Fraternal Order Meeting Hall in TX
Knights of Pythias Building, Fort Worth Texas
"On June 6th, 1881, a procession of the Order of Knights of Pythias formed at the corner of 4th and Main Streets and marched to Weatherford Street, down Houston, Fourth Street, to Main Street, and thence to Third Street. This impressive ceremony was for the purpose of laying the corner stone of the first Pythias Castle Hall ever erected in the world, and the only Castle Hall ever dedicated by the founder of the order, Justis H. Rathbone of Washington, D. C.", said D. B. Alexander.
The Encyclopedia Britannica defines the Knights of Pythias as "a fraternal and benevolent order of secret character, founded in Washington, D. C., on February 19th, 1864, and chartered by a special act of Congress. In the 1950's the order maintained more than fifty grand lodges or grand domains in the states of the United States and in the provinces of Canada. There were also about 3,000 local or subordinate lodges.
Today the Knights of Pythias Castle Hall in Fort Worth, Texas is the object of concerned preservationists within the lodge itself as well as within the membership of Historic Fort Worth, Inc. Both of these groups hope to restore the old Castle Hall so that it will maintain its architectural uniqueness and cultural importance in downtown Fort Worth. Members of the local lodge want to make part of their building into a museum about the international fraternal order.
The Texas State Historical Survey Committee recognized Castle Hall in 1962 for its cultural and historical significance.
Building Description
The red brick Knights of Pythias Castle Hall is reminiscent of a medieval guild hall or a North European city hall, an appropriate home for a fraternal order at the turn of the century. The most interesting feature is the iron knight which stands in a niche in the gable above the third floor. This seven foot tall figure was made of galvanized iron and was brought from New York in 1882 for the original Castle Hall. When the present building was designed to replace the old building, the niche was created for the figure. The Knight is painted silver and he has lost his right arm and shield and the banner which he once held in his left hand. The medieval style' of the building possibly was an attempt on the part of the architect to create a proper environment for the organization which it housed. Since the architectural firm of Sanguinet and Staats designed the Castle Hall, the medieval and European influence in the design might have come from the European architects who were brought in by Sanguinet or possibly could have been a reflection of the European influence left over from the 1870s.
The original Castle Hall was razed in 1901 and it was replaced by the present three-story building the same year. There is some question as to whether the building of 1881 was destroyed by fire and then razed, or simply razed. Regardless of this, there is such a striking similarity of the two first floors that one is inclined to believe the new building was built on top of the old one's first floor. The lower floor is used for commercial purposes; the second floor is devoted to games and reading rooms; the third floor contains a ballroom, reception parlors, pantry, and kitchen.
Side facade on Third Street (1970)
