{"nrhp_refnum":"08001266","name":"Scottish Rite Cathedral","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"110 E. Lincoln Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"New Castle","county":"Lawrence County","state":"PA","lat":41.00484529200003,"lon":-80.34458673799998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2008-12-30","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A massive masonry Masonic headquarters and auditorium building on a hilltop site on the south side of E. Lincoln Avenue in New Castle, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, completed in 1926. It was designed by Richard Gustav Schmid of Chicago and built by S. M. Seisel.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is significant as a locally significant example of Classical Revival design for a large institutional building in Lawrence County, and as the culmination of Schmid's Classical Revival Masonic work. Its Ionic colonnade, large auditorium and well-preserved interior are cited as the main evidence. It is also described as contributing to the North Hill district.","narrative":"Completed in 1926 on a hilltop above downtown New Castle, the Scottish Rite Cathedral is a brick and limestone building with a nine-bay central façade. A colonnade of six two-story Ionic half-columns carries a stone entablature and a projecting cornice. Inside, the Foyer has onyx scagliola Doric columns and a 45-foot elliptical ceiling. The auditorium seats 2,800 persons on a raked floor and two balconies, and its stage was reputed to be the largest in Pennsylvania when built. The building was designed by Richard Gustav Schmid of Chicago and erected by S. M. Seisel after foundation work required more than 900 piles. It was raised by the Scottish Rite Consistory of New Castle, which was founded in 1918. The property is regarded as the most fully developed example of Schmid's Classical Revival Masonic work and as a notable institutional building in Lawrence County. Its interior has remained largely intact since opening.","period_of_significance":"1926","architect_builder":"Richard Gustav Schmid (architect); S. M. Seisel (contractor)","architectural_style":"Classical Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Used by Masonic organizations, the public for events, and other tenants; the document notes the pergola and roof garden were removed in the second half of the 20th century.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:10:27.172037-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/08001266.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/08001266/69c319de4a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/08001266/69c319de4a-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Scottish_Rite_Cathedral,_New_Castle.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Scottish_Rite_Cathedral,_New_Castle.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"00000056","name":"North Hill Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/pennsylvania/north-hill-historic-district-00000056/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71996698","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Rite_Cathedral_(New_Castle,_Pennsylvania)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7437951"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/lawrence-county/scottish-rite-cathedral-08001266/"}