Tectonic Temples - Amazon S3

“The Ritual Architecture of Los Angeles” Tectonic Temples

Free School of Architecture 2018 Instructor: Aleksander Tokarz

Los AngelesProject Site References

Shrine Auditorium and Expo HallEl Capitan Theater

Masonic Lodge at HollywoodForever Cemetery

Pasadena Scottish Rite

Maurice and Paul MarcianoArt Foundation

Aztec Hotel

The Mayan

Hollyhock House

Ennis House

John Sowden House

University of PhilosophicalResearch

Hollywood & Highland

Citadel Outlets

The MacArthur

Central Library

The Egyptian Theater

5616 Lexington Ave

5617 La Mirada Ave

430 S Union Ave

Griffith Observatory

LA Memorial Coliseum

Masonic Lodge

Hollywood Bowl Road

Angelus Temple

Egyptian & Babylonian Revival

Central LibraryArchitect: Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue, 1926

Egyptian TheaterArchitect: Meyer & Holler, 1922

The Ahmed ApartmentsArchitect: J.M. Close, 1926

The Karnak Apartments Architect: J.M. Close, 1925

Osiris Apartments Architect: J.M. Close, 1928

Wilcox Apartments Architect: J.M. Close, 1930

Citadel Outlet Mall Architect: Morgan, Walls & Clements, 1929

Ishtar GateArchitects: Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Kuhn Architects, 1916

Los Angeles Central Library, 1926630 W 5th St, Los Angeles, CA 90071Architect: Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue

Architectural StyleEgyptian and Mediterranean Revival

The Los Angeles Central Library was the last work of major American architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue. When it opened in 1926, the building's expanses of unadorned concrete and skyscraper-like profile heralded Modern architecture. At the same time, it alluded to ancient Egyptian, Roman, Byzantine, and various Islamic civilizations, as well as to Spanish Colonial and other revival styles.

Ornamental and symbolic artworks are integral to the library's design. The limestone sculptures on the building's exterior, by artist Lee Lawrie, represent various disciplines and literary figures. The brilliantly colored tile pyramid at the building's summit features a sunburst and is topped by a handheld torch symbolizing the light of knowledge.

The second floor of the library features a high-domed rotunda exploding with light and color. At the center of the dome is a stylized sunburst and an illuminated globe chan-delier with the signs of the zodiac. On the surrounding walls, twelve murals painted by Dean Cornwell in 1933 depict the history of California.

The library symbols are based on the main theme of inspi-ration which is the “Illumination,” referring to the place as the light of learning and knowledge. Furthermore, since knowledge comes from the old school of the Egyptians and Romans, the structure and motifs are manifested in a Mediterranean and Egyptian way. Therefore, some of the sphinxes in the original building will reminiscence the ancient cultures.

Bertram Goodhue (Architect) Hartley Burr Alexander (Philosopher) Lee Lawrie (Sculptor)

Prominent architect who was recognized and hired by America’s most powerful people. His works include governmental and military buildings, churches, libraries and the private houses of politicians.

One of the most recognized elite buildings designed by Goodhue is the headquarters of the Wolf’s Head Society at Yale and Rockefeller Memorial Chapel of the Univer-sity of Chicago. Commissioned by Ameri-ca’s most powerful tycoon, John D. Rocke-feller, the ecumenical Chapel is used for various religious celebrations.

The system of meaning that organizes the exteri-or and to some extent interior art of the library was conceived by University of Nebraska philos-ophy professor Hartley Burr Alexander who first collaborated with Goodhue on the Nebraska state capitol building.

Alexander’s typescript laid out the germ of what would become a complex, tightly organized iconographic program built around a theme enti-tled Light of Learning. The philosopher carried out his scheme in symbols drawn from classical culture and depictions of great thinkers and writ-ers.

Lawrie collaborated with Goodhue on several projects and became America’s leading sculp-tor. His unique style and his knowledge of occult symbolism, ancient mysteries, and Masonic principles made him the elite’s artist.

Some of his high-profile commissions include the allegorical relief panels of the United States Senate, the Louisiana State Capitol, the statue of George Washington at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C and the Harkness Tower of Yale University. Lawrie’s most recognizable works are however displayed at the Rockefeller Center.

Tower

At central points on each area of the building Alexander placed symbols that emphasize the twinned themes of light and knowledge. Atop the pyramid a hand holding a torch functions as a beacon; at its base is incised the ancient Greek for “lamp” surmounting a coiled snake that represents wisdom. (This ceramic finial is a replica. The original is now displayed on the library’s main floor) Surrounding the tower, Alexander used allegorical representations of eight great thinkers and writers to expand and particularize his Light of Learning theme. Each holding an attribute and presented in pairs, he called these men the Seers of Light: David the Psalmist and Saint John of the Apocalyptic Vision; Homer and Milton; Shakespeare and Goethe; and Plato and Dante.

West Facade

The Flower Street facade exemplifies the sophistication of Professor Alexander’s layered program of linked symbols. At the facade’s upper edge appears the last line of a passage in Latin from Lucretius Book 11:79: ET QUASI CURSORES VITAI LAMPADA TRADUNT which freely translated says, “Like runners they bear on the lamp of life.” Directly below a relief of horsemen passing a torch embodies the quote. The remainder of the facade carries out the theme of illumination. Two monumental sculptural figures, Phosphor and Hesper, personify the morning and evening stars. Beneath each figure’s feet, emblematic representations of sunrise (associated with Phosphor) and sunset (Hesper) suggest the cardinal points East and West. This abbreviated symbology in turn expands to suggest a whole history of knowledge engraved on scrolls listing great writers and thinkers divided between East (Asia and the Middle East) and West (classical cultures and Europe).

“On the scroll of the Wisdom of the West are first, three Greeks, Herodotus, the ‘Father of History,’ and Socrates and Aristotle, the phil-iosophers; next, Vergil for the Latins, St. Augustine for the Christian Fathers and St Thomas Aquinas for the Mediaeval Schoolmen; Petrarch, “Father of Humanism” representing Italy; and afterwards, for England, France and Germany, the founders and shapers of the modern age, Francis Bacon, Descartes and Kant.”

Here in Alexander’s own words, first the left and then righthand scroll listed “founders of the five great Oriental religions--Moses, Zoro-aster, Buddha, Confucious, Mohammed--and second, of the sages of the Eastern nations, Lao Tse for China, Hillel for the Jews, Avicen-na for the Persian and Algazali for the Arabian Mohammedans, and Badarayana for the Indian metaphysicians.”

South Facade

The Hope Street facade centers on a ray-encircled book above the doorway inscribed with a quote in Latin from Psalms 119:105: LUCERNA PEDIBUS MEIS; LUMEN SEMITIS MEIS; “a lamp to my feet...a light to my paths.” Directly below is a panel with the inscription paraphras-ing a line from 18th cen. essayist de Senancour: “In the world of affairs we live in our own age; in books we live in all ages.” Allegorical figures flank the doorway. Above, each buttress is topped by a historic personality representing a category of thought. Herodotus (History), Vergil (Letters) and Socrates (Philosophy) occupy the realm of contemplation; Justinian (Statecraft), Leonardo da Vinci (Art) and Copernicus (Science) represent thought in action. Again there is meaning on top of meaning. Alexander sought to extend the significance of his chosen great thinkers by arranging them so that they fell into linked pairs travelling out from the center: Philos-phy and Statecraft, Letters and the Arts, History and Science.

Tunnel Level Entrance

Below the terraces at street level is a tunnel (now closed) formerly used as a public entrance. On the lintel a band of low reliefs depict the library’s colophon, a printing press, flanked by printers through Western history: Gutenberg, Aldus, Elzevir, Caxton, Morris and furthest to the right, Ber-tram Goodhue himself who was an influential designer of typefaces.

The inscription by Alexander: Books invite all; they constrain none.

Busts of Socrates, Emperor Justinian, Leonardo da Vinci and Copernicus

North Facade

The 5th Street entrance (where Goodhue had originally hoped to place a pedestrian bridge) presents figures of the Philosopher symbolizing reason and the Poet, expres-sion. They flank the city’s coat of arms. On the entablature above is a quote from the Philobiblion by 14th century poet, Richard de Bury translated freely from Latin to English: “Books alone are liberal and free/ They give to all who ask/ they eman-cipate all who serve them faithfully.”

Directly around the east and west corners from the 5th St. side are two small balco-nies projecting from the mezzanine level. Each is held up by brackets in the shape of small owls. One bears the inscription In Libris Libertas (In books is liberty) and the other In Opera Gaudium (In Work is Joy).

Garden

Only one sculpted piece was created for the gardens that originally surrounded the library. It was a semi-circular basin about two feet high and nine feet in diameter, cast in bronze, which terminated a series of low fountain pools stretching from the library’s west entrance down to Flower Street. Alexander and Lawrie collaborated on the dec-orative design.

The design centered on a winged horse symbolizing Inspiration flanked by six figures on each side depicting scribes from various early cultures: Greek, Roman, Hebrew, Medieval Europe, Aztec, Native American to the right and Egyptian, Assyrian, Phoe-nician, Chinese, Arabian, Cro Magnon to the left. In 1969 the entire west garden was paved over for a parking lot. The Well of the Scribes was removed and seems to have been sold for scrap at a later date.

The Sphinxes

There are three sculptures by Lee Lawrie inside the Goodhue Building, all grouped in the vestibule at the top of the north staircase. Sphinxes of black marble and bronze frame the top of the stairs, and a monumental sculpture of Civilization stands in a niche oppo-site the landing. The subjects were suggested by Bertram Goodhue, although Alexander did choose the inscriptions.

Greece represented reasoned thought, whereas Egypt exemplified “the hidden and perplexed wisdom of the priests”. The quotations in ancient Greek from Plutarch reflect this. Books that front the two sculptures read (left) “I am all that was, and is, and is to be, and no man hath lifted my veil” ; on the right: “Therefore the desire of Truth, especially of that which concerns the gods,is itself a yearning after Divinity.”

Goddess Of Civilization

For what finally became the sculpture of Civilization, Goodhue originally had suggested, “...a sort of localized Pallas (Athena)...she would be dripping with oranges and grapes and things and as unlike her Athenian prototype as could be imagined.” The final version, executed in bronze, copper and marble, was probably conceived in a collaboration between Alexander and Lawrie. More than any other work of art produced for the original library, it features a concentrated use of cultural references and symbols.

The goddess wears a helmet contrived from a model of the library, crowned with angels that reference the city’s name and the California bear and star. She holds a staff that rests on a turtle, symbolizing Civilization’s dominion over land and sea. Her right hand holds a book containing quotations in five languages: “In the beginning was the word” (ancient Greek, St. John, gospel i.1); “Knowledge extends horizons” (Latin Seneca, Epistola); “Nobility carries obligations” (French proverb); “Wisdom is in the truth” (German, Goethe); “Beauty is truth--truth beauty” (English, Keats).

A copper panel superimposed on the sculpture represents the history of civilization in pictographic images running from bottom to top: the pyramids for Egypt, a ship of the Phoenicians, the Winged Bull of Babylonia and a tablet bearing the Ten Commandants, the Lion Gate of Mycenae and the Parthenon for the archaic and classical Greeks, Romulus and Remus for Rome, a dragon for China, the god Siva for India, Notre Dame for Medieval Europe, the Plumed Serpant Head for the pre-columbian Mayans, and a buffalo, covered wagon and the Liberty Bell for the United States.

Ceiling

The Rotunda contains no sculpture--it is decorated with stencilled patterning and murals--but there is a large bronze chandelier modeled by Lee Lawrie that presents both symbols and decorative motifs relating to the Light of Learning theme. Nine feet in diameter, its outer edge is rimmed with 48 light bulbs signifying the (then) 48 states. Signs of the Zodiac are distributed around the inner rim, and in the center is suspended a glass globe painted with representations of the oceans and conti-nents. The support chains are decorated with a crescent moon and stars and the whole is suspended from a painted sunburst that marks the center of the dome.

The artist carefully calculated his ceiling designs in relationship to one another and saw the whole project in terms of a hierarchy. Dominant was the Rotunda with its dome on pendentives soaring 64 ft. high, framed by four transept arches. A sunburst occupies the dome’s center, echoing a similar shape on the exterior pyramid. From that point a blue canopy with stars expands outward and segues into intricate bands of interlaced zig zags done in various colors. The pendentives are patterned with circles intended, as Garnsey put it to “hold apart the converging arches”. Cool tones of blue, green and violet predominate that in turn contrast with the warm colors used on the transept arches.

Torch of Knowledge (original)

Above the pyramid is a golden hand holding a torch. There is a reason why this symbol is sitting above all others in the building: It is a perfect representation of the building’s philosophy, Lucif-erianism. In Latin, the word “Lucifer” means “light bearer”. In occult symbolism, light and fire esoterically represent divine knowledge and enlightenment. A hand holding a lit torch therefore represents man’s ascent to divinity through the teachings of the Mysteries. The Gnostic inter-pretation of the story of the Genesis considers the snake (Lucifer) as a positive figure. It has given humans the intellectual faculties to reason and to ascend to divinity by their own means.

In occult teachings, Lucifer is not an existing being and is not equal to Satan. While Satan is esoterically associated with the descent to materiality, Lucifer represents the ascent to divinity using the cognitive powers of man.

Masonic authors such as Albert Pike and Albert G. Mackey have referred to the “luciferian path” and the “energies of Lucifer” to describe the “search for light”. The term “luciferian” is therefore used in the scholarly sense of “bringing enlightenment”. Masonic scholars often invoke Pro-metheus, who stole fire from the gods to bring to man, to describe this concept. For this reason, Prometheus is the central figure of the Rockefeller Center.

The Star of Ishtar

Embedded in the floor, at a central point of the Library, is an eight-pointed star, a symbol known as the star of Ishtar. Ishtar is the Assyrian and Babylonian goddess of fertility, love, war, and sexuality and is considered by the Babylonians to be “the divine personifica-tion of the planet Venus. The story of her descent into the underworld in search presumably for the sacred elixir which alone could restore Tammuz to life is the key to the ritual of her Mysteries.

Architectural StyleEgyptian Revival and Colonial Spanish

The exterior of the theater is in the Egyptian Revival style. However, the attentive visitor will notice roof pans above the main entrance, items which are not in ancient Egyptian style. The original plans for the theater show a Hispan-ic-themed theater, but at some point these plans were changed to an Egyptian style. It is probable that this was due to public fascination with the multiple expeditions searching for the tomb of Tutankhamen by archaeologist Howard Carter over the preceding years. (Carter eventual-ly discovered the tomb on November 4, 1922—just two weeks after the Egyptian Theater opened.) At that time the change in architectural style was determined, the Hispan-ic-styled roof pans had already been delivered and paid for; they were kept and used in the building.

The exterior and interior walls contain Egyptian-style paintings and hieroglyphs. The four massive columns that mark the theater's main entrance are 4 1⁄2 feet (1.4 m) wide and rise 20 feet (6 m). In 2000, the project won the National Preservation Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Capitalizing on Southern California's sunny weather is the large courtyard (45 ft × 150 ft (14 m × 46 m)) in the front, complete with a fountain and queen palm trees. This is actually the "entrance hall" (the theater doors used to open directly into the auditorium) and was specifically designed to host the theater's famous red carpet ceremonies.

Grauman's Egyptian Theatre, 19226712 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028Architect: Meyer & Holler

One of the only known architects to repeatedly use the style was John Manley Close. Close was primarily active between 1910 and 1935, designing and constructing apartments and bungalow courts. Inspired by the archae-ological discoveries in Egypt, Close designed at least four Egyptian Revival style apartment buildings, including the Karnak Apartments (1925) and the Ahmed Apartments (1926) in Hollywood, the Osiris Apartments (1928) in Westlake, and a fourth apartment building in Hollywood that was completed in 1930. With its flat roofs and solid walls with small window openings, the Egyptian Revival style was neither practical nor functional for residential buildings, and thus did not have a wide appeal, contribut-ing to its decline in popularity.

The Ahmed Apartments, 19265616 Lexington Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038

Architect: J.M. Close

The 1926 Ahmed were designed by architect J.M. Close, his blueprints inspired by the discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb in 1922.

An old photo of the Ahmed shows the current pylon base façade and three-story columns at 5616 Lexington Ave. Yet visible in that photo is an etched leaf design on the flutes that has since been covered. All the ledge detail seen in the old photo has also vanished, along with the name Ahmed that was scored into the entrance. First-floor metal moldings stamped with pharaohs, fans and mum-mies also have been lost to plaster.

The 2003 update of "An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles" by Robert Winter and David Gebhard lists the Ahmed’s original murals as having been “restored with considerable verve.” But they too are as buried as the pha-raoh Akhenaton. The 40-unit building has been essentially entombed in concrete, a generic version of its fanciful former self.

The Karnak Apartments, 19255617 La Mirada Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038Architect: J.M. Close

Sitting like matching tombs one block apart, the Karnak and Ahmed apartments are the work of architect J.M. Close, known for his Egyptian-inspired buildings.

The Karnak’s faux stone façade suggests the angled base of a pyramid. Two white, fluted columns rise three stories to either side of the entrance at 5617 La Mirada Ave. The building is named for the Karnak temple ruins near Luxor, Egypt -- not for Johnny Carson’s Carnac the Magnificent act, as believed by one tenant.

Unfortunately, much of detailing on the 1925 building’s face has been cemented over. Archive photos show finer tailoring on the columns along with blue and gold etchings on the flutes and top ledge.

Osiris Apartments, 1928430 S Union Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90017

Architect: J.M. Close

The 30-unit building in Los Angeles' Westlake neighbor-hood was built in 1928 by architect J.M. Close, who also designed Hollywood’s Karnak and Ahmed apartments, as well as a 1930 Egyptian-inspired, 20-unit building at 747 Wilcox Ave.

The Osiris, at 430 S. Union Ave., has a colonnaded pylon-style base painted beige and trimmed elegantly in black. The lobby features a Moorish arch painted ochre and patterned with blue eyes called nazars, seen widely in the Middle East and used to ward off the evil eye, a glance believed to cause harm. Other Moorish arches, also paint-ed ochre, are found at stairwell landings.

“J.M. Close had his eye on what would sell -- the latest and the exotic -- and he was astute at picking up on trends,” said Marcello Vavala, preservation associate at the Los Angeles Conservancy. Vavala added that Close’s office on Western Avenue was known for tropical plants and unusu-al furniture for the time. Close did most of his work from 1910 to 1935, including Spanish Colonial Revivals and a number of Hollywood bungalow courts.

Close’s initials stood for John Manley, but he preferred J.M., Vavala said. The architect’s blueprints were inspired by Howard Carter’s discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922. Among other Egyptian revival buildings in Los Angeles: the Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, the Vista Theatre on Sunset Boulevard in Los Feliz and the Citadel Outlets, formerly the Samson Tire and Rubber Co., which was modeled after a 7th century B.C. Assyrian palace.

Wilcox Apartments, 1926737 Wilcox, Los Angeles, CA 90038Architect: J.M. Close

Pyramid Symbolism

The Egyptian pyramids are ancient pyramid-shaped masonry structures located in Egypt. Sources cite either 118 or 138 as the number of identified Egyptian pyramids. Most were built as tombs for the country's pharaohs and their consorts during the Old and Middle Kingdom periods

The shape of Egyptian pyramids is thought to represent the primordial mound from which the Egyptians believed the earth was created. The shape of a pyramid is thought to be representative of the descending rays of the sun, and most pyramids were faced with polished, highly reflective white limestone, in order to give them a brilliant appear-ance when viewed from a distance. Pyramids were often also named in ways that referred to solar luminescence. For example, the formal name of the Bent Pyramid at Dahshur was The Southern Shining Pyramid, and that of Senwosret at el-Lahun was Senwosret is Shining.

While it is generally agreed that pyramids were burial mon-uments, there is continued disagreement on the particular theological principles that might have given rise to them. One suggestion is that they were designed as a type of "resurrection machine."

The Egyptians believed the dark area of the night sky around which the stars appear to revolve was the physical gateway into the heavens. One of the narrow shafts that extend from the main burial chamber through the entire body of the Great Pyramid points directly towards the center of this part of the sky. This suggests the pyramid may have been designed to serve as a means to magically launch the deceased pharaoh's soul directly into the abode of the gods.

All Egyptian pyramids were built on the west bank of the Nile, which, as the site of the setting sun, was associated with the realm of the dead in Egyptian mythology.

Central Library Pyramid Pyramid of Giza

Sphinx symbolism

The Egyptian sphinx was viewed as benevolent, but having a ferocious strength thought of as guardians often flanking the entrances to temples

What names their builders gave to these statues is not known. At the Great Sphinx site, a 1400 BCE inscription on a stele belonging to the 18th dynasty pharaoh Thutmose IV lists the names of three aspects of the local sun deity of that period, Khepera–Rê–Atum. Many pharaohs had their heads carved atop the guardian statues for their tombs to show their close relationship with the powerful solar deity Sekhmet, a lioness.

Besides the Great Sphinx, other famous Egyptian sphinx-es include one bearing the head of the pharaoh Hatshep-sut, with her likeness carved in granite, which is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the alabas-ter sphinx of Memphis, Memphis, Egypt, currently located within the open-air museum at that site. The theme was expanded to form great avenues of guardian sphinxes lining the approaches to tombs and temples as well as serving as details atop the posts of flights of stairs to very grand complexes. Nine hundred sphinxes with ram heads, representing Amon, were built in Thebes, where his cult was strongest.

The Great Sphinx of Giza is a limestone statue of a reclin-ing sphinx, a mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head of a human. Facing directly from West to East, it stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile in Giza, Egypt. The face of the Sphinx is generally believed to represent the Pharaoh Khafre.

Cut from the bedrock, the original shape of the Sphinx has been restored with blocks. It is the oldest known monu-mental sculpture in Egypt and is commonly believed to have been built by ancient Egyptians of the Old Kingdom during the reign of the Pharaoh Khafre (c. 2558–2532 BC).

Central Library Sphinx Sphinx Sculpture

Karnak Temple Complex

Karnak Temple dates from 2055 BC to around 100 AD. Cult temple dedicated to Amun, Mut and Khonsu. The larg-est religious building ever constructed.

The temple of Karnak was known as Ipet-isu—or “most select of places”—by the ancient Egyptians. It is a city of temples built over 2,000 years and dedicated to the Theban triad of Amun, Mut, and Khonsu. This derelict place is still capable of overshadowing many wonders of the modern world and in its day must have been awe-in-spiring.

For the largely uneducated ancient Egyptian population, this could only have been the place of the gods. It is the largest religious building ever made, covering about 200 acres (1.5 km by 0.8 km), and was a place of pilgrimage for nearly 2,000 years. The area of the sacred enclosure of Amun alone is sixty-one acres and could hold ten average European cathedrals. The great temple at the heart of Karnak is so big that St Peter’s, Milan, and Notre Dame Cathedrals would fit within its walls.

One famous aspect of Karnak is the Hypostyle Hall in the Precinct of Amun-Re, a hall area of 50,000 sq ft (5,000 m2) with 134 massive columns arranged in 16 rows. 122 of these columns are 10 meters tall, and the other 12 are 21 meters tall with a diameter of over three meters.

The Hypostyle hall, at 54,000 square feet (16,459 meters) and featuring 134 columns, is still the largest room of any religious building in the world. In addition to the main sanc-tuary there are several smaller temples and a vast sacred lake – 423 feet by 252 feet (129 by 77 meters). The sacred barges of the Theban Triad once floated on the lake during the annual Opet festival. The lake was surrounded by storerooms and living quarters for the priests, along with an aviary for aquatic birds.

Egyptian Theater Karnak Temple

Temple of Khonsu

The Temple of Khonsu is an ancient Egyptian temple. It is located with the large Precinct of Amun-Re at Karnak, in Luxor, Egypt. The edifice is an example of an almost com-plete New Kingdom temple, and was originally constructed by Ramesses III, on the site of an earlier temple. The gate-way of this temple is at the end of the avenue of sphinxes that ran to the Luxor Temple. In Ptolemaic times, Ptolemy III Euergetes constructed a great gateway and enclosure wall for the temple; only the gateway now remains (see below). Inscriptions inside the forecourt of the temple were made in the time of Herihor.

The hypostyle hall was erected by Nectanebo I, and is not of a great size; inside were found two baboons that appear to have been carved in the time of Seti I, and therefore probably belong to the earlier building on the site.

Frequently blocks with unmatching and inverted decora-tions can be seen, showing the amount of reconstruction and reuse of material from the surrounding temple com-plexes, especially in Ptolemaic times.

Khonsu was the son of Amun and Mut, with whom he formed the Theban triad. He was a moon god depicted as a man with a falcon-head wearing a crescent moon head-dress surmounted by the full lunar disc. Like Thoth, who was also a lunar deity, he is sometimes represented as a baboon.

His temple, within the precincts of Karnak, was built by Ramesses III it consists of a peristyle court which is bordered by a portico of twenty-eight columns. There is also a hypostyle hall which is connected to the sanctuary of the barque with chapels open to the left and right and a staircase leading to the roof. Khonsu was believed to have the ability to drive out evil spirits. Rameses II sent a statue of Khonsu to a friendly Syrian king in order to cure his daughter of an illness.

Osiris Apartments Khonsu Temple

Temple of Edfu

The Temple of Edfu is an ancient Egyptian temple, located on the west bank of the Nile in Edfu, Upper Egypt. The city was known in Greco-Roman times as Apollonopolis Magna, after the chief god Horus-Apollo. It is one of the best preserved shrines in Egypt. The temple, dedicated to the falcon god Horus, was built in the Ptolemaic period between 237 and 57 BC. The inscriptions on its walls provide important information on language, myth and religion during the Greco-Roman period in ancient Egypt. In particular, the Temple's inscribed building texts "provide details [both] of its construction, and also preserve infor-mation about the mythical interpretation of this and all other temples as the Island of Creation." There are also "important scenes and inscriptions of the Sacred Drama which related the age-old conflict between Horus and Seth."

Edfu was one of several temples built during the Ptolemaic period, including Dendera, Esna, Kom Ombo and Philae. Its size reflects the relative prosperity of the time.[4] The present temple, which was begun "on 23 August 237 BC, initially consisted of a pillared hall, two transverse halls, and a barque sanctuary surrounded by chapels."[5] The building was started during the reign of Ptolemy III and completed in 57 BC under Ptolemy XII. It was built on the site of an earlier, smaller temple also dedicated to Horus, although the previous structure was oriented east-west rather than north-south as in the present site. A ruined pylon lies just to the east of the current temple; inscription-al evidence has been found indicating a building program under the New Kingdom rulers Ramesses I, Seti I and Ramesses II.

Over the centuries, the temple became buried to a depth of 12 metres (39 ft) beneath drifting desert sand and layers of river silt deposited by the Nile. Local inhabitants built homes directly over the former temple grounds.

Ahmed Apartments Edfu Temple

Citadel Outlet Mall, 1929 100 Citadel Dr, Commerce, CA 90040Architect: Morgan, Walls & Clements

Architectural StyleBabylonian RevivalThe mall was built as a tire factory back in 1929 and was constructed as an Assyrian Castle in grand style to com-memorate ancient Sumerian, Akkadian and Babylonian cultures. At the time it was built in 1929, it was called Samson Tire Company and was the largest tire factory west of the Mississippi.

Part of the wall that fronts the building features winged guardian genii, figures protecting individuals from evil. There are also winged bulls with human heads and many intricate and ornate designs in entrance to a shopping mall that's not so ordinary.Today the old tire factory frontage acts as a grand entrance to the mall.

Ishtar Gate, 1916-20016801 Hollywood Blvd #170, Los Angeles, CA 90028

Architects: Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Kuhn Architects

Architectural StyleBabylonian Revival

At the intersection of Hollywood and Highland there stands a preening Babylonian arch sometimes called the Ishtar Gate, a three-story-tall replica of the set of D.W. Griffith’s 1916 silent film Intolerance. The giant gleaming white gate is matched by a pair of giant white pillars.

The Hollywood & Highland Center opened in late 2001, at the beginning of what has become a wildly successful rebirth for Hollywood. EE&K designed the complex, with a grand stairway leading up to a "Babylon Court" with a repli-ca Intolerance gate (which frames the Hollywood Sign in the distance) and, of course, a few elephants.

Palace of Sargon II

Sargon II ruled Assyria from 721-706 B.C. and within this time he managed to build a colossal palace in the capital Dur Sharrukin. The palace itself once contained a higher building, 40 feet raised, above the complex where the King resided. The details of this complex as well as the guard-ian figures at the gate of the citadel show the immense power and strength this ruler was believed to have had.

Starting by looking at the overall palace complex we see the fortification of the site with the citadel, which creates a fortress. There is only one way into his complex and it is through one large staircase, the other areas around his complex are guarded by towers. This proves that he saw himself as sacred because there was only one way to get to him.

Citadel Outlet Mall Dur Sharrukin Citadel

Palace of Sargon II Statues

The most fascinating detail of Sargon II complex is the guarded figures at the gate of citadel A. People who wanted to see the King in his courtyard, once allowed, would have to walk through this gate passing both colossal statues. The statues themselves seem to be a man’s head connected to the body of a winged lion wearing a head-dress, a sign of a god. The lion or bull’s body represents an ability of great strength and the headdress obviously shows the power of a god. It is then accurate to suspect the reasoning behind the statues placement in the com-plex. They are there to ‘watch over’ those who pass through the gates and serve as a warning or to create a feeling of insignificance and fear in the presence of the King. These giant statues towering over a person would make anyone feel fear.

Lamassu

A lamassu, plural lumasi is an Assyrian protective deity, often depicted as having a human's head, a body of a bull or a lion, and bird's wings. In some writings, it is portrayed to represent a female deity. Assyrian sculpture typically placed prominent pairs of lumasi at entrances in palaces, facing the street and also internal courtyards. They were represented as "double-aspect" figures on corners, in high relief. From the front they appear to stand, and from the side, walk, and in earlier versions have five legs, as is apparent when viewed obliquely.The colossal entrance-way figures were often followed by a hero grasping a wrig-gling lion, also colossal in scale and in high relief. In the palace of Sargon II, a group of at least 7 lumasi and 2 such heroes with lions surrounded the entrance to the "throne room".

Citadel Outlet Mall Statue Palace of Sargon Statue

Lumasi from Sargon II's palace in Dur Sharrukin, Khorsabad (currently in the Louvre Museum)

Palace of Sargon II Statues

Sargon’s capital city was over a mile square and its design became his preoccupation. The city’s dimensions, for example, were based on the numerological value of Sar-gon’s name. Tablets describing the story of the palace’s construction were deposited in its cornerstone with the identical text repeated on individual tablets of copper, lead, silver, gold, limestone, magnesite, and lapis lazuli, while paintings illustrated how cedar wood was imported from Lebanon to provide needed timber. Colossal stone bulls with wings and human heads guarded its entranceways. And the walls of the palace were decorated with so much sculpture that the panels, if laid end to end, would stretch for a mile.

Winged Genie

Winged genie is the conventional term for a recurring motif in the iconography of Assyrian sculpture. Winged genies are usually bearded male figures sporting birds' wings. The Genii are a reappearing trait in ancient Assyrian art, and are displayed most prominently in palaces or places of royalty. The two most notable places where the genius existed were Ashurnasirpal II’s palace Kalhu and Sargon II’s palace Dur-Sharrukin.

These genii have all been interpreted as beings known as antediluvian sages or apkallus in Akkadian. They were beings that existed during a godlike generation of humani-ty. These beings were closely associated with the god Enki.

Citadel Outlet Mall Statues Relief of King Sargon II

A four-winged genie in the bucket and cone motif. Relief from the north wall of the Palace of king Sargon II at Dur Sharrukin, 713–716 BC.

Intolerance (1916 Film)

Intolerance is a 1916 epic silent film directed by D. W. Grif-fith. Subtitles include Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages and A Sun-Play of the Ages.

Widely regarded as one of the great masterpieces of the silent era, the three-and-a-half-hour epic intercuts four parallel storylines, each separated by several centuries: (1) a contemporary melodrama of crime and redemption, (2) a Judean story: Christ's mission and death, (3) a French story: the events surrounding the St. Bar-tholomew's Day massacre of 1572, and (4) a Babylonian story: the fall of the Babylonian Empire to Persia in 539 BC. Each story had its own distinctive color tint in the origi-nal print but in the current available versions that is not the case anymore. The scenes are linked by shots of a figure representing Eternal Motherhood, rocking a cradle.

Hollywood Ishtar Gate Intolerance Movie Set

Bucket and Cone

Bucket and Cone refer to twin attributes that are frequently held in the hands of winged genies depicted in Neo-Assyri-an art and especially Assyrian palace reliefs - sometimes, however, only the bucket is held, and the other hand is held up in what may be a blessing gesture. These objects are often displayed in association with a stylised tree, before floral decorations, guardian figures, the king and / or his attendants and open doorways or portals.

The cone was apparently held up in the right hand, the bucket held hanging downwards in the left hand of the figure, which is almost always that of a winged genie or an animal-headed demon or monster (though not necessarily with the same negative connotations) - only very occasion-ally might these attributes be borne by a fully human figure.

The Assyrian Tree of Life

The Assyrian Tree of Life was represented by a series of nodes and criss-crossing lines. It was apparently an important religious symbol, often attended to in Assyrian palace reliefs by human or eagle-headed winged genies, or the King, and blessed or fertilized with bucket and cone. Assyriologists have not reached consensus as to the meaning of this symbol. The name "Tree of Life" has been attributed to it by modern scholarship; it is not used in the Assyrian sources. In fact, no textual evidence pertaining to the symbol is known to exist.

In ancient Urartu, the Tree of Life was a religious symbol and was drawn on walls of fortresses and carved on the armor of warriors.

Hollywood Ishtar Gate Assyrian Statue Reliefs

Mayan Revival

Aztec HotelArchitect: Robert Stacy-Judd, 1924

First Baptist Church of VenturaArchitect: Robert Stacy-Judd, 1926

Philosophical Research SocietyArchitect: Robert Stacy-Judd, 1934

Mayan TheaterArchitect: Morgan, Walls & Clements, 1927

Hollyhock HouseArchitect: Frank Lloyd Wright, 1921

Ennis HouseArchitect: Frank Lloyd Wright & Son, 1925

Storer HouseArchitect: Frank Lloyd Wright & Son, 1923

John Sowden HouseArchitect: Lloyd Wright, 1926

Aztec Hotel, 1924311 W Foothill Blvd, Monrovia, CA 91016Architect: Robert Stacy-Judd

Architectural StyleMayan and Spanish Colonial Revival

The Aztec Hotel is a historical landmark building in Monro-via, in the San Gabriel Valley, California. The hotel is an example of Mayan Revival architecture still in existence. It was designed by architect Robert Stacy-Judd, and built on U.S. Route 66 in 1924. The hotel was closed for renova-tions in 2012.

The hotel has a revivalist style that mixes an abstraction from Maya architecture sources along with art deco and Spanish Colonial Revival architecture.

First Baptist Church of Ventura, 1926101 S. Laurel Street, Ventura, 93001Architect: Robert Stacy-Judd

Architectural StyleMayan Revival

First Baptist Church of Ventura was built in 1926 and reno-vated extensively into the Mayan Revival style in 1932. Declared a landmark by the City of Ventura In 1975, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. Since 1952, it has been home to the Ven-tura Center for Spiritual Living.

The church exemplifies architectural exoticism by repre-senting a moment in American architectural history when the public's desire for the new and different was at its peak. The property is the product of a rare convergence of national cultural events and a unique force of personality.

Philosophical Research Society, 19343910 Los Feliz Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027Architect: Robert Stacy-Judd


The Philosophical Research Society has been at the center of the occult in LA since its inception in 1934. Founded by Manly P. Hall, the PRS explores “wisdom traditions” ranging from religion to science to more esoter-ic philosophies. The library of the Philosophical Research Society provides a wealth of information on obscure, rare religions and philosophies.

The Society's research library houses more than 30,000 esoteric artifacts -- from the writings of Francis Bacon to books on the occult -- all for the purpose of helping 'truth seekers' on their journey.

Robert Stacy-Judd (Architect)

Robert Stacy-Judd was born in London, England on June 21, 1884. He attended Acton College, Regent Street Polytechnic Institute, and the South Kensington Science and Art Institute in London, graduating in 1905.

In 1923, he encountered the pre-Columbian architecture of Mexico and Central America through the 1841 book Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatan by John L. Stephens, which significantly influ-enced his architectural work.

A year later, in 1924, he designed the Aztec Hotel in Monrovia, near Los Angeles, which was his first design in pre-Columbian reviv-al. Other notable built projects include: the First Baptist Church in Ventura, California; the Philosophical Research Society Build-ing in Hollywood California; the Krotona Institute of Theosophy in the Ojai Valley; and the Masonic Temple in North Holly-wood California. Stacy-Judd wrote and lectured on Mayan architecture, and during the depression embarked on a book project concerning the lost City of Atlantis. Robert Stacy-Judd died in 1975.

Mayan Theater, 19271038 S Hill St, Los Angeles, CA 90015Architect: Morgan, Walls & Clements


The façade of the Mayan Theater includes stylized pre-Columbian patterns and figures designed by sculptor Francisco Cornejo. Originally a legitimate theater, the Mayan Theater is a prototypical example of the many excessively ornate exotic revival-style theaters of the late 1920s, Mayan Revival in this case.

The well-preserved lobby is called "The Hall of Feathered Serpents," the auditorium includes a chandelier based on the Aztec calendar stone, and the original fire curtain included images of Mayan jungles and temples

Hollyhock House, 19214800 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Architect: Frank Lloyd Wright


Originally designed as a residence for oil heiress Aline Barnsdall, the building is now the centerpiece of the city's Barnsdall Art Park.

As with many of Wright's residences, it has an "introvert-ed" exterior with small windows, and is not easy to decode from the outside. The design features exterior walls that are tilted back at 85 degrees (which helps provide a "Mayan" appearance sometimes referred to as the Mayan Revival style. The hollyhock is used as a central theme to the house, with many symmetrical decorations adapting the plant's general appearance.

Ennis House, 19252607 Glendower Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027Architect: Frank Lloyd Wright and his son


A residential dwelling in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, south of Griffith Park. The home was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for Charles and Mabel Ennis in 1923 and was built in 1924.

The structure is the 4th and largest of Wright's textile block designs, constructed primarily of interlocking pre-cast con-crete blocks, in the Los Angeles area. The Ennis House is sometimes referred to as an example of the Mayan Reviv-al architecture. Its prominent detail is the relief ornamenta-tion on its textile blocks, inspired by the symmetrical reliefs of Puuc architecture in Uxmal.

Storer House, 19238161 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90069

Architect: Frank Lloyd Wright and his son


The Storer House was built in 1923 for Dr. John Storer, a homeopathic physician. The house is dominated by a large upstairs living room with a high ceiling, Mayan inspired columns, and tall narrow windows; the living room is the front facade facing the street.

Wright used sledgehammers and aluminum molds to imprint elaborate Maya-inspired patterns into the blocks.The LA textile-block houses represented Wright's earliest uses of the exotic, monumental Maya forms. Storer House is the only one of Wright's textile-block houses to use multiple block patterns—four in all.

John Sowden House, 19265121 Franklin Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027Architect: Lloyd Wright


The original owner, John Sowden, was a painter and pho-tographer who hired his friend, Lloyd Wright (eldest son of Frank Lloyd Wright), to build his home on Franklin Ave in Los Feliz.

The house is built using concrete textile blocks and Mayan themes, with decorative block-work along some of the interior walls. Upon approaching the "cave-like" front entrance, one passes through sculpted copper gates and then up "a narrow, tomb-like staircase" into the house. This was the last residence built by the Wrights in this style.

Frank Lloyd Wright (Architect)Lloyd Wright Jr. (Architect)

Frank Lloyd Wright (born Frank Lincoln Wright, June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures, 532 of which were completed.

In the early 1920s, Wright designed a "tex-tile" concrete block system reinforced by an internal system of bars. Wright first used his textile block system on the John Storer House in Hollywood in 1923. Wright's son, Lloyd Wright, supervised construction for the Storer, Freeman and Ennis Houses.

Frank Lloyd Wright Jr. (March 30, 1890 – May 31, 1978) commonly known as Lloyd Wright, was an American landscape archi-tect and architect, active primarily in Los Angeles and Southern California.

Wright designed and built a number of houses in the Hollywood and Los Feliz districts of Los Angeles in the mid- to late 1920s. From 1923 through 1926 the young-er Wright was drawn into the realization of these four houses, and the ambitious attempt to evolve the "textile block" system into a patented construction technique.

Chichen Itza

A large pre-Columbian city built by the Maya people of the Terminal Classic period. The archaeological site is located in Tinúm Municipality, Yucatán State, Mexico.

The Puuc-style architecture is concentrated in the Old Chichen area, and also the earlier structures in the Nun-nery Group (including the Las Monjas, Annex and La Igle-sia buildings); it is also represented in the Akab Dzib struc-ture. Las Monjas is one of the more notable structures at Chichen Itza. It is a complex of Terminal Classic buildings constructed in the Puuc architectural style. The Las Monjas group is distinguished by its concentration of hieroglyphic texts dating to the Late to Terminal Classic. These texts frequently mention a ruler by the name of Kak-upakal.

Aztec Hotel Las Monjas Building

Uxmal

Uxmal is an ancient Maya city of the classical period in present-day Mexico. It is considered one of the most important archaeological sites of Maya culture.

Its buildings are typical of the Puuc style, with smooth low walls that open on ornate friezes based on representations of typical Maya huts. These are represented by columns (representing the reeds used for the walls of the huts) and trapezoidal shapes (representing the thatched roofs).

The Governor's Palace, a low building atop a huge plat-form, with the longest façades in Pre-Columbian Meso-america.From a small platform with a stone throne with two jaguar heads, this edifice would have been used as an astronomical observatory for watching settings of Venus.

Mayan Theater Exterior The Governor's Palace

Aztec Calendar Stone

The Aztec calendar stone is a late post-classic Mexica sculpture housed in the National Anthropology Museum in Mexico City. The stone is 358 centimetres (11.75 ft) in diameter and 98 centimetres (3.22 ft) thick, and it weighs about 24 tons. Most scholars think that the stone was carved some time between 1502 and 1521, though some believe that it is several decades older than that.

The sculpted motifs that cover the surface of the stone refer to central components of the Mexica cosmogony. In the center of the monolith is the face of the solar deity, Tonatiuh, which appears inside the glyph for "movement" , the name of the current era. The central figure is shown holding a human heart in each of his clawed hands, and his tongue is represented by a stone sacrificial knife.

Mayan Theater Chandelier Aztec Calender Stone

The Feathered Serpent

The Feathered Serpent was a prominent supernatural entity or deity, found in many Mesoamerican religions. It was called Quetzalcoatl among the Aztecs, Kukulkan among the Yucatec Maya, and Q'uq'umatz and Tohil among the K'iche' Maya. The double symbolism used in its name is considered allegoric to the dual nature of the deity, where being feathered represents its divine nature or abili-ty to fly to reach the skies and being a serpent represents its human nature or ability to creep on the ground among other animals of the Earth, a dualism very common in Mesoamerican deities.

The Aztec Quetzalcoatl was a bringer of knowledge, the inventor of books, and associated with the planet Venus.Mayan Theater Feathered Serpent Feathered Serpent in Xochicalco

Palenque

Palenque also anciently known as Lakamha, was a Maya city state in southern Mexico that flourished in the 7th cen-tury. The Palenque ruins date from ca. 226 BC to ca. AD 799. Palenque contains some of the finest architecture, sculpture, roof comb and bas-relief carvings that the Mayas produced.

The Temple of Inscriptions had begun perhaps as early as 675 as the funerary monument of Hanab-Pakal. The temple superstructure houses the second longest glyphic text known from the Maya world. The Temple of the Cross, Temple of the Sun, and Temple of the Foliated Cross are a set of graceful temples atop step pyramids, each with an elaborately carved relief in the inner chamber depicting two figures presenting ritual objects and effigies to a cen-tral icon.

Hollyhock House The Temple of the Count

Chicanna

Chicanná was a Maya town that was built during the Clas-sic period (600 A.D. to 830 A.D.). The site was named after its most famous building, Structure II, which means "House of the Serpent Mouth" in Mayan. In the Mayan language chi means "mouth", can means "serpent" and na means "house".

Chicanná is one of the most striking examples in the region of the mixing of architectural styles with its stunning detailed buildings. Its buildings have features of the Río Bec, Chenes (Mayan city) and even the Puuc style from the north. It does not have large pyramids, but relatively small buildings with an ornateness and quality of decora-tion that suggests that it was a center for the region's most elite.

Ennis House Chicanna Structure

Kabah

Kabah is a Maya archaeological site in the Puuc region of western Yucatan, south of Mérida. Kabah is south of Uxmal, connected to that site by a grand 18 kilometres (11 miles) long raised pedestrian causeway 5 metres (16 feet) wide with monumental arches at each end. Kabah is the second largest ruin of the Puuc region after Uxmal.

The most famous structure at Kabah is the "Palace of the Masks", the façade decorated with hundreds of stone masks of the long-nosed rain god Chaac; it is also known as the Codz Poop, meaning "Rolled Matting", from the pattern of the stone mosaics. This massive repetition of a single set of elements is unusual in Maya art, and here is used to unique effect. Ennis House Palace of the Masks

Mitla

Mitla is the second most important archeological site in the state of Oaxaca in Mexico, and the most important of the Zapotec culture. Instead of being a group of pyramids on a hill, as at Monte Albán, Mitla is a group of constructions built on the valley floor, and it lacks the wide and far vistas of Monte Alban. The architecture is geared more for the comfort of the residents than for magnificence.

The main distinguishing feature of Mitla is the intricate mosaic fretwork and geometric designs that profusely adorn the walls of surrounding strcuutres. The geometric patterns called grecas seen on some of the stone walls and door frames are made from thousands of cut, polished stones that are fitted together without mortar. The pieces were set against a stucco background painted red.The stones are held in place by the weight of the stones that surround them.

Ennis House Mitla freize patterns

John Lloyd Stephens (Explorer) Frederick Catherwood (Architect)

John Lloyd Stephens (November 28, 1805 – October 13, 1852) was an American explorer, writer, and diplomat. Stephens was a pivotal figure in the rediscovery of Maya civilization throughout Middle Ameri-ca and in the planning of the Panama railroad.

According to Stephens's book about the trip, they visited a total of 44 Mayan sites such as Mayapan, Uxmal, Kabah, the gate-way at Labná, Sayil, Xtampak, Chichen Itza, Tulum, and Izamal.

Frederick Catherwood (27 February 1799 – 27 September 1854) was an English artist, architect and explorer, best remembered for his meticulously detailed drawings of the ruins of the Maya civilization. He explored Mesoamerica in the mid 19th century with writer John Lloyd Stephens.

Their books, Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatán and Inci-dents of Travel in Yucatán, were best sell-ers and introduced to the Western world the civilization of the ancient Maya. In 1837.

Stephens and Catherwood returned to Yucatan to make further explorations, resulting in Inci-dents of Travel in Yucatan in 1843.

The following year Catherwood published Views of Ancient Monuments in Central Ameri-ca, Chiapas and Yucatan, with 25 colour litho-graphs from watercolours he made at various ruins. This folio was published in May 1844 simultaneously in London and New York in an edition of 300. Some 282 copies are known to survive, mostly held in private collections or libraries.

Fraternal Organizations& Notable Structures

The MacArthur (Former Elks Lodge)

Architect: Aleck Curlett and Claude Beelman, 1925

Hollywood Masonic TempleArchitect: John C. Austin, 1921

Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever CemeteryArchitect: Morgan, Walls & Clements, 1931

North Hollywood Masonic LodgeArchitect: Robert Stacy-Judd & John Aleck Murrey, 1951

Scottish Rite Masonic TempleArchitect: Millard Sheets, 1961

Pasadena Scottish Rite CathedralArchitect: Joseph J. Blick and W.C. Crowell, 1925

The Shrine AuditoriumArchitect: John C. Austin & G. Albert Lansburgh, 1925

Griffith ObservatoryArchitect: John C. Austin & Frederick M. Ashley, 1934

Angelus Temple Architect: Brook Hawkins, 1923

Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumArchitect: John and Donald Parkinson, 1923

Hollywood BowlArchitect: Lloyd Wright, Allied Architects, 1922

The MacArthur (Former Elks Lodge), 1925607 S Park View St, Los Angeles, CA 90057Architect: Aleck Curlett and Claude Beelman

Architectural StyleGothic & Babylonian Revival

The building originally was designed for the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (B.P.O.E). The building still sports a brass sculpture of a set of elk antlers embedded in the clock above the grand entry to the building. Eventu-ally, the Elks sold the building due to shrinking attendance in their ranks, and the building ended up being trans-formed into a luxury hotel, set perfectly then on the shores of what was once a very glamorous MacArthur Park.

In 2016 it was announced that the hotel will be restored by a development group that restored the Roosevelt Hotel on Hollywood Boulevard.

Designed as a memorial to World War I soldiers, the exteri-or features stylized Assyrian friezes, sculpted figures in mili-tary uniform, and massive cast stone warrior angels guard-ing the plinth and tower at every corner.

The lavish interior features an arched ceiling painted by famed muralist Anthony Heinsbergen, who purposely undercut the competition bidding for the job and toiled on his back while painting, like Michelangelo. Heinsbergen later claimed that he rarely bothered with self-promotion again.

The rich and famous who attended Lodge parties or mason-ic rights all saw his handiwork and requested Heinsbergen murals for their homes and businesses across Los Angeles. Below these murals hangs an ornate chandelier depicting Zodiac signs, and symbolic wrought ironwork surrounds the grand entrance.

Hollywood Masonic Temple, 19216840 Hollywood Boulevard, HollywoodArchitect: John C. Austin

Architectural StyleNeoclassical

Hollywood Masonic Temple is a building on Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. The building, built in 1921, was designed by architect John C. Austin, also noted as the lead architect of the Griffith Observatory. The Masons operated the temple until 1982, when they sold the building after several years of declining membership.

Since 2003, the building's theater has been the home of Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

Masonic Lodge Hollywood Forever, 19316000 Santa Monica Boulevard, Hollywood

Architect: Morgan, Walls & Clements

Architectural StyleSpanish Baroque

This structure on the outskirts of Hollywood Forever cem-etery was built in 1931 by the renowned firm of Morgan, Walls & Clements to accommodate Southland Lodge No. 617. According to its National Register of Historic Places documentation, the architects employed a completely new wall texturing technique to achieve an ashlar stone effect on concrete monolithic walls, and also designed special furnishings and light fixtures for the interiors in the Spanish Renaissance style. The Masons moved out in the '60s, and today the Lodge is used to host concerts and alt-com-edy shows.

North Hollywood Masonic Lodge, 19515122 Tujunga Avenue, North HollywoodArchitect: Robert Stacy-Judd & John Aleck Murrey


North Hollywodd’s Mayan-Modern-style temple was designed in 1949 by Robert Stacy-Judd, the eccentric architect of the Aztec Hotel, in association with North Hol-lywood architect and lodge member John Aleck Murrey. Founded in the 1920s, Lodge 542 counted many actors, movie studio employees and even studio heads among its membership, including Clark Gable, John Wayne, the Warner brothers, and Laurel and Hardy. Still an active lodge today, it hosts a stated meeting dinner the first Thursday of the month at 6:30 pm that is open to the public.

Scottish Rite Masonic Temple, 19614357 Wilshire Boulevard

Architect: Millard Sheets

Architectural StyleMid-Century Modern

Wilshire Boulevard's Scottish Rite Masonic Temple boasts one of the artist-architect's largest-ever mosaics, tracing the history of Freemasonry from King Solomon to modern California times, while its giant Italian travertine relief sculptures depict figures such as Imhotep, builder of the pyramids; British architect Sir Christopher Wren, designer of St. Paul's Cathedral in London; and Founding Father George Washington, who was a member of the order.

The building was purchased by The Maurice and Paul Marciano Art Foundation in July 2013. It was reopened in 2017 as a contemporary art space.

Pasadena Scottish Rite Cathedral, 1925150 N Madison Ave, PasadenaArchitect: Joseph J. Blick and W.C. Crowell

Architectural StyleEgyptian & Babylonian Revival

Architecturally significant in greater Los Angeles as a pre-PWA Classical Moderne building with distinctive deco-rative guardian sphinxes, the Scottish Rite Cathedral is associated strongly with the social history of Pasadena, in particular with the Scottish Rite, an appendant body asso-ciated with Freemasonry.

The building was built in 1925. It cost approximately $300,000, was described as magnificently furnished and was dedicated at a ceremony on February 18, 1925 attended by approximately 1700 high-degree masons and their families.

The Shrine Auditorium, 1925665 West Jefferson Boulevard, Los Angeles

Architect: John C. Austin & G. Albert Lansburgh

Architectural StyleMoorish Revival

The full name for the Shrine Auditorium is "Al Malaikah Shriners Ancients Arabic Order Nobles of Mystic Shrine." An offshoot of the Masons, the Shriners organization was formed in 1872. Best known for wearing fezzes, driving tiny cars, and holding big conventions, the group's 1920s HQ in Exposition Park was designed by John C. Austin, who did the exterior, and G. Albert Lansburgh who did the interior.

For many years the massive Spanish-Moorish complex was the favored site for Tinseltown's big award ceremo-nies, but nowadays the Shrine mostly hosts events.

Griffith Observatory, 19342800 E Observatory Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90027Architect: John C. Austin & Frederick M. Ashley

Architectural StyleArt Deco & Moorish Revival

A facility in Los Angeles, California, sitting on the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood in Los Angeles' Griffith Park. It commands a view of the Los Angeles Basin, including Downtown Los Angeles to the southeast, Hollywood to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest.

The observatory is a popular tourist attraction with an excellent view of the Hollywood Sign and an extensive array of space and science-related displays. Admission has been free since the observatory's opening in 1935, in accordance with the will of Griffith J. Griffith.

Astronomers Monument Figures

The six astronomers featured on the monument are among the most influential and important in history. The six figures represent the Greek astronomer Hipparchus (about 125 B.C.), Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543), Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), Johannes Kepler (1571-1630), Isaac Newton (1642-1727), and John Herschel (1738-1822).

Armillary Sphere

On top of the Astronomers Monument is a 900-pound, hollow bronze armillary sphere that was installed in 1991 (replacing the original cement-cast and copper-covered sphere which had degraded). An armillary sphere is an astronomical instrument composed of rings representing celestial latitude, longitude, and the ecliptic. Prior to the invention of the telescope, it was the main instrument used by astronomers to determine celestial position.

Sundial

Our equatorial sundial was created and installed by Obser-vatory staff (Leon Hall and Joseph Frame) in 1957. The ring is made of high-nickel bronze and has an outside diameter of 34 inches. Engraved markings on the ring allow one to track the movement of the shadow and, thus, to keep the time using the Sun. The ring is held in position by a clamp, which can be loosened to allow staff to rotate the ring when adjustments are needed (such as when Daylight Saving Time begins and ends). The heavy wire passing through the center of the ring, and at right angles to it, is made of a nick-el-copper alloy. It is parallel to the Earth's axis, being accu-rately mounted in a north-south direction and pointed to the north pole of the sky. The angle it makes with the horizon is 34 degrees, which is equal to the latitude of Los Angeles. The Sundial gives us a better appreciation of the role of our rotating Earth as the fundamental timekeeper.

Angelus Temple, 19231100 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026Architect: Brook Hawkins

Architectural StyleModern & Neo Classical

It was constructed under the leadership of denominational founder Aimee Semple McPherson and dedicated on Jan-uary 1, 1923. The cornerstone of the building bears the inscription "Dedicated unto the cause of inter-denomina-tional and worldwide evangelism".

The main architectural feature of the structure is its large, unsupported concrete dome coated with a mixture of ground abalone shells. The dome's interior was painted azure blue, with fleecy clouds, a reminder to "work while it's day" and "to look for His coming".

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, 19233911 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90037

Architect: John and Donald Parkinson

Architectural StyleModern & Neo Classical

The Coliseum was commissioned in 1921 as a memorial to L.A. veterans of World War I. When the Coliseum opened in 1923, it was the largest stadium in Los Angeles with a capacity of 75,144.

The reinforced concrete, cast-in-place structure forms a colossal elliptical bowl. Evoking classical design elements, the east end of the stadium features a grand peristyle, which now contains the "Court of Honor" within the arches. The field was constructed thirty-two feet below grade and the terraced seating could originally accommodate 75,000 spectators.

Hollywood Bowl, 19222301 N Highland Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90068Architect: Lloyd Wright, Allied Architects

Architectural StyleModern & Mayan Revival

The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheater in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Known for its band shell, a distinctive set of concentric arches that graced the site from 1929 through 2003, before being replaced with a larger one beginning in the 2004 season.

The "bowl" refers to the shape of the concave hillside the amphitheater is carved into. The bowl is owned by the County of Los Angeles and is the home of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the host of hundreds of musical events each year.

For the 1927 season, Lloyd Wright, built a pyramidal shell, with a vaguely Southwestern look, out of left-over lumber from a production of Robin Hood. This was generally regarded as the best shell the Bowl ever had from an acoustic standpoint; unfortunately, its appear-ance was deemed too avant-garde, and it was demolished at the end of the season.

For the 1928 season, Lloyd Wright built a shell in the shape of con-centric 120-degree arches, with movable panels inside that could be used to tune the acoustics. It was designed to be easily dismantled and stored between concert seasons; apparently for political reasons this was not done, and it did not survive the winter.

John C. Austin (Architect)

Born in Bodicote, Oxfordshire, England, Austin was an apprentice to architect Williams S. Barwick in the late 1880s. He moved to the United States and worked as a draftsman for architect Benjamin Linfoot of Philadelphia from 1891–1892, before relocating to San Francisco where he was a draftsman at Mooser and Devlin from 1892-1895.

He moved to Los Angeles in 1895, and became one of the city's leading architects. Austin was also active in civic affairs in Los Angeles.

Austin also served as the President of the State Board of Architectural Examiners, a member of the National Labor Board responsible for labor disputes in Southern California, President of the Southern Cali-fornia Historical Society, President of the Jonathan Club, and a 32nd degree Mason. In 1949, the Los Angeles Chamber of Com-merce presented Austin with its first ever Achievement Award. In 1963, Los Angeles Mayor Samuel Yorty presented Austin with a scroll commending him "for serving in an outstanding manner as a distinguished architect."

Masonic Temples

A Masonic Temple or Masonic Hall is, within Freemasonry, the room or edifice where a Masonic Lodge meets. Masonic Temple may also refer to an abstract spiritual goal and the conceptual ritualistic space of a meeting.

The first Masonic Hall was built in 1765 in Marseille, France. A decade later in May, 1775, the cornerstone of what would come to be known as Freemasons' Hall, London, was laid in solemn ceremonial form spurring a trend that would continue to present day. The 1920s marked a heyday for Freemasonry, especially in the United States. By 1930, over 12% of the adult male popu-lation of the United States were members of the fraterni-ty.The dues generated by such numbers allowed state Grand Lodges to build on truly monumental scales. Typical of the era are the Dayton Masonic Center and Detroit Masonic Temple (the largest Masonic Temple in the world).

Hollywood Masonic Temple Dayton Masonic Center

Greek Temples

Most Greek religious buildings in the modern day are referred to as "temples," but the Greek pagans (known only as 'pagans' after the rise of Christianity) would have called a holy place a temenos, or sacred precinct. The sacredness of the place had entirely to do with the spirit of the god who resided there, not with whatever building was later constructed on the spot, as in the case of the Temple of Demeter at Eleusis, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus or the famous Parthenon of Athens which housed the statue of Athena Parthenos (Athena the Virgin, patron goddess of the city). The building which housed the statue, then, was sacred owing to the original presence there of, or some great deed done by, the god of that place. The Temple of Aphaia, on the island of Aegina, is only one example of the temple as home of the deity of the place. The goddess Aphaia was thought to live in the temple to personally care for the people of the island.

Hollywood Masonic Temple The Temple of Concordia

Sphinx

The sphinx image also has been adopted into Masonic architecture. Among the Egyptians, sphinxes were placed at the entrance of the temples to guard their mysteries, by warning those who penetrated within that they should con-ceal a knowledge of them from the uninitiated. The place-ment of the sphinxes expressed the idea that all the gods were hidden from the people, and that the knowledge of them, guarded in the sanctuaries, was revealed to initiates only. As a Masonic emblem, the sphinx has been adopted in its Egyptian character as a symbol of mystery, and as such often is found as a decoration sculptured in front of Masonic temples, or engraved at the head of Masonic doc-uments. It cannot, however, be properly called an ancient, recognized symbol of the order. Its introduction has been of comparatively recent date, and rather as a symbolic decoration than as a symbol of any particular dogma. Scottish Rite Cathedral Pasadena Salt Lake Masonic Temple

Shriners

Shriners International, also commonly known as The Shri-ners, is a society established in 1870 and is headquar-tered in Tampa, Florida, USA. It is an appendant body to Freemasonry. Shriners International company describes itself as a fraternity based on fun, fellowship, and the Masonic principles of brotherly love, relief, and truth. There are approximately 350,000 members from 196 temples (chapters).

Some of the earliest Shrine Centers often chose a Moorish Revival style for their Temples. The group adopted a Middle Eastern theme and soon established Temples (though the term Temple has now generally been replaced by Shrine Auditorium or Shrine Center). The first Temple established was Mecca Temple (now known as Mecca Shriners), established at the New York City Masonic Hall on September 26, 1872

Shrine Auditorium Los Angeles Shrine Mosque Springfield, Missouri

Mosque

A mosque is a place of worship for Muslims. There are strict and detailed requirements in Sunni jurisprudence for a place of worship to be considered a mosque, with places that do not meet these requirements regarded as musal-las. Many mosques have elaborate domes, minarets, and prayer halls, in varying styles of architecture. Mosques originated on the Arabian Peninsula, but are now found in all inhabited continents.

The mosque serves as a place where Muslims can come together for Ṣalāh as well as a center for information, edu-cation, social welfare, and dispute settlement. The archi-tecture of a mosque is shaped most strongly by the region-al traditions of the time and place where it was built. As a result, style, layout, and decoration can vary greatly. The common function of the mosque as a place of congrega-tional prayer appear in mosques all over the world.

Shrine Auditorium Los Angeles Jumeirah Mosque Dubai

Colosseum

An oval amphitheater in the center of the city of Rome, Italy. Built of travertine, tuff, and brick-faced concrete, it is the largest amphitheater ever built. The Colosseum is situ-ated just east of the Roman Forum. Construction began under the emperor Vespasian in AD 72, and was complet-ed in AD 80 under his successor and heir Titus.

The Colosseum could hold, it is estimated, between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators, having an average audi-ence of some 65,000;it was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology. The building ceased to be used for entertainment in the early medieval era. It was later reused for such purposes as housing, workshops, quarters for a religious order, a fortress, a quarry, and a Christian shrine.

Angelus Temple Colosseum Rome

Sphinx Realty Company, Fairfax Avenue, 1920

Documents

Tectonic Temples - Amazon S3