An article about the upcoming Centennial of the Temple was published in the January 2007 issue of the Indiana Freemason Magazine. (Requires Adobe PDF Reader.)

An article by IMTA Board Member Chris Hodapp, from the April 2007 issue of the Indiana Freemason Magazine. (PDF reader required.)

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The rains stopped long enough on the evening of July 23rd for several members of the Temple Board to see a practical demonstration of the new exterior lighting project. In the shot above, it's easy to see how Freemasons' Hall is little more than an invisible silhouette on the city skyline.

WOW!

This is just one shaft of light coming from just one compact, lightweight LED lighting fixture, set on the ground, as a demonstration. When really installed, these will be mounted above the cornice and the whole area between the columns will glow with light, making our Temple a truly impressive nighttime addition to the city.

But the best feature of all can't be seen in this photo. Each light fixture is made up of rows of high-intensity LEDs that can be computer controlled to achieve any color of the rainbow. The effect is truly amazing and when this project is completed, everyone in Indianapolis will know where Indiana Freemasons Hall is!

We will have the ability to change the color of the lighting with the press of a button. We will be able to display multiple colors at one time, and even to create a pattern effect with the lights switching to different colors alternately. Perhaps the most impressive thing of all is the vast amount of light emitted with only a minimum amount of electricity. When fully installed, the entire exterior of the building will be lit using less electricity than six 100 watt light bulbs! And most important for our future, the life span of these fixtures is estimated to be 20 years or more, with no bulbs ever to replace.

We hope to have the system installed by mid September. Watch the skies!

The sounds of jackhammers, drills, saws and occasional broken water pipe are ringing through the Temple this summer, as many projects are underway.

On the ground floor, the Masonic Home Foundation is making a huge investment in the future of Freemasons' Hall and is undergoing a complete renovation of their office space. The former Grand Lodge Library room that had been used for many years as GL storage was outgrown, and GL records have been moved upstairs. The Home Foundation is expanding into this space and is creating a beautiful new conference room. When complete, the Foundation has offered to make the new, air conditioned meeting space available to other groups if it is not being used for their own meetings. Many thanks to the MHF for their confidence in the future of Indiana Freemasons' Hall! By the way, in case you're looking for the Foundation while the work is being done, they have set up temporary digs at the Scottish Rite Cathedral across the street.

On the second floor, the woefully inadequate rest rooms at the north end of the Banquet Hall are at last being enlarged and transformed into more modern facilities. New plumbing has been roughed in for completely redesigned, handicap-accessible men's and ladies rooms, and we are in the bidding stage now for contractors to finish them, using quality materials and decor that are in keeping with the period feel of the building. More news on this project as it happens.

As new organizations express interest in renting our building, it is vitally important that we bring our Temple into the modern age, with handicapped access for our members and visitors. In keeping with that goal, a new entrance is coming for the south side of the building. The crumbling stairs and obsolete wheelchair lift will soon be replaced by a new concrete ramp and stairs, covered by an awning. In addition, the parking lot on the south side of the Temple will be expanded as much as our limited property line will allow us - perhaps four new spaces. Final drawings have been made, and we are in the bidding process now. We anticipate construction to begin in September.

Work continues to place the Temple on the National List of Historic Places, which will open up a path to grants and other programs that will help us to restore the theater to its original glory, and much more.

Building security will soon be provided by an independent contractor, Securitas. This has been very successful at the Scottish Rite Cathedral, and we believe it is vital as more outside groups begin renting the building. Details will be provided soon to all organizations meeting in the building.

As lodges return to the building at the end of summer, many of the lodge rooms will be bathed in new light. We are slowly removing the light-blocking circular pans that were installed decades ago over the original lodge room light fixtures. These aluminum saucers made the lighting more indirect, but swallowed up more than 60% of the illumination. The difference is truly amazing. Many thanks to Brothers Steve Estle and Tim Brinkmeyer for this ongoing project.

Finally, in the coming weeks, we will share with you some of the VERY generous gifts to the Temple from some unexpected sources. For right now, we will simply say that the Board has been surprised by several incredible donations that have come literally out of the blue. Money is starting to come to us from the entire family of Indiana Freemasonry as more and more of our brethren and the appendant groups realize that the future is indeed bright at Indiana Freemasons' Hall.

- Chris Hodapp

Earlier this week, Brandt Construction began site preparation for the south entrance renovation project. This means that the south parking lot is closed for the duration, which we hope will be no more than five to six weeks.

The Board will meet next week to finalize plans and choose a contractor for the 2nd floor restroom project. This project will provide a modern, clean restroom facility with 400% more capacity than we had before. It is hoped that this project will be finished by the first of December, so as to be available for the various end-of-year festivities that take place in the 2nd floor dining room.

We hope that many of you have had a chance to view the outside of the building at night; the lights are beautiful and really add character to our Temple. We hope to be able to install the remaining 11 LED units sometime next year.

Indianapolis residents, check out the article "Da Indy Code" in the October 2007 issue of Indianapolis Monthly magazine. It tells the story of Freemasonry's new growth in Indiana, along with highlighting Indiana Freemason's Hall's rebirth.

The article is now available online here.

On Friday, the flagpole was reset in front of the almost-completed ramp. We are now waiting for the paving company to pave the parking lot and for the stone masons to install the limestone facing for the new stairs and ramp. There are some other minor issues to be attended to (a blue awning will be installed over the landing, a fence similar to the one recently installed at the Scottish Rite Cathedral will eventually be built on the west and south sides of the parking lot, new lighting fixtures that more closely match the ones at the west and north entrances will replace those forlorn bulbs, and a locking gate will be installed over the stairway to the basement) but we are a lot closer to finishing today than we were a month ago.

Oh, and the dirt area in front of the ramp will be landscaped as soon as we find a landscaping contractor.

I had to manipulate these a bit in Photoshop because of the deep shade on the stairs, but I don't think they came out too badly. As usual, click on the pictures for a larger view.

We're not just talking about paving the lot, we're doing something concrete about it.

Even though it's actually asphalt. (Yeah, OK, I'll keep my day job.)

As usual, click to view larger.

There's not much activity over the summer at Freemasons' Hall, but when lodges return at the end of summer they will see some new faces at the welcome desk. The Temple Association has employed the services of Securitas to provide security for the building. With new activity, renters and other events, the Board has determined that we need professional personnel to keep track of the many new people coming in and out of the building, and to provide greater safety for our members.

In the coming weeks, the Board will be providing all lodges and Masonic bodies in the building with new scheduling procedures. Because Securitas is a paid service, the longtime informal methods of scheduling events in the building must become more formal and standardized so we can ensure the building is open, with security folks on duty. Lodge and appendant body secretaries and recorders will soon receive official notification of the new procedures. Once issued, we must insist that these new guidelines are adhered to. Otherwise, you could find the building locked for your event, and no one wants that to happen.

Watch your mailboxes and look for postings in the building coming soon.