5. Masonic Hall

We’ve always been curious about the Freemasons, and even more so about the Grand Lodge of New York (Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York). We previously toured their Masonic Hall on 23rd street in the Flatiron District. The building, completed in 1911, features 13 beautiful Lodge rooms, a majestic, 1,000-seat theater and a Masonic library and museum. We were shocked to learn that each strikingly ornate room is actually all painted plaster: from imitation stone to reliefs to frescoes, we were certainly tricked by Chavez’s manipulation of plaster to resemble high quality materials.

Check out more photographs from inside the Grand Lodge of Masons here.