othic Hall, also called the Asylum of Knights Templar, is located on the third floor. It was dedicated to the
purposes of Templary on September 30, 1873. The approach to Gothic Hall from the second floor is by two
curved cantilevered staircases rising from the east end of the Grand Foyer. It is also served by elevators
othic Hall has all the characteristics of the architectural style for which it is named. The groins, pointed
arches, pinnacles and spires appear in every part of the room. The Cross and Crown, emblem of Sir Knights
hangs above the Commander's throne (a replica of the Archbishop's throne in Canterbury Cathedral) on the
lofty platform, which also bears the richly carved chairs of the other Officers. The pictures on the walls are of
Past Grand Commanders. The wainscoting is of oiled pine, and the richly carved furniture, Gothic in all its
decorations, is covered in black leather. Four rows of benches are on each side of the room. A doorway at the
top of a short flight of stairs on the south end of the Hall formerly opened into a banquet room, but that space
has been radically changed into office and storage space.
s of October 1981, Gothic Hall is also the home of the Valley of Philadelphia of the Ancient Accepted
Scottish Rite.
othic Hall is eighty-seven feet long, fifty feet wide and twenty-six feet high.
