Pythian Home of Missouri/POW Internment Facility - 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 served as an enlisted service club and a POW internment facility during World War II.
Waymark Code: WMCZCP
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 10/29/2011
Views: 12
"Completed in 1913, the Pythian Home in Springfield, Missouri originally constructed as a home for needy members, widows, and orphans of the order, the building served in this capacity until 1942. The Pythian Home was important for its use during World War II as a service club/recreation facility for wounded patients and enlisted men receiving medical training at adjacent O’Reilly General Hospital, and for its role in the internment of Italian and German POWs who were assigned to O’Reilly as laborers and for medical treatment. It is a fine and imposing example of a Late Gothic Revival (or Collegiate Gothic) building in Springfield. The picturesque limestone structure was designed by Smith, Rea and Lovitt, a prestigious Kansas City architectural firm headed by Charles A. Smith. The setting has changed, but the building itself is substantially unaltered and looks much the same today as when used by the fraternal order and, later, the U.S. Army. The period of significance for the Pythian Home of Missouri runs from 1913 when it was constructed through 1946, when O’Reilly General Hospital and its associated O’Reilly Service Club were demobilized. After World War II, the building remained in military hands for several years as an Army Reserve center until it was sold as surplus property. It has been privately owned since 1993." - National Register nomination
The Pythian Castle has been restored and now is open for tours. It also is an event venue and hosts dinner theaters and comedy night. For more information on its current operations see its
website.