Knights of Pythias Temple
Completed in 1916, the Knights of Pythias Temple stands today as a highly significant component of the social, cultural and architectural history of the African-American community in Dallas. The temple served from 1916 to 1939 as the social, professional and cultural center of the center of the city's African-American community. The temple hosted lectures, meetings, conventions and dances, as well as housed the office of African-American professionals in the area. Built in the eclectic Beaux-arts style, it was designed by Dallas' first African-American architect, William Sidney Pittman, son-in-law to Booker T. Washington, and stands as one of the few remaining non-religious structures in Dallas that was designed by an African-American architect. Today the building sits vacant and is severely deteriorated. In what was once a vibrant and artistic area of Dallas, it is now one of many dilapidated and empty buildings in the Deep Ellum neighborhood, just east of Downtown Dallas. In the past several years, the area has seen many restaurants and music venues disappear and replaced with blight. The restoration of the Knights of Pythias building would certainly help boost the area as well as preserve one of the most important historic and cultural structures in Dallas.
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