The Scottish Rite Temple was most often called Town Hall when it was an active venue for entertainment from at least the 1950's until shortly before its demolution in 1983.
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The Architectural style of the Scottish Rite Temple was called variously Classical Revival, Beaux Arts, or Art Deco. It should be noted that at the time that an agency of the City of Philadelphia demolished it, it had an eligible status for placement on the National Register of Historic Buildings. It was constructed of Limestone with Steel Reinforcement, and Terra Cotta.
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In the late 1950's after especially during the 1960's, big name acts often performed there. In 1957, Tom Lehrer and Josh White performed there. On November 17th, 1955, and March 1, 1959, Ray Charles performed concerts there. Bob Dylan performed there no less than three times in the fall of 1964. The Doors and Nazz performed there in June, of 1967.
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1. The Times They Are A-Changin'
2. Girl from the North Country
3. Who Killed Davey Moore?
4. Talkin' John Birch Society Paranoid Blues
5. To Ramona
6. Ballad of Hollis Brown
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8. I Don't Believe You
9. It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
10. Mr. Tambourine Man
11. Talkin' World War III Blues
12. A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
13. Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
14. Only a Pawn in Their Game
15. With God on Our Side
16. It Ain't Me, Babe
17. The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
18. All I Really Want to Do
I remember the Doors concert as being even more impressive than Dylan.
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My last recollection of the old Scottish Rite Temple was not as fond. I walked past it while it was being demolished, and had a flood of recollections, and felt profound sadness at seeing such a beautiful building being torn down. Not even world class architecture is a match for the lack of vision that most government bureaucrats possess.
3 comments:
The architect, Horace Castor, died in 1966. I was never inside, but from interior photos I have seen, there also appeared to be Egyptian Revival elements mixed in as well. It is difficult to assign a strict architectural style to the building. Very unique.
From the photos I have seen, it is difficult to assign a strict architectural style to the building. On the interior there appear to have been Egyptian Revival elements mixed in as well. Very unique.
Thanks for the additional history on the Bob Dylan performances!
The architect, Horace Castor, died in 1966.
Dylan must have performed there before that because I ran the elevator to get people into the balconies. I left for grad school in '63 and I saw him there as a worker. Also I ran the elevator when the phila orchestra recorded there under ormandy. They didn't record in the theater they used the banquet hall on the top floor. Once I deposited them up there I wasn't allowed to run the elevator until they finished to avoid any background noise
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