|
The Pythian Temple, as
the perplexing neo-Egyptian structure at 135 West 70th Street
was once called, was designed by the architect Thomas W. Lamb
and built in 1927 to serve as a clubhouse for the Order of the
Knights of Pythias, a fraternal organization founded in
Washington during the Civil War. the building contained
several stacks of lodge halls and meeting rooms suspended
above a columnless auditorium. Much of its original terra
cotta decoration, including two 10-foot seated pharoahs, is
still in place.
In their own terms, the Knights of Pythias "seek to take
hold of the hearts of men in a never-ending quest for
international brotherhood." The group takes its name from
the tale of Damon and Pythias, initiates in the Pythagorean
mysteries in Syracuse in the fourth century B.C., during the
reign of the tyrant Dionysius. When Damon was sentenced to
death, Pythias took his place so Damon could say farewell to
his family in Greece. Damon returned at the hour of execution,
and Dionysius, stirred by the strength of their friendship,
set both men free.
Though the knights are nonsectarian, members are required to profess faith in a supreme being, and the Bible has long been the centerpiece of much of the group's ceremonial activity. In fact, the Pythian Temple, which the AIA Guide to New York City has called an "opium-smoker's dream," was built virtually without windows, the better to guard the privacy of the group's secret rites. The building, which was later used for many years as a branch of Manhattan Community College, was finally fenestrated during a 1982 renovation, to turn it into the Pythian Condominiums.
Don and Hung Nguyen,
NYC
|
