|
Rosicrucian Park History:
December 1927 to the Present
This year Rosicrucian Park begins its seventy-fifth year as a focus of Rosicrucian activity in North America and the World. In its infancy, the Park consisted of a single lot that Dr. Lewis had no compunction about calling "Rosicrucian Park". According to anecdotes of Frater Harvey Miles, Grand Secretary at the time, when Dr. Lewis was asked how he could call a single lot a "Park" he would reply, "Because that is the way I see it will be in the future." It was indeed amazing that the portion of the city block acquired by the Rosicrucian Order to include the original AMORC Administration Building and Supreme Temple was owned free and clear by the end of 1929. October of that year saw the Stock Market crash and the inception of the Great Depression.
It is indeed humbling to contemplate what was accomplished at
Rosicrucian Park in the depths of such devastating economic
hardship. Consider the following: As more of the city block was
purchased, Francis Bacon Auditorium (the largest in San Jose for
many years) was dedicated in 1931, followed by the first Rosicrucian
Egyptian and Oriental Museum in 1932, the Rose-Croix University in
1934, the Planetarium in 1936, the Rose-Croix Research Institute and
Clinic in 1938, and the Research Library in 1939. Great public
projects had been undertaken at that time under the aegis of the
Federal Government, but for a relatively small organization like
AMORC to erect several monumental structures was little short of
miraculous.
When Ralph M. Lewis became Imperator after his amazing father's
transition in 1939, this unlimited perspective was perpetuated and
the further evolution of Rosicrucian Park continued. Throughout World
War II convocations and initiations were held and the Order continued
producing the full compliment of monographs, magazines, and books for
distribution to Rosicrucian students at home and in the trenches.
Rosicrucian Conventions, as well as Rose-Croix University sessions,
featuring esoteric and mainstream studies continued to be held at the
Park.
Ralph M. Lewis, an erudite and articulate mystic profoundly enhanced
the landscape of Rosicrucian Park and increased the wealth of
Rosicrucian literature. During his tenure, his father's hope to
construct a new Supreme Temple was realized in 1949 and a
much-expanded Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum became a reality in 1966.
Imperator, Ralph M. Lewis was responsible for a monument of a
different kind. He crafted a body of literature that is outstanding
in the history of mysticism. With an unequaled clarity, he defined
the concept of the "Rational Mystic" for the 20th century and
perhaps for all time. The Sanctuary of Self, Through the Mind's
Eye, and Conscious Interlude are but a few selections of the
scholarly, yet never pedantic works that comprise the legacy he
bequeathed to humanity.
Today Rosicrucian Park continues as the administrative seat for the
English Grand Lodge of the Americas and the Caribbean. It is a
resource for Rosicrucians and the community. Grand Master Julie
Scott and local members regularly perform volunteer projects to keep
the Park "spiffy." The Grand Temple provides a home to the ritual
life of the English and Spanish Grand Lodges. Devoted Rosicrucians
flock from around the world to visit this astonishing temple and
take their initiations within this vibrant, sacred space. A visit
to the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum is included in the curriculum of
many Northern and Central California public elementary schools.
Would you like to see the Park as it was?
View the slide-show here.
|
