I couldn’t ask for a better fall day. Warm enough to not need a coat, with bright sun and blue skies making the mountains look even more colorful. And my friend and AIBD Eastern Shore Chapter Chair, Tracy Moller, has finally made it to my neck of the woods!

We are driving to Johnstown, PA, and I am still amused about how we got here.

It all started with a simple message about November Meander inspirations. I got excited because I knew of an old building that fit one of the ideas perfectly. Well, I got the writing assignment but also so much more!

So what is so special about November 4^th?

On this day in 1922, Howard Carter’s excavation team uncovered the first step of the staircase leading to Tutankhamun’s Tomb (who is widely known by the nickname "King Tut") in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. The discovery sparked a new wave of ‘Egyptomania,’ bringing Egyptian motifs into Art Deco architecture and design.

And? What does that have to do with Johnstown, PA?

Johnstown is home to a Masonic Temple, built in 1931 with extensive Art Deco detailing. Its Egyptian-inspired Blue Lodge Room opened in 1948.

The Temple was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on August 13, 2025. This status is an honor and can also help them access funding for some much-needed repairs.

Johnstown Masonic Temple, c. 1931. Architects: J. C. Fulton & Son

Inside, we are greeted by Pete Bobak, the building caretaker and historian. He manages the repairs and maintenance, helps with all of the events and, luckily for us, gives tours.

Pete is in the middle of what looks like a giant yard sale in the lower-level dining hall. Toys, books, and more are left from a charity event that just wrapped up.

The Temple is still used for lodge meetings but also hosts weddings, parties, paranormal investigators, TV personalities from shows like Mountain Monsters and, most recently, Midget Wrestling. These events keep the building active and help cover its maintenance costs.

As we move upstairs to the first floor, we see the grand ballroom, which once even housed circus animals for a special event. We also admire the intricate plaster ceiling in the entry area, recently hand-painted by Pete!

Pete then leads us toward a small records room full of filing cabinets, stacks of files, books, and a pile of original blueprints!

He grabs an old minute book and opens it. The first entry, written by the lodge secretary, is dated May 27, 1889, just four days before the flood.

The Johnstown Flood happened on May 31, 1889, after the South Fork Dam failed following days of heavy rainfall. It killed 2,209 people and remains the deadliest dam-related disaster in U.S. history.

We look at the pages of names of those attending the meeting. Many of them did not survive.

Pete gestures to some other books that look pretty beat up. “This is flood mud,” he declares. They came from Alma Hall, where the Masons rented space downtown before the Temple was built. It survived the flood when many buildings around it did not.

He opens another old flood mud book and shows us an entry written by the same secretary, also dated May 27. These two entries would be his last.

Pete encourages us to take some of the drawings into the other room so we can spread them out on the big table. One is an actual-size drawing labeled “Detail of Pediment for East and West.” He confirms that we will see the finished decoration in the Egyptian room upstairs.

As we enter the Egyptian Lodge Room, we immediately recognize the winged pediment from the drawing. Egyptian themes in Masonry predate Art Deco, but the influence of that era is evident here in the bold colors, stylized motifs, and gilded surfaces.

Detail of Pediment for East and West, for the Temple's Egyptian Room. No undo buttons here!

The Temple's Egyptian-Inspired Blue Lodge Room, opened in 1948

The Egyptian Room is just one of many amazing spaces in this building. We saw much more of the Temple than I can fit into one Meander.

I know some of you still have questions. Like, are there secret passages or rooms? Is the place haunted? Did we have to dress up or wear costumes?

Well, I can say yes, and we can’t show or tell you where. Maybe, because there were some unexplained moments — and no, we didn’t have to, but we did!

Is this where the meander ends? Not quite.

Tracy has a friend whose grandparents owned Glosser Brothers, a beloved Johnstown department store. Its former home, the historic Ellis Building, still stands downtown. Tracy has also heard that Johnstown has the world’s steepest vehicular inclined plane. Could we swing by? It’s only ten minutes away.

Pete told us to look out for Lambcakes. They run a bakery now out of the first floor of the former store.

Built in 1905 in the Romanesque style, the Ellis Building is Johnstown’s oldest remaining department store building. An Art Deco addition followed in 1931.

The Ellis Building, built in 1905 in the Romanesque style, with its 1931 Art Deco addition on the left.

Across the street from the building is the city’s original Central Park and a good place to get a photo. A couple notices our interest and asks if we agree that the upper floors with bay windows would make beautiful apartments. Hmm?

After some quick small talk, the bakery is looking really tempting. We haven’t had lunch yet.

With iced coffees and a nice assortment of treats in hand, our next stop is the Johnstown Inclined Plane. It recently reopened after an extensive rehabilitation project, and our tickets are free!

The incline began operating on June 1, 1891. The Cambria Iron Company developed the incline and its connecting bridge to serve the new hilltop community of Westmont and provide a route to higher ground during future floods.

As we ascend, we wave to the car coming down. The cars act like a counterbalance for each other. At the top, there is a big observation deck.

From the deck, we have a bird’s-eye view of the entire city as well as the path of the devastating 1889 flood. A sign notes that the wave was estimated to be 37 feet high at its crest.

A bird's-eye view of Johnstown from the Inclined Plane's observation deck.

Looking down at the old steel mills and buildings, I think back to the old “flood mud” books we just saw. I wonder about the lives and buildings lost and which ones may have survived.

They say architecture has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Today we have encountered two buildings in the middle of their story.

Less than two weeks ago, we toured Ledge House, designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson. Tracy compared its change in use to adults starting a second career. Once a private residence, it is now beginning its journey as a nature retreat for the University of Maryland.

Our Ledge House tour was our second Eastern Shore Chapter IRL event this year, following our visit to the National Building Museum on April 25. I have been seeing a lot about IRL events lately. If you didn’t know, it’s IN REAL LIFE!

I really appreciate that Tracy has organized these visits and has now joined me here in Johnstown. These days together have been highlights of my year. There is something special about being there in person, noticing things you might otherwise miss and meeting people you might never have talked to. I think we all could benefit from doing that more.

I encourage you to host your own IRL event! Maybe your next chapter gathering could begin with a building you’ve always wanted to see inside. Or just coffee at a local business helping an old building find its second act.