| The Abou Ben Adhem (“May his
tribe increase!”) Shrine Mosque was built in 1923 and was hailed as the
largest auditorium west of the Mississippi. It is one of Springfield’s
most recognizable buildings with its red brick walls and terracotta
polychrome turrets. The Saracenic, or Moorish, style of architecture was
the design of Springfield architects Heckenlively and Mark. Two stained
glass windows designed by Stanley Uthwatt depict a camel caravan.
The cost to build the Temple was $600,000. 4750 people can be seated in
its main auditorium. The stage, at the time it was built, was second in
size only to the Metropolitan Opera stage in New York City. Much of the
city, as well as Shriners from 12 states, turned out on November 3,
1923, to view the building’s dedication.
Abou Ben Adhem first met in the Baldwin
Theater in Kansas City by officers of the Ararat Temple of Kansas City
on October 15, 1903. The membership of the order was then limited to
Knights Templar and Scottish Rite fraternal organizations. In 1906 the
Masonic Temple on
East Walnut was built. On October 28, 1920, the membership voted to
build a Shrine Mosque on
St. Louis Street
and Kimbrough. The site was purchased from the Frank Herman Saddlery
Company. The Temple was built near the center of Springfield, both in
its location and its spirit.
In addition to Shriners conventions, dances,
circuses and other entertainments, the Mosque has also been the site of
wrestling matches, Jackson Day activities, telethons, dance-a-thons, war
bond drives, revivals, dog and cat shows, roller derbies and concerts
featuring acts from John Philip Sousa to the Vienna Singers to Elvis
Presley (whose concert, by the way, sold few tickets). Presidents Harry
Truman, Franklin Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan also appeared there. The
lower level of the Mosque contains a large room that can seat 1,300,
special rooms for Shrine units and a museum.
For a period in 1973-1975 there was talk that
the Mosque might be torn down because it had deteriorated over the
years, but in 1975 the Shriners announced that it would be renovated. In
1982 it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The
renovation began in 1987 and was finished in 1990.
Today, the Shrine Center is still available to
host and has recently hosted a variety of events from the Shrine Circus
to the Amazing Acrobats of China to other entertainers which include
concerts from bands ranging from Country Western to Pop, as well as
serving as popular venue for the national Blue Comedy Comic Tour.
|
