Pythian Temple (New York City)
Encyclopedia
The Pythian Temple is an historic Knights of Pythias
building at 135 West 70th Street between Columbus Avenue and Broadway in the Lincoln Square
neighborhood of Manhattan
, New York City
. It was built in 1927 to serve as a meeting place for the 120 Pythian lodges of New York City. Today it is an 88-unit luxury condominium building known as The Pythian.
who created an acoustically renowned music recording studio in it. Decca had transformed a very large third floor auditorium with balconies and wooden floors into a recording studio. In 1954, Bill Haley and His Comets recorded their album Rock Around the Clock
there. Other artists who recorded there included Buddy Holly
, Sammy Davis Jr., and Billie Holiday
. It was in use as a recording studio for over fifteen years.
Days after the Soviet suppression of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, noted actor and Communist Party
activist Paul Robeson
spoke at the Temple. He, audience members, and a number of Pythians who had not attended the speech were pelted with eggs and fruit by angry demonstrators as they left the building.
In 1958 the building was purchased by the New York Institute of Technology
as that college's main campus.
In 1986 the building was converted to residential use by architect David Gura for which he won a Residential Design Award from the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects
. The facade underwent a restoration in 2008-9.
style. It was designed by Thomas W. Lamb
, an architect noted for designing theaters. He created a midblock "movie-set Egyptian forms, seated Pharaonic figures, polychrome columns and a setback arrangement... Inside, there were 13 lodge rooms and an auditorium decorated in a striking Egyptian manner."
In addition to the thirteen lodge rooms and the spacious theater, the building had a gym and a bowling alley. The theater had Broadway-quality staging facilities for the fraternal association's professionally produced pageants.
In 2009, the architectural historian Christopher Gray
wrote in The New York Times
:
Knights of Pythias
The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization and secret society founded at Washington, DC, on 19 February 1864.The Knights of Pythias was the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was founded by Justus H. Rathbone, who had been...
building at 135 West 70th Street between Columbus Avenue and Broadway in the Lincoln Square
Lincoln Square
Lincoln Square may mean:*Lincoln Square, Chicago*Lincoln Square, New York*Lincoln Square , Washington*Lincoln Square, near Albert Square, Manchester, England*Lincoln Square , Australia...
neighborhood of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. It was built in 1927 to serve as a meeting place for the 120 Pythian lodges of New York City. Today it is an 88-unit luxury condominium building known as The Pythian.
History
As the organization's popularity declined, in the early 1940s the Pythians leased space in the building to Decca RecordsDecca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
who created an acoustically renowned music recording studio in it. Decca had transformed a very large third floor auditorium with balconies and wooden floors into a recording studio. In 1954, Bill Haley and His Comets recorded their album Rock Around the Clock
Rock Around the Clock (album)
Rock Around the Clock was the third album of rock and roll music by Bill Haley and His Comets. Released by Decca Records in December 1955 it was, like the two albums that preceded it, a compilation album of previously issued singles. Most of album's contents were in fact previously issued by Decca...
there. Other artists who recorded there included Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
, Sammy Davis Jr., and Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
. It was in use as a recording studio for over fifteen years.
Days after the Soviet suppression of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, noted actor and Communist Party
Communist party
A political party described as a Communist party includes those that advocate the application of the social principles of communism through a communist form of government...
activist Paul Robeson
Paul Robeson
Paul Leroy Robeson was an American concert singer , recording artist, actor, athlete, scholar who was an advocate for the Civil Rights Movement in the first half of the twentieth century...
spoke at the Temple. He, audience members, and a number of Pythians who had not attended the speech were pelted with eggs and fruit by angry demonstrators as they left the building.
In 1958 the building was purchased by the New York Institute of Technology
New York Institute of Technology
New York Institute of Technology is a private, non-sectarian, co-educational research university in New York City. NYIT has five schools and two colleges, all with a strong emphasis on technology and applied scientific research...
as that college's main campus.
In 1986 the building was converted to residential use by architect David Gura for which he won a Residential Design Award from the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
. The facade underwent a restoration in 2008-9.
Architecture
The building is a flamboyant Egyptian Revival Temple in Art DecoArt Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style. It was designed by Thomas W. Lamb
Thomas W. Lamb
Thomas White Lamb was an American architect, born in Scotland. He is noted as one of the foremost designers of theaters and cinemas in the 20th century.-Career:...
, an architect noted for designing theaters. He created a midblock "movie-set Egyptian forms, seated Pharaonic figures, polychrome columns and a setback arrangement... Inside, there were 13 lodge rooms and an auditorium decorated in a striking Egyptian manner."
In addition to the thirteen lodge rooms and the spacious theater, the building had a gym and a bowling alley. The theater had Broadway-quality staging facilities for the fraternal association's professionally produced pageants.
In 2009, the architectural historian Christopher Gray
Christopher Gray
Christopher Gray is an American journalist and architectural historian noted for his weekly New York Times column "Streetscapes", about the history of New York architecture, real estate and public improvements...
wrote in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
:
The Pythian Temple’s ground-floor colonnade, with Assyrian-type heads, is centered on a brilliantly glazed blue terra-cotta entry pavilion. The windowless middle section steps back at about 100 feet up, with four seated Pharaonic figures similar to those of Ramses II at Abu Simbel. Two more setbacks rise to a highly colored Egyptian-style colonnade, and to giant urns carried by teams of yellow, red and green oxen. In a rendering, the urns are lighted with fires. Published photographs of the lobby show a double-height space in what appears to be polished black marble, with Egyptian decor, like a winged orb, or perhaps Isis, over the doorway.
Notable residents
- Lady GagaLady GaGaStefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
moved into the building with her family in 1993. Her parents still live there.