Enid Masonic Temple facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Enid Masonic Temple
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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| Location | 301 W. Broadway, Enid, Oklahoma |
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| Built | 1924 |
| Architect | Garfield County Masons |
| Architectural style | Italian Renaissance Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 84003954 |
| Added to NRHP | 1984 |
The Enid Masonic Temple is a historic building in Enid, Oklahoma. It is also known as the Enid Symphony Center and the Knox Building. Today, it is the home of the Enid Symphony Orchestra. This beautiful building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. It is designed in the Italian Renaissance Revival style. The building is also part of the Enid Downtown Historic District, which was listed in 2007.
Building History
This building was first built in the 1920s. It served as a meeting place for several Masonic lodges in Garfield County. During the Great Depression, a time when many people faced financial hardship, an oilman named Charles Knox bought the building. He renamed it the Knox Building.
Mr. Knox raised the rent, and the Freemasons could no longer afford to stay. They moved to other locations. After they left, the building was closed for about 40 years. There is a local story that says the building is haunted. The legend tells of an elevator repairman named George. According to the story, he had an accident in the elevator shaft.
A New Life: Enid Symphony Center
In the 1990s, the building was given a new purpose. It was carefully renovated and became the Enid Symphony Center. The Enid Symphony Orchestra is the oldest orchestra in Oklahoma, formed way back in 1905.
Under the guidance of Symphony director Doug Newell and the Enid Symphony Association, the fourth and fifth floors of the building were updated. This renovation cost 3.2 million dollars. The changes included creating the Enid Symphony Hall. This hall features theatre seating from the 1930s. There is also a lobby area decorated with ancient Egyptian designs. Other new additions were the Jane Champlin Art Gallery and the Eleanor Hoehn Hornbaker Banquet Hall. Besides being the home for Enid's orchestra, the Gaslight Theatre also puts on a yearly dinner theatre show here.
