BEDFORD – The former 1917-built Elks Lodge 826, this once-stately building with stone pillars flanking the entrance is located at 1102 15th Street in downtown Bedford and is up for auction.
The building features 11,435 square feet, a two-story structure with a basement, and off-street parking.
The building is in need of complete restoration and repairs.
Inspection/Open House will be held on Wednesday, August 9th by appointment only by calling 812-738-9476. To bid on the building visit Beckort Auction. The sale is absolute with no reserve. Seven people have bid on the property as of this morning with the highest bid at $13,000. Bid increments are $500. To place a bid click here. Bidding will end on August 16.
The Bedford Elks Lodge was added to Indiana Landmarks’ 10 Most Endangered in 2015.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, fraternal orders across America swelled with people interested in the social and service opportunities the groups provided. The Masons, Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, Moose, Elks, and others built modest and grand lodge halls, many designed by notable architects. Today, membership in these organizations is shrinking.
The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, for example, has declined from over 1.6 million in 1976 to 850,000 today, reflecting a reduction in membership in clubs of all kinds, even bowling leagues, that Americans used to join for personal, social, and civic betterment.
As fraternal organization membership declines, communities must deal with underutilized landmarks, like Elks Lodge 826 in Bedford.
The Bedford Elks hired Indianapolis architect Elmer E. Dunlap the designer of Indianapolis schools and courthouses in Carroll, Pike, and Spencer counties to design an 11,435-square-foot lodge that was completed in 1917.
The brick and stone structure incorporated a full-sized gym and roof garden, along with the main meeting hall and meeting rooms. The lodge remains one of the state’s finest examples of the Italian Renaissance Revival style, but it’s a landmark in jeopardy.
Inside, plaster flakes and falls, the result of a leaky roof and gutters, and electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems are antiquated. Outside, stone and brick show signs of deterioration.
The small population of active Elks, recognizing their inability to care for the historic lodge, recently donated the property to the Bedford Urban Enterprise Association (UEA). A building assessment has documented urgent stabilization and repair needs. The UEA is challenged to find a new use for the structure while seeking money for repairs.
