If you ever have trouble understanding what Egyptian Revival is, look no further than the old Mount Moriah Lodge #40 on North Garrison Avenue.
It almost certainly does not preserve its original paint scheme, but nonetheless it is in an excellent state of preservation.
Combining elements of the Temple of Karnak at Luxor, it shows the interest of Americans in the Egyptian world after the discovery of the tomb of King Tutankhamen in the early Twentieth Century.
Of course, a century before there had also been a renewed interest in Egypt after excavations by Napoleon during his military expedition in the early Nineteenth Century.
Thanks for this post, now I know what the building used to be.
A nice example of early Twentieth-Century Egyptian Revival architecture. For my money, I think the ultimate, purist example of Egyptian Revival from that period, both among fraternal lodges and other buildings, is the George Rogers-designed Scottish Rite Temple in Mobile, Alabama. But that building is almost unknown outside of Mobile, not aided by the fact that there has never been a book published surveying Egyptian Revival architecture in the United States (Joy Giguere’s Characteristically American: Memorial Architecture, National Identity, and the Egyptian Revival does not do that, so do not waste your time or money on it).
Oh wow, that is a really cool Egyptian Revival building! Thank you for bringing it to my attention.
This is such a cool and unique building, it’s rare to see buildings that can innovate and create unique style while still being ornamental.