The Pythian Temple

The architecturally acclaimed Pythian Temple at 234 Loyola Avenue, formerly South Saratoga, became one of New Orleans' storied landmarks and, from 1908 to 1941, the Knights of Pythias under Smith W. Green served as a beacon of pride for African Americans during the segregation era of Jim Crow. In June 1908 the Pythians laid their cornerstone at Gravier and Saratoga Streets, and in August 1909 Green opened the Pythian Temple at a cost of over $200,000. Dedication ceremonies featured orchestral music and selections by the St. James A. M. E. choir and glee club of the Dryades Street YMCA, and black lawyer J. Madison Vance, a 1912 delegate to the Republican National Convention, drew frequent applause as he spoke of the Power of Organization and its effects upon Civilization. The Times-Picayune called the Pythian Temple the biggest business enterprise ever attempted by the colored race in the United States. Many masonic and social lodges met there, and its seven-story structure contained office suites, a combination theater and auditorium, and a rooftop garden for dancing. Architectural Art and its Allies recognized it in its March 1908 edition, and musicians Louis Armstrong, Manuel Manetta, and Manuel Perez entertained there. Green, leader of the Grand Lodge, Colored Order of the Knights of Pythias of Louisiana, was a former slave who became wealthy as a grocer and later president of the Liberty Independence Insurance company. He also served on the executive committee of the local NAACP in New Orleans and worked closely with lawyer A. P. Tureaud to lobby for a new hospital for veterans. Elected Supreme Chancellor of the Knights of Pythias of Louisiana in 1908, Green made the Pythian Temple his crowning achievement.

New Orleans, Louisiana · United States