Written by Bro. Phillip Miller • Photographs by Bro.
Paul Lane
Group photograph of Federal Lodge Members and The Catholic University
of America
students who were recognized for their outstanding architectural designs. |
The Admiral Richard E. Byrd Masonic Foundation has undertaken an exploration
of the feasibility of building in the District of Columbia a Masonic Lodge
Hall that would inspire Freemasons and honor the memory of Bro. Richard
E. Byrd, R Adm, USN. To that end, the new facility will contain lodge
meeting rooms, a museum, a state-of-the-art dining facility, office space
for the Foundation, and significant public space.
On the recommendation of Worshipful Brother Paul Dolinsky, the board
met with Prof. Roy E. Graham, who directs a graduate program in conservation
and design at The Catholic University of America, to ask him how best
to move forward. Prof. Graham said that selecting possible sites and creating
preliminary design concepts would be excellent projects for a competition
among his graduate students during their 2002 fall semester. The Buchly
Fund provided seed money to assist the students with the costs of constructing
models; the Byrd Foundation undertook to provide modest prizes for the
competition winners.
Front elevation of a model for a new Federal Lodge building. |
An architectural model entered in the
competition. |
Under Prof. Graham’s leadership, the students chose four potential
sites for consideration: the old Naval Hospital on Capital Hill; the Potomac
waterfront at the former site of Hogate’s restaurant; the Franklin
School, 13th and K Streets, NW, on Franklin Square near Almas Shrine Temple;
and the Holt House—a historic mansion on National Zoo property off
Connecticut Ave. and Calvert St., NW (possibly originally designed or
worked on by WB James Hoban, first Master of Federal Lodge). Two or more
teams of students developed plans and models for each of the sites.
On Thursday afternoon, December 12, 2002, a final jury consisting of
Byrd Foundation board members, architects WB Paul Dolinsky and Robert
Arzola, and CU faculty, received presentations from the student teams
and examined their models. The originality of every concept and the manner
in which each provided for Masonic functions as well as public uses excited
the jury. Each concept reflected important Masonic considerations like
geometric relationships to existing monuments in the District of Columbia,
as well as innovative uses of materials and space.
Interior detail showing a new lodge meeting room. |
- First Place – Luis G. Cifuentes (Franklin School)
- Second Place - Michael A. Gibble (Old Naval Hospital)
- Second Place – Kaleb R. Schaff (Potomac waterfront)
- Honorable Mention - Kevin Thomas Tarantino (Holt House)
- Honorable Mention – Gregory Stephen Smith (Franklin School)
The projects were so impressive that the foundation invited all the teams
to display their models and present their design concepts to interested
Masons and guests at a special function to be held at a date and location
yet to be set. Watch the web site and trestle board for a specific announcement.