercial buildings in Atlanta, including the Rhodes-Haverty Office Building and the Cox-Carlton Hotel. While much of their work was in Atlanta, other projects were located across Georgia as well as Florida and Alabama, particularly the standardized bottling plants they designed for Coca-Cola.
After Pringle retired in 1934, Smith continued as a solo architect. During World War II, Smith served in the Army Corps of Engineers and in 1943, he was named a fellow of the American Institute of Architects. Francis Palmer Smith maintained an independent architectural practice until the mid-1950s.26
26 Francis P. Smith and Henry H. Smith Visual Materials DV008, Archives, Library and Learning Excellence, Georgia Institute of Technology.
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8. BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Capitol View Historic District. (n.d.). Retrieved April 21, 2021, from https://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/places/16000195.htm
Capitol View Masonic Lodge. (n.d.). Retrieved April 21, 2021, from http://www.chatthillshistory.com/capitol-view-masonic-lodge.html
Craig, R. M. (2012). SouthernEdition.com a review of the architecture of Francis Palmer Smith: Atlanta's Scholar architect. Retrieved April 21, 2021, from http://www.southernedition.com/AReviewofTheArchitectureofFrancisPalmerSmith.html
Craig, Robert M. "Francis Palmer Smith (1886-1971)." New Georgia Encyclopedia. 13 May 2016. Web. 14 April 2021.
General grand chapter OES - Order of the Eastern Star. (n.d.). Retrieved April 21, 2021, from https://www.easternstar.org/
History of Freemasonry in Georgia. (n.d.). Retrieved April 21, 2021, from https://glofga.org/history-of-freemasonry-in-georgia/
History of NAPFE- https://www.napfe.com/about-napfe/history-of-napfe.html
International order of the Rainbow for girls. (2020, December 24). Retrieved April 21, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Order_of_the_Rainbow_for_Girls
Moore, W. D. (2006). Masonic temples: Freemasonry, ritual architecture, and masculine archetypes. Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee Press.
National Alliance of Postal and Federal Employees: https://www.napfe.com/about-napfe.html
National Alliance of Postal and Federal Employees: Encyclopedia of Cleveland History: Case Western Reserve University. (2018, May 12). Retrieved April 21, 2021, from https://case.edu/ech/articles/n/national-alliance-postal-and-federal-employees
Park, William B., Leaves from Georgia Masons, History of Georgia Masons. Atlanta History Center.
Postal unions. (n.d.). Retrieved April 21, 2021, from https://postalmuseum.si.edu/research- articles/the-history-and-experience-of-african-americans-in-america%E2%80%99s-postal- service-5
Ridley, J. G. (2011). The Freemasons: A history of the world's most powerful secret society. New York: Arcade Pub. p. 287-288.
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9. CONTRIBUTING / NON-CONTRIBUTING STRUCTURES:
Within the boundaries of the property at 1331-1333 Metropolitan Parkway, the entire exterior of the extant building, including all ornamentation and signage form the period of significance is considered contributing to the Landmark Building / Site (LBS) designation.
10. POTENTIAL FOR TRANSFER OF DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS AND ECONOMIC INCENTIVES:
In addition to other economic incentives administered by the State of Georgia that may apply to the proposed Landmark Building / Site (including the Rehabilitated Historic Property Tax Abatement Program, Federal Income Tax Credit Program, and the State Income Tax Credit Program), the 1333 Metropolitan Parkway-Masonic Building Landmark Building / Site could be potentially eligible for the following City economic incentives:
Landmark Historic Property Tax Abatement Program:
The owner of an income-producing building, which is listed in the National or Georgia Register of Historic Places and has been designated by the City as a Landmark Building or a contributing building in a Landmark District, may obtain preferential property tax treatment. The building must be in standard condition. For purposes of tax assessment for City taxes, excluding bonded indebtedness, the fair market value of the building and up to two acres of land surrounding it, is frozen for eight years at the level existing at the time of application and certification. In the ninth year, the fair market value is fixed at one-half the difference between the frozen value and the current fair market value. The application for this tax freeze must be filed with the county tax assessor’s office by December 31st of the year before the freeze will go into effect.
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City/County Urban Enterprise Zone Tax Abatement Program:
Ad valorem property tax exemptions covering a ten-year period can be obtained by owners of qualifying historic multi-family and non-residential structures located in urban enterprise zone eligible areas. There is no minimum acreage requirement for proposed zones. Tax abatements are also available for commercial, industrial, and mixed-use properties. For housing urban enterprise zones, structures suitable for rehabilitation/renovation must provide a minimum of four multi-family housing units.
Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) :
Section 16-28.023 of the Code of Ordinances of the City of Atlanta.
11. GENERAL BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION :
Beginning at a point at the northwest corner of the intersection of the rights-of-way of Metropolitan Parkway, SW and Dill Avenue, SW, thence north along the west right-of-way line of Metropolitan Parkway, SW 50 ft., thence westerly 110 ft., thence southerly 50 ft. to the northern right-of-way line of Dill Avenue, SW, thence easterly 110 ft. along the northern right- of-way of Dill Avenue, SW to the point of beginning. Area is approximately .1263 acres.
12. BOUNDARY JUSTIFICATION:
The proposed boundary of the Landmark Building / Site (LBS) designation is the current property boundary containing the extant building, including all exterior features and historic signage at the northwest corner of Metropolitan Parkway, SW and Dill Avenue, SW. This boundary generally aligns with the boundary of the property during its period of significance.
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13. GENERAL PLAT MAP:
14.
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14. PROPERTY PHOTOGRAPHS:
a. Capitol View Masonic Temple at the SW intersection of Dill Ave. & Metropolitan Parkway
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b. East (front, Metropolitan Parkway) Facade - Commercial storefront on the street level, Office space and Masonic Temple on the upper levels.
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c. East (front, Metropolitan Parkway) façade - - National Alliance of Postal and Federal Employee entrance
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d. East (front, Metropoliltan Parkway) Facade - view of the upper levels neoclassical elements
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e. East (front, Metropolitan Parkway) and North (interior side) facade viws
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f. North (interior side) façade - brick type, color, and pattern changed on the corner with the East (front, Metropolitan Parkway) facade
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g. North (interior side) facade - foundation change, cement and brick four stories of windows. Third story has a gap in the windows (assumed to be the lodge space for rituals)
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h. West (rear) facade (- brick patterns change from South (Dill Avenue) façade.
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i. South (Dill Avenue) facade
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j. South (Dill Avenue) facade - 633 & 631 business storefronts
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k. SW corner at Dill Ave. and Metropolitan Parkway - entrance to 1333 Metropolitan Parkway. Masonic Geometry symbol in the center of the broken pediment.
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15. EXHIBITS AND APPENDIX:
a. 1928 Sanborn Map showing the pharmacy, Lodge, and businesses in 633 & 631 Dill Ave. storefronts.
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b. 1946-1956 Tax Plat showing the Masonic Lodge as 1333.
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c. 1921-1922 Atlanta City directory showing the original street number 453 Stewart Ave. at the Capitol View Drug Company.
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d. 1930-1931 City Directory listing the number change on Stewart Avenue and the Capitol View Lodge No. 640 to 1333 ½ Stewart Street . Also listed is the Orders of the Eastern Star and local businesses on the first level of the building.
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e. 1947 City Directory listing the Order of the Rainbow Girls.
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f. 1983 City Directory of 1331a Metropolitan Parkway occupied by the National Alliance of Postal Workers & Federal Employees.
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g. 1991 City Directory showing the National Alliance Postal Organization and the Atlanta Sewing Machine in the 1333 Metropolitan unit.
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