Pythian Home of Missouri

Pythian Home of Missouri
Location 1451 E. Pythian Street, Springfield, Missouri
Coordinates 37°13′17″N 93°16′07″W / 37.2214°N 93.2686°W / 37.2214; -93.2686Coordinates: 37°13′17″N 93°16′07″W / 37.2214°N 93.2686°W / 37.2214; -93.2686
Area 2.66 acres (1.08 ha)[1]
Built 1913
NRHP Reference # 09000812[2]
Added to NRHP October 7, 2009[2]

The Pythian Home of Missouri, also known as Pythian Castle, in Springfield, Missouri was originally built in 1913 by the Knights of Pythias and later owned by the U.S. Military.[1] It is now privatly owned and open to the public by appointment.

German and Italian prisoners-of-war were assigned here during World War II for medical treatment and as laborers. Some prisoners were kept in the detached powerhouse and laundry room behind the castle.[1] The laundry room is still owned by the US Army.

The building was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on October 7, 2009.[1][2] The listing was announced as the featured listing in the National Park Service weekly list of October 16, 2009.[3]

Construction

The main building was designed to give the structure the appearance of a castle which reflected the theme of the Knights of Pythias. Its foundation and exterior is constructed of "Carthage Stone", which is an especially hard variety of limestone commonly quarried in the Ozarks. The interior construction is composed of steel framework with poured concrete floors, ceilings, and stairways. The interior walls consist of layered hollow core "Pyrobar Blocks" (a gypsum-based fireproofing material developed in the early 1900s), with a wire mesh covering that was coated with several layers of plaster. The original main floor features a grand foyer, meeting room, ballroom, dining hall, and sitting parlors. The second floor, which is accessed by dual staircases on either wall, was designed with dormitory style rooms for children and bedrooms for adults. The second floor also features a theater with original ticket booth, seats, upper projection and lighting room as well as changing rooms backstage. The building also features a full basement. The power house was located directly behind the main building and housed the boiler as well as the institution's laundry facilities.

History

Knights of Pythias

The Knights of Pythias, a fraternal organization, originally constructed the castle and detached power plant as a retirement home for needy members of the order and their widows and children.[1] It was called The Pythian Home of Missouri. Springfield was on of seven cities competing for the construction of the Pythian home and sold 53 acres of land to the knights for $1 in 1909.[1] It served as a meeting hall for the order and served in this capacity until in 1942.

WW II

In 1942, during World War II, the United States Military commandeered the facility for use in conjunction with the adjacent O'Reilly General Hospital in entertaining and rehabilitating injured U.S. troops. It was renamed The Enlisted Men's Service Club. The facility featured a movie theater, ballroom, bowling alley, pool hall, library, and arts and crafts area. Some of the most famous movie stars, comedians, and entertainers of the era performed in the theater while the ballroom was host to big bands playing for the dancing pleasure of the troops. After the war the building was retained by the military for use as a reserve center until it was sold as surplus in 1993.

Present

It is now privately owned by Tamara Finocchiaro. Renovations have been completed to the property including a new driveway and parking area. As of August 1, 2010 the castle has been reopened to the public for use as a cultural arts and events facility. It is available for special event rental including weddings, proms and corporate parties and offers public events such as history tours, murder mystery dinners, ghost tours, and holiday events.[4] To add to the castle's identity, it was investigated by the television show Ghost Lab in early 2011.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Tamara Finocchiaro, Chad Jackson, and Roger Maserang, Tamara (August 12, 2009). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Pythian Home of Missouri / Pythian Castle / O'Reilly Service Club / Building #501-U.S. Dept. of Army" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved October 17, 2009. (51 pages, with 5 figures and 14 photos)
  2. 1 2 3 "Announcements and actions on properties for the National Register of Historic Places". Weekly Listings. National Park Service. October 16, 2009. Retrieved October 17, 2009.
  3. ↑ "Historic Pythian Castle continues to fascinate". Springfield News-Leader. Retrieved 2017-07-27.
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