Morocco Temple
Encyclopedia
The Morocco Temple is a historic Shrine building in Jacksonville
, Florida
. It is located at 219 Newnan Street, and was designed by New York
architect
Henry John Klutho
. On November 29, 1979, it was added to the U.S.
National Register of Historic Places
.
The building is the oldest Shrine temple in Florida.
of architecture using Egyptian-themed symbols. The entrance was a large battered architrave
featuring a massive transom atop short columns in the Egyptian revival style
. The three levels included a main floor, a 1,500 seat auditorium and a balcony.
The structure was constructed using steel reinforced concrete and stuccoed brick exterior walls with terra-cotta ornamentation. A fabricated metal cornice
incorporating a geometric design projected above the third floor windows on the front and sides of the buildings, which was noted as a Sullivanesque
ornament to emphasize a horizontal aspect. Inside, many windows and light fixtures used color-tinted glass, and mosaic-tiled floors looked like oriental carpets. The walls were covered with a polychromatic
faience
tile portraying Egyptian symbols. Oil-painted murals illustrated the Freemasons’ and Shriners’ history, with scenes of Jesus, King Solomon and Mecca. The auditorium was 90 feet (27.4 m) wide with the roof supported by steel trusses. Access to the balcony was via two curved floating reinforced concrete stairways.
The auditorium's ceiling was painted dark blue and imbedded with hundreds of pieces of glass that would reflect light, giving the appearance of stars. The curtain on stage was decorated with views of Arabia.
In the 1910s, when Jacksonville was the "Winter Film Capital of the World", Oliver Hardy
was a member of the local temple. President William Howard Taft
delivered a speech there in 1912, as did Theodore Roosevelt
. Shirley Temple
was one of numerous celebrities who appeared at the Morocco Temple.
The facility was also used for many major events and conventions.
The Morocco Temple was the only auditorium in town until the Jacksonville Civic Auditorium was constructed in 1960.
Klutho's design was damaged in the late 1950s when the large metal cornice was removed from the front and sides. The tall ground floor windows on both sides were obscured. At the same time, an addition was constructed on the south side that extended beyond the front entrance, creating an unbalanced design.
In the early 1980s the Shriners built a new facility on the south side. Their old building was purchased in 1984 by the Cecil W. Powell & Company, an insurance broker. A huge renovation was required to create offices.
However, because the building was on the National Register of Historic Places, the changes were required to retain the basic integrity of the structure. The stage was transformed into an atrium, and the murals were refurbished and encased with glass. The auditorium was destroyed when an additional floor was constructed, but the vertical windows on the building's sides were uncovered. The tile and staircases remain unmodified, and there are now four carpeted and partitioned floors with a total of 45000 sq ft (4,180.6 m²).
The Powell company moved in during 1986, and Jacksonville's Public Works Department rented the top three floors during the 1990s. Today, the Powell company is on the ground level, one floor is unoccupied, and lawyers, a title company and court reporter rent office space in the other two.
The Jacksonville Historical Society
is working on a plan to restore the original exterior cornices.
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. It is located at 219 Newnan Street, and was designed by New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Henry John Klutho
Henry John Klutho
Henry John Klutho was an American architect of the "Prairie School" style. He helped in the reconstruction of Jacksonville, Florida after the Great Fire of 1901—the largest-ever urban fire in the Southeast—by designing many of the new buildings built after the disaster. This period lasted until...
. On November 29, 1979, it was added to the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
The building is the oldest Shrine temple in Florida.
History
The grand building was erected in 1910-11 in the prairie stylePrairie School
Prairie School was a late 19th and early 20th century architectural style, most common to the Midwestern United States.The works of the Prairie School architects are usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped in horizontal bands,...
of architecture using Egyptian-themed symbols. The entrance was a large battered architrave
Architrave
An architrave is the lintel or beam that rests on the capitals of the columns. It is an architectural element in Classical architecture.-Classical architecture:...
featuring a massive transom atop short columns in the Egyptian revival style
Egyptian Revival architecture
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 of Napoleon at the Battle of the Nile during 1798....
. The three levels included a main floor, a 1,500 seat auditorium and a balcony.
The structure was constructed using steel reinforced concrete and stuccoed brick exterior walls with terra-cotta ornamentation. A fabricated metal cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
incorporating a geometric design projected above the third floor windows on the front and sides of the buildings, which was noted as a Sullivanesque
Louis Sullivan
Louis Henri Sullivan was an American architect, and has been called the "father of skyscrapers" and "father of modernism" He is considered by many as the creator of the modern skyscraper, was an influential architect and critic of the Chicago School, was a mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright, and an...
ornament to emphasize a horizontal aspect. Inside, many windows and light fixtures used color-tinted glass, and mosaic-tiled floors looked like oriental carpets. The walls were covered with a polychromatic
Polychromatic
The term polychromatic means having several colours.It is used to describe light that exhibits more than one color. In a technical respect, this can also mean that it contains radiation of more than one wavelength. The study of polychromatics is particularly useful in the production of diffraction...
faience
Faience
Faience or faïence is the conventional name in English for fine tin-glazed pottery on a delicate pale buff earthenware body, originally associated with Faenza in northern Italy. The invention of a white pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an oxide of tin to the slip...
tile portraying Egyptian symbols. Oil-painted murals illustrated the Freemasons’ and Shriners’ history, with scenes of Jesus, King Solomon and Mecca. The auditorium was 90 feet (27.4 m) wide with the roof supported by steel trusses. Access to the balcony was via two curved floating reinforced concrete stairways.
The auditorium's ceiling was painted dark blue and imbedded with hundreds of pieces of glass that would reflect light, giving the appearance of stars. The curtain on stage was decorated with views of Arabia.
In the 1910s, when Jacksonville was the "Winter Film Capital of the World", Oliver Hardy
Oliver Hardy
Oliver Hardy was an American comic actor famous as one half of Laurel and Hardy, the classic double act that began in the era of silent films and lasted nearly 30 years, from 1927 to 1955.-Early life:...
was a member of the local temple. President William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
delivered a speech there in 1912, as did Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
. Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple Black , born Shirley Jane Temple, is an American film and television actress, singer, dancer, autobiographer, and former U.S. Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia...
was one of numerous celebrities who appeared at the Morocco Temple.
The facility was also used for many major events and conventions.
The Morocco Temple was the only auditorium in town until the Jacksonville Civic Auditorium was constructed in 1960.
Klutho's design was damaged in the late 1950s when the large metal cornice was removed from the front and sides. The tall ground floor windows on both sides were obscured. At the same time, an addition was constructed on the south side that extended beyond the front entrance, creating an unbalanced design.
Recent usage
The Shriners decided to move to the suburbs in the early 1980s. They wanted more space and room to park, plus "too many of their members were getting mugged leaving at night" according to Hugh Powell, the building's current owner.In the early 1980s the Shriners built a new facility on the south side. Their old building was purchased in 1984 by the Cecil W. Powell & Company, an insurance broker. A huge renovation was required to create offices.
However, because the building was on the National Register of Historic Places, the changes were required to retain the basic integrity of the structure. The stage was transformed into an atrium, and the murals were refurbished and encased with glass. The auditorium was destroyed when an additional floor was constructed, but the vertical windows on the building's sides were uncovered. The tile and staircases remain unmodified, and there are now four carpeted and partitioned floors with a total of 45000 sq ft (4,180.6 m²).
The Powell company moved in during 1986, and Jacksonville's Public Works Department rented the top three floors during the 1990s. Today, the Powell company is on the ground level, one floor is unoccupied, and lawyers, a title company and court reporter rent office space in the other two.
The Jacksonville Historical Society
Jacksonville Historical Society
Jacksonville Historical Society is a 501 non-profit organization in Jacksonville, Florida, begun by 231 charter members on May 3, 1929 at the Carling Hotel.-History:...
is working on a plan to restore the original exterior cornices.