Temperance Temple (Chicago)

Temperance Temple (also known as Women's Temple or Woman's Temple) served as the headquarters of the National Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). It was located in Chicago, Illinois at the southwest corner of LaSalle Street and Monroe Street, in the center of city's financial district. Work was begun in July, 1890, and the building was ready for occupancy in May 1892. The lot was valued at US$1000000; the rentals from the building were expected to bring in an annual income of over US$200000. The capital stock was US$600000, one-half of which was owned by the Temple Building Association of Chicago (TBAC), and it was expected all would be secured to that association. The TBAC, a stock company with Marshall Field president of the board of trustees, owned The Temple, the third of the affiliated interests of the National WCTU. The office building was erected at a cost of US$1200000 on ground leased to the TBAC by Field. Temperance Temple was demolished in 1926.

History
Fourteen years after women inaugurated the temperance crusade and organized the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, the organization had no less than 43 separate and distinct lines of work. It need a national headquarters for its constituency, which numbered 200,000 women, besides 200,000 boys and girls in the Loyal Temperance Legions. Around 1883, the need of a national building and large income impressed itself upon Matilda Carse. With the co-operation of Frances Willard, Carse began planning for the erection of building in Chicago, to be known as the Temperance Temple. In pursuance of this long-contemplated plan, on the July 13, 1887, the TBAC was incorporated. Its purpose was to erect in Chicago a building as headquarters for the National WCTU, with a capital stock of US$500000; shares, US$100 each. When the stock is all sold US$300000 worth of bonds, bearing 5 per cent interest, would be issued.

The local societies of the WCTU were asked to give US$500000 towards this enterprise. There were 10,000 local unions in the U.S. at the time. If but one-half of these gave US$100 each, the Association would reach the desired half-million, which is the amount of the capital stock. In order, however, to give the unions sufficient time to raise this sum, the stock was to be sold to capitalists who were friendly to the cause, with the privilege of buying it back again within five years, with the understanding, also, that the dividends were not to exceed 5 per cent annually. It was hoped that at the end of five years, the desired US$500000 will be raised by the unions, with which the corporation would buy up the entire capital stock for the National Society.

This building was projected to bring in a rental amounting, at the lowest calculation, to US$181500 a year. With this money, the Association proposed to pay off the US$300000 bonded debt. When the building was clear of debt, the National WCTU, having free headquarters, would also receive half the income from the rentals. The other half would go to the States. The States would receive a pro rata of this dividend in proportion to the amount they had given toward the building fund. Construction costs were estimated to be US$800000.

The Board of Temple Trustees was secured in January 1892. On the board were four men, some of them being among the largest capitalists of Chicago. The board also included: Frances Willard, Helen Louise Hood, Lady Henry Somerset, as well as Mesdames Marion Howard Dunham, Mary Torrans Lathrap, Helen Morton Barker, Clara Cleghorn Hoffman, Susan Fessenden, W. H. Munnell, Lillian M. N. Stevens, Ellen Louise Demorest, Harriet B. Kells, and Caroline M. Clark Woodward.

Esther Pugh, National WCTU treasurer, was the recipient of a steady stream of donations from all the States and Territories of the U.S., and from Europe, Japan, and India.

The building was designed by John Wellborn Root. Its cornerstone was laid with impressive ceremonies on November 1, 1890. Root died in 1891, and the building was ready for occupancy in May 1892. The Woman's Temperance Publishing Association house was headquartered in the building, as well as the Central Chicago WCTU. Most of the building, however, was rented and the initial income from this source was US$25000 a year.

The heavy yearly ground rental —US$40000— was each year the first financial obligation to be met from Temple rental receipts. Carse, a member of the board of trustees and president of the Central WCTU of Chicago, was the chief promoter of plans for its ownership by the WCTU. The untiring but vain endeavor of the National WCTU towards such ownership covered a period of eleven years. Willard Hall was the soul of the Temple Building. The strength of its appeal to Frances Willard and the active workers of that decade cannot be overestimated. Daily, it was the scene of a noontide gospel temperance meeting, which perpetuated the old Farwell Hall daily prayer service of the early years of the Chicago WCTU.

Following Willard's death in February, 1898, her successor to the presidency of the National WCTU, Lillian M. N. Stevens, with her co-officers and members of the Official Board made every possible effort to carry to successful completion certain plans adopted at the Buffalo, New York, convention in 1897. This program featured an endeavor to raise US$300000 to pay off the purchasers of Temple Trust Bonds, issued by Carse "as an individual for and on behalf of the National WCTU."

It became necessary to call a meeting of the National Executive Committee to discuss the Temple situation. This meeting was held in Chicago, July 15, 1898. After two days of discussion, a resolution to be recommended to the national convention was adopted, providing that all effort on the part of the National WCTU to own the Temple Building should be discontinued. "While not legally bound," the resolution stated, "we regard it as a sacred trust to purchase before the next convention the US$300000 worth of Temple Trust Bonds issued by the promoters of The Temple enterprise." At the National WCTU convention in Saint Paul, Minnesota, a few months later, after prolonged and dispassionate discussion, these recommendations were adopted and The Temple as an affiliated interest was discontinued. Many of the Temple Trust Bonds held by needy individuals were retired, but, much to the regret of the committee in charge, it proved impossible to raise the entire amount of US$300000.

The building was demolished in 1926.

Location
A valuable lot with a frontage on three streets was located at the southwest corner of LaSalle and Monroe streets, in the business portion of Chicago. A legal dispute arose between Marshall Field and his business partner, Levi Leiter, who owned property adjoining, and the work planned by Field was abandoned, the lot fenced in for three or four years. The Woman's Temperance Building Association secured a 99 year lease of the property from Field.

The lot measured 166 feet long by 100 feet deep. The only way it could be secured was by a lease-hold title. The lease, however, was perpetual, and the charge for ground rent, US$35000 a year, could never be increased.

Architecture and fittings
The building was a combination of the old Gothic and the more modern French architecture styles. Little wood  was  used  in  the  construction and  the  building  was  fireproof.

For the  first  two  stories,  the  material  used was  gray granite  with  a  dash  of  pink  running  through  it. Above that was  used  pressed brick  and terra cotta. This harmonized  nicely  with  the  granite,  taking  on a  tone  and  color  the  same,  with  the  exception  that  it  is  a  darker  pink. The frontage on  La Salle  Street was 190 feet,  while  on  Monroe  Street, it was 90 feet. In shape, the  building was  somewhat  novel for its day, likened  to  the  letter "H". It consisted of two immense wings united by a middle portion, or viaculum. On LaSalle Street was a  court 70 feet long  and 30 feet wide,  and  on  Monroe Street,  a  simiilar  one  of  the  same  length  and 18 feet deep.

Facing the "grand entrance"  and  arranged  in  a  semi-circle  were  eight elevators, and  from  the  front  court rose two grand  stairways  leading  clear  to  the top  of  the  building. A central  hall  extended  north  and  south  on  each  floor  and  a transverse  one  also  extended  into  the  wings. The lower  courts  and  halls were resplendent  with marble mosaic paving,  while  plain  marble was  used  in  the upper  halls.

In height,  the  temple was  a skyscraper, extending thirteen stories. A pleasing effect was gained  by  causing  the  building  line  to  retreat  at  the  tenth  story  where  the immense  roof,  containing  three  stories,  commenced,  breaking  as  it  ascended, into gothic  turrets. On the  granite  around  the entrance were  carved the  coats  of  arms  of  the  various  States  of  the  Union. Upon the  corner  stone was  engraved  the  national  legend  of  the  WCTU,  "For God, for Home and Native Land, 1890." On the  reverse  was  the WCTU  monogram  and  beneath, "organized 1874".

On the  lower  floor  were located  three  banks  and  a  memorial  hall,  known  as Willard  Hall, named in honor of Frances Willard. The audience  room  could seat  800  people  without  the  galleries and was entirely  shut  off  from  the  rest  of  the  building  as  though  it  were  not in  it. The entrance  was  through  a  wide  hall  opening  off  Monroe Street. It was an amphitheatre in  shape  and  in  the  center was  a fountain. Nearly every window  in  it was a  memorial  one,  and  from  numerous pedestals rose  the busts  of persons  who had been involved in the cause of temperance.

The hall and the entrance leading to it were used as tablets on which to inscribe the names of those who subscribed the sum of US$100 or  more  to  the  building  fund. A record  of  the  work  done  in  each  State  in  the  Union was kept in a  large  vault  opening off the  hall.

Notable people

 * Helen Morton Barker
 * Matilda Carse
 * Ellen Louise Demorest
 * Marion Howard Dunham
 * Susan Fessenden
 * Marshall Field
 * Clara Cleghorn Hoffman
 * Helen Louise Hood
 * Harriet B. Kells
 * Mary Torrans Lathrap
 * Mrs. W. H. Munnell
 * Esther Pugh
 * John Wellborn Root
 * Lady Henry Somerset
 * Lillian M. N. Stevens
 * Frances Willard
 * Caroline M. Clark Woodward