The Santa Fe Scottish Rite Temple: Freemasonry, Architecture, and Theatre

Santa Fe’s Scottish Rite Temple, built in 1912, is a historic landmark and the home of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry in New Mexico. The building―including its jewel box theater with original scenery collection―and its artifacts, represent a time capsule of Masonic culture and theatrical history. Essays examine the emergence of Freemasonry, key Masonic figures during New Mexico’s territorial period through statehood, and the architectural significance of the iconic pink building and Freemasons’ use of it to the present. Illustrated with contemporary and historical images, the book reveals the theatrical production of Masonic degrees and the production of the magnificent scenic backdrops. Today, many of the country’s Masonic buildings are being repurposed and their collections are being liquidated. Through the heroic efforts of its members, the Santa Fe Scottish Rite Temple has been preserved, remaining under the continued stewardship of the Freemasons, who share their building with the community.

Wendy Waszut-Barrett is a historical consultant specializing in the restoration and replication of painted scenery for historic performance venues such as the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. She is a designer, scenic artist, and art instructor, sharing her knowledge of the dry pigment paint system and the studio style used to create historical scenery at the turn of the twentieth century. She has spoken internationally to theater groups about the evolution of Scottish Rite scenery, raising awareness of historic scenery collections in Masonic temples throughout North America. She is the author of numerous articles on Masonic degree productions appearing in publications including the Initiative Theatre Museum Berlin's Die Verte Wand, TD&T, the Scottish Rite Research Society's Heredom, and the Scottish Rite Journal. She is currently writing a book on the life and times of Thomas G. Moses, Scottish Rite Mason and final president at Sosman & Landis Studio in Chicago.



Jo Whaley is a photographer with a background in painting and scenic arts. Her work, exhibited for more than thirty-four years, is held in the permanent collections of numerous institutions, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; and the WestLicht Schauplatz für Fotografie, Vienna. From 2008 to 2013, her exhibit The Theater of Insects toured museums, including the National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC, and the Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego, concluding at the Henry Fox Talbot Museum in the United Kingdom. The accompanying catalogue, The Theater of Insects, was published by Chronicle Books. Whaley received a National Endowment Visual Artists Fellowship in 1994 as well as five grants to work with the Polaroid 20 × 24 camera in New York between 1989 and 1993. Her work is included in the traveling exhibition and companion book The Polaroid Project (University of California Press).