One of the most beloved pop-rock bands of the ’80s and ’90s, Crowded House formed in Australia before achieving global success with their massive 1987 hit, “Don’t Dream It’s Over.”  The group went on to produce five albums that won them a devoted following across the globe.  Their first new alum since 1993, Time on Earth was released July 2, 2007 (Parlophone/ATO Records).

GRAND LODGE ROOM
Over a four-month period in 1986, a relatively drab, early 1900s meeting place, seating 1,200 people, was transformed into a colorful, eye-catching hall. Fifty young Michelangelo-types, many of them working on their backs on scaffolding high above the floor, performed this artistic transformation using tiny brushes, hundreds of gallons of colorful paints and glazes, as well as some 54,000 sheets of Dutch metal gold leaf.

The overhead Tiffany-style, rear-lighted windows in the ceiling had to be taken down, plate by plate, reinforced and returned to position. The pipes of the magnificent organ in the balcony were painted in bright colors to fit the overall artistic scheme.

Truly, this space is a magnificent hall in which the Masons of New York hold Grand Lodge sessions and meetings of other major Masonic bodies. The acoustics are excellent, and the hall has been used for recording.

Every inch of decorative plasterwork had to be cleaned and restored. All the leaded stained glass windows in the ceiling had to be cleaned. The huge Grand Lodge Room was the first to be renovated. In the early stages the room was filled from floor to ceiling with scaffolding as the artists began the long and tedious process of bringing it to its beauty and magnificence.

GRAND LODGE OF FREE & ACCEPTED MASONS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
As early as the mid 1730’s Freemasonry was present in the American colony of New York.  The Grand Lodge of New York was organized on December 15, 1782 under a Provincial Grand Warrant dated September 5, 1781 from the “Athol” or modern Grand Lodge of England. Our Grand Lodge declared its independence on June 6, 1787 and assumed the title “Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York.”

In 1784 Robert R. Livingston was appointed Grand Master and was elected to the office for the next sixteen years. He presided at the swearing in ceremony of the only President of the United States to take the oath of office in New York City. The Bible (published in 1767) that was used at the swearing in ceremony of Brother George Washington as the first President of the United States, is owned by St. John’s Lodge No. 1 and is still in use today at the swearing in of the Grand Master and, by request, at the swearing in of the President of the United States.

In the 221-year history of the Grand Lodge of New York there have been 97 Grand Masters. Each has contributed to the welfare of both Masons and people of the State of New York and the United States of America through their service as Governors, Senators, Representatives, Judges, Doctors, Lawyers, Teachers and everyday people through their many philanthropic endeavors.

The Grand Lodge of New York is proud of its Masonic Hall, which houses our Grand Lodge offices and the Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Library and Museum in New York City and its many charitable activities of its annual Brotherhood Fund Drive.

The motto of the Free & Accepted Masons is “friendship, morality, and brotherly love.”  Their main focus is on community service; they organize blood drives, volunteer at local schools, and run a Child ID program that reaches 15,000 children each year as well as operate the Masonic Medical Research Laboratory in Utica, NY. And New York State Masons also sponsor training sessions for school districts to help them identify children at risk for substance abuse.