A graphic poster of the segregated, white Order of the Knights of Pythias created in 1872. The order was founded by Justus H. Rathbone.
The Pythian Temple, later reopened as the King Performing Arts Center, was built in 1925. Throughout WWII and into the 1960’s it was the epicenter of Black creative life for the town of Columbus, Ohio.
Photo courtesy of National Record of Historic Places
The King Performing Arts Center in Columbus, Ohio, was built in 1925 to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. Originally built as a temple for the Knights of Pythias, the building is dedicated to promoting and honoring artistic and cultural contributions by Black artists, musicians and other creative professionals. [1]
The group and their namesake is based on a Greek legend of two friends— Damon and Pythias—who demonstrated unwavering loyalty to each other when Damon was set to be executed for dissenting against the Greek king Syracuse. [2] The lodge that erected this temple in Columbus belonged to The Knights of Pythias of North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa, which was founded by Black men in 1869 after their applications were rejected due to the color of their skin by the all-white Order of the Knights of Pythias, established in 1864. [3]
The building was designed by the prominent Black architect Samuel Plato, and many great Black jazz performers and theatre companies preformed there, including Duke Ellington, the Cotton Club Dancers and the Black and Tan Review. The temple was the heart of a hub of Black culture and life that was Mount Vernon Avenue, often called “The Million Dollar Block” during World War II and into the 1960s. [4]
The temple was reopened as the King Performing Arts Center, also called the King Arts Complex, in 1987. The area had experienced a period of decline in the 1970s and 1980s, but the centers reopening brought new life to the block. It now hosts educational and cultural activities and has a dance studio, ballroom and a large theater with approximately 450 seats. [5]
A graphic poster of the segregated, white Order of the Knights of Pythias created in 1872. The order was founded by Justus H. Rathbone.
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