Missouri Pythian Home - Springfield, Missouri
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 37° 13.264 W 093° 16.126
15S E 476155 N 4119430
Known as the Pythian Castle this building has an interesting history in Springfield, Missouri.
Waymark Code: WMCZHA
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 10/30/2011
Views: 6
The MISSOURI PYTHIAN HOME, NE. corner Pythian St. and Fremont Ave., is a three-story, limestone building of a variant Norman-Eaglish style. The grounds consist of five acres.. Maintained by the Knights of Pythias, the institution houses about 100 orphans and aged widows of deceased members of the order. Motion pictures and other entertainment are presented in the auditorium. - Missouri: A Guide to the "Show Me" State, Springfield section, pg. 334.
After the Guide was written the Missouri Pythian Home was taken over by the U.S. Army in World War II to serve as a Enlisted Men's Service Club for the adjacent O'Reilly General Hospital. It was also used to hold German and Italian POWs who worked at the hospital as laborers. The home remained in possession of the Army until 1993 when it was sold as excess. The building has been restored and now serves as an event center for dinner theater, comedy nights, weddings and other events. The building is open for tours daily. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. For more information on its current operations see the Pythian Castle website.