(by Kevin Riordan, The Philadelphia Inqirer, May 25, 2023)
The Freemasons expected their five-year effort to construct a Pennsylvania headquarters — employing hundreds of stone, brick, tile, and wood artisans and using 16,000 blocks of New England granite — would yield an edifice to forever command a place in Philadelphia’s growing skyline. But by the time the Masonic Temple opened in 1873 at the corner of Broad and Filbert Streets, construction had begun across the street on City Hall, and that ornate building has dominated Center Square ever since. “The Masons thought they were building the biggest, grandest monument on the square,” said Paul Steinke, executive director of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia. “But the Masonic Temple is still an impressive…
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