The fabled Abou Ben Adhem Shrine Mosque along Route 66 in Springfield, Missouri, is holding a 100th birthday celebration party on Oct. 21.
According to an excellent article in the Springfield News-Leader (including cool photos of the shrine’s construction), the shrine’s recorder says it’s the only building along Route 66 in Springfield being used for the same purpose today for which it originally was built.
The building at 601 E. St. Louis St. (aka Route 66) was completed for $520,000 in November 1923, which would be $9 million today.
Springfield architects James Heckenlively and Carl Mark drafted plans for the shrine’s Islamic-style architecture, and John Olsen was the contractor. It also contains stained glass windows designed by Stanley Uthwatt.
At the time of its opening, It was the largest auditorium west of the Mississippi River and the second-largest stage after the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City
The shrine has hosted performances by Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Steely Dan, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, REO Speedwagon and Bob Dylan, along with appearances by U.S. presidents Franklin Roosevelt. Harry Truman and Ronald Reagan. The venue, which sported an original capacity of about 5,000 people, now seats 3,750.
The Shriners are hosting a 100th birthday party for the venue from 8 to 11 p.m. on Oct. 21. Appetizers, cupcakes and a cash bar will offered, and the Yachtly Groove Band will perform. Tickets, which go for $10, can be purchased here.
The shrine, which at one point was endangered, went through a major renovation in the late 1980s. It was designated to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The Shrine Mosque Preservation Association (where you can donate here) restored the domes last year, and it wants to replace the boiler system next.
A major problem, however, is declining local membership in the Shriners.
“It’s no secret, we don’t know what the future is going to be as our membership continues to drop and our expenses are still there,” Montgomery said. “There will be a time, that if the city or somebody doesn’t get behind us a little to help this building out … the doors will literally be locked. Nobody wants to think about it. Hopefully it will never happen and hopefully we can keep up with where we are now.”
Day-to-day, it costs about $500 to open the shrine’s doors, Montgomery said, which includes expenses like utilities and staff payroll. […]
In an effort to avoid local membership’s continual decline, Montgomery said members are “constantly encouraged” to nominate young men to the organization, specifically those who may be “legacies” — sons or sons-in-law of Shriners.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Abou Ben Adhem Shrine Mosque eventually lands with an entrepreneur in the music industry who can parlay the venue’s rich history into something more viable, much like Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa. Cain’s doesn’t need to sell itself to many music artists; the same could be done with the shrine.
(Image of the Abou Ben Adhem Shrine Mosque in Springfield, Missouri. by Abe Ekekowitz via Wikipedia)
