Friday, March 14, 2008

Moolah, Part 1

Lindell Boulevard runs east-west through the center of the city, from St. Louis University, past the Central West End, then along the whole north side of Forest Park to Washington University. The eastern part has three ornate Masonic temples. One, the Moolah, has been converted to a cool movie theater and bowling alley. It's an unusual venue. The balcony has typical theater seating but the orchestra floor is covered with plush sofas and cocktail tables. It has full bar service. Not a bad way to go to the cinema.

The graphics here are based on the Moolah group of Shriners, a branch of Freemasonry. I wrote about this in an earlier post. They go in for psuedo ancient Egyptian or Arab themes but they wear fezzes, which are Turkish. Whatever pleases them. The Shriners are still around but have moved to the suburbs. They left some snazzy architecture in the hood, more about which tomorrow.

TOMORROW: More Moolah

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