Odd Fellows Hall, Boston

Odd Fellows Hall (1872–1932) in Boston, Massachusetts, was built for the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Grand Lodge of Massachusetts.[1] It occupied a large lot in the South End, at no.515 Tremont Street at Berkeley Street.[2] Architect Joseph Billings designed the structure which had several large meeting rooms: Covenant Hall, Encampment Hall, Friendship Hall, Oasis Hall.[1][3] Tenants included Emerson College of Oratory.[4] Among the events that took place in the hall: 1892 annual dinner of the Tremont House Waiters’ Association.[5] In January 1932 fire destroyed the building.[6]

Images

  • Odd Fellows Hall, corner Tremont and Berkeley Streets
    Odd Fellows Hall, corner Tremont and Berkeley Streets
  • Advertisement for Caledonian Club event at Odd Fellows Hall, 1883
    Advertisement for Caledonian Club event at Odd Fellows Hall, 1883
  • Advertisement for Emerson College of Oratory, 1893
    Advertisement for Emerson College of Oratory, 1893
  • Detail of 1898 map of Boston, showing Odd Fellows Building
    Detail of 1898 map of Boston, showing Odd Fellows Building
  • Army and Navy marching, first men to World War I, 1917; Odd Fellows Hall at right (Boston Public Library)
    Army and Navy marching, first men to World War I, 1917; Odd Fellows Hall at right (Boston Public Library)

References

  1. ^ a b Boston Almanac, 1887
  2. ^ King's handbook of Boston, 1881
  3. ^ James F. O'Gorman. "H. and J. E. Billings of Boston: From Classicism to the Picturesque." Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, Vol. 42, No. 1 (Mar., 1983)
  4. ^ Emerson College. A short history of Emerson College Archived 2013-10-25 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2012-03-14
  5. ^ Henry Voigt, a 21st-century collector of menus, describes the 1892 waiters' dinner: “The waiters at Tremont House catered to upper-class white society. These waiters knew how it was done. So they weren’t like blacksmiths getting together. ... These guys were doing it for themselves in style. They didn’t have a lot of money, but they knew how to throw a party.” Quoted in: Jeanne Schinto. "A Taste for Menus: Henry Voigt Touches History." Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture, Vol. 5, No. 4 (Fall 2005)
  6. ^ Annual Report of the Fire Dept. and Wire Division of the City of Boston, 1932

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Odd Fellows Hall, Boston.
  • Boston Public Library. Photos of January 1932 fire, by Leslie Jones:
    • General alarm fire at Odd Fellows Hall, corner of Berkeley and Tremont
    • General alarm fire at Odd Fellows Hall
    • Six alarm fire at Odd Fellows Hall, Warren Ave, Tremont and Berkeley
    • Six alarm fire, 4:20am at the Odd Fellows Building - Corner of Warren Ave., Tremont and Berkeley
    • Ice-covered engine
    • Crowd after the fire

42°20′41.89″N 71°4′12.23″W / 42.3449694°N 71.0700639°W / 42.3449694; -71.0700639