THE ARS QUATUOR CORONATI CIRCLE OF CORRESPONDENCE WORKS
The Temple of Detroit
Dedicated November 25, 1926, this 1037 room, 14 story building is unique among Masonic buildings because all of the various Masonic bodies are housed in the same structure. There are some twelve million cubic feet of space, making it the largest and most complex building of its kind in the world.
Corner Stone placed on September 18, 1922 - George Washington's own working tools were brought from Virginia to be used for the ceremony.
Temple formally dedicated on Thanksgiving Day, 1926 Thousands gathered for the formal ceremony and consecration by the Grand Lodge of Michigan.
In all there are twenty-eight units in the building, grouped into three major divisions; the ritualistic tower, the auditorium and the Shrine Club. Provisions for fifty Masonic Bodies which must operate independently were incorporated in the plans.
There are ten Craft Lodge Rooms - all having different decorative treatments, the motifs of decoration being taken from the Egyptian, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, Italian Renaissance, Byzantine, Gothic and Romanesque. The rooms are all true to the period. All of the art work throughout the building, especially the beautifully decorated ceilings was done under the personal direction of famous Italian artists.
The Scottish Rite Cathedral has a seating capacity of 1600 and its fully equipped stage with a width of 64 feet from wall to wall and a depth of 37 feet from the foot lights. The Cathedral is a beauty spot of the Temple, made rich by carvings and color work which is most effectively carried out in the ceiling.
In the center portion of the Temple is located the auditorium or public portion of the structure. In this section of the building on the third floor mezzanine is the mammoth drill hall, comprising 17,500 square feet of open floor space. The drill hall is used by the uniformed bodies of the Masonic organization - Commanderies, Consistory and Shrine Patrol. This drill hall is equipped with one of three floating floors in the United States; that is, the entire floor is laid on felt cushions. This type of construction provides more or less give to the floor which tends to relieve the marchers.
Immediately under the drill hall is the main auditorium. The auditorium of the Detroit Masonic Temple is one of the finest public halls in the United States, having a seating capacity of about 5000. Because of its arrangement, there is a very intimate contact between the audience and stage. A great deal of careful study was given to the acoustical treatment of this room which has produced an auditorium where the hearing qualities are perfect from every seat. The stage of the auditorium is the second largest in the United States, having a width between walls of 100 feet and a depth from the curtain line of 55 feet