elks building
1211 Second Street – Perry, Iowa
The building at 1211 Second Street in Perry is known as the B. & P. Order of Elks Building. This building also known as the Chandler Building has been on the National Register of Historic Places since September of 2000. It is part of the Perry Historic District and therefore is located between Willis Avenue and Pattee Street in Perry. The original designers who plated the City of Perry anticipated that First Avenue would be the Main Street and business district of the town. Therefore, they plated a 70 foot width street on First Avenue and only a 50 foot width street on Second Street. Perry however provides an outstanding example of how transportation stimulated growth in Iowa during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and the business and entertainment district was built on Second Street as it was closest to the railroad depot and other railroad facilities.
The Elks Building which currently houses Casa de Oro Restaurant is located in Perry’s Retail, Entertainment, Professional and Societal District. The structure was originally built in 1897 as a home for the Perry Benevolent, Protective Order of Elks, a non-profit organization. The Perry Elks Organization has been recognized as the first in the State of Iowa. Although the newly opened structure initiated its first class in January of 1898, the structure didn’t last because of a big fire destroyed the building.
The current building was rebuilt during in 1899 and 1900. This is a commercial building, whose walls are clad with red-colored brick with a smooth finish, laid in pink-colored mortar with flush joints. It features cast stone trimwork of natural color including window sills, a belt at the cornice, and four circles surrounding the letters “BPOE” (Benevolent, Protective Order of Elks) and located under the cornice. A cast stone plaque in the pediment reads “No. 407”, referring to the organization’s lodge number. This building was rebuilt by the local Elks lodge in 1900 following a fire in 1898. The façade of the building is considered 1 Room. The façade style is misleading as the 1 Room designation refers to the width of the building which is only about 25 feet. It is 3-stories in height. Although the transom has been covered over and the first floor storefront altered and some of the second the third story windows were covered over, the overall integrity of the building remains good, including its decorative trimwork. The first floor entrance to the lodge hall remains on the south end of the storefront.
Because the structure was built as a lodge hall it was necessary to construct it to provide a meeting site where ceremonial rituals of fraternal organizations could be held in a large interior space. Most lodge halls of this era contained a business venue on the lower level with the lodge activities being conducted on the 2nd and 3rd floors.
The architectural design is influenced by Classical Revival styling. This influence can be seen in the pediment, which surmounts the façade, the clean lines of the upper floors, the arched window on the second floor with its tightly-integrated brickwork surrounds the unusual fenestration treatment on the third floor, with its ribbon windows. The selection of brick color, surface texture, mortar color, and finish of the mortar joints shows how Perry’s merchants relished variety in the building materials they chose for commercial property.
Some of the businesses to occupy the first floor of this building included Graney/Blue Shoe Store (1902), Graney Shoes (1912-1926), Woolworth Five and Dime (1944-1946), Ben Franklin Variety Store (1952-1973), and Daniel Ignacio Arceo Restaurant (1995-1997). The building stood empty from 1973 until 1995 and thus needing thousands of dollars worth of repairs. It was at this time that the Nudgers came in to begin the process of restoring the beauty of this building to its original state. That process was continued as the building was purchased by Sean Stokely and Brian Magruder who continued the restoration and opened the Highland Elk. The Highland Elk was a high-end coffee shop serving desserts and sandwiches and finally into a high-end restaurant and bar on the second floor. The interior of this building has the metal design ceiling tiles, paint décor and woodworking as would have been seen in the original building. The new owners, Casa de Oro, still need to add the outdoor balcony and elevator. However, had it not been for the Nudgers group purchasing the building and beginning the restoration, which was continued by Stokely and Magruder, the building would not have survived and been the showplace it currently is in the Perry Historic District.
The building at 1211 Second Street in Perry is known as the B. & P. Order of Elks Building. This building also known as the Chandler Building has been on the National Register of Historic Places since September of 2000. It is part of the Perry Historic District and therefore is located between Willis Avenue and Pattee Street in Perry. The original designers who plated the City of Perry anticipated that First Avenue would be the Main Street and business district of the town. Therefore, they plated a 70 foot width street on First Avenue and only a 50 foot width street on Second Street. Perry however provides an outstanding example of how transportation stimulated growth in Iowa during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and the business and entertainment district was built on Second Street as it was closest to the railroad depot and other railroad facilities.
The Elks Building which currently houses Casa de Oro Restaurant is located in Perry’s Retail, Entertainment, Professional and Societal District. The structure was originally built in 1897 as a home for the Perry Benevolent, Protective Order of Elks, a non-profit organization. The Perry Elks Organization has been recognized as the first in the State of Iowa. Although the newly opened structure initiated its first class in January of 1898, the structure didn’t last because of a big fire destroyed the building.
The current building was rebuilt during in 1899 and 1900. This is a commercial building, whose walls are clad with red-colored brick with a smooth finish, laid in pink-colored mortar with flush joints. It features cast stone trimwork of natural color including window sills, a belt at the cornice, and four circles surrounding the letters “BPOE” (Benevolent, Protective Order of Elks) and located under the cornice. A cast stone plaque in the pediment reads “No. 407”, referring to the organization’s lodge number. This building was rebuilt by the local Elks lodge in 1900 following a fire in 1898. The façade of the building is considered 1 Room. The façade style is misleading as the 1 Room designation refers to the width of the building which is only about 25 feet. It is 3-stories in height. Although the transom has been covered over and the first floor storefront altered and some of the second the third story windows were covered over, the overall integrity of the building remains good, including its decorative trimwork. The first floor entrance to the lodge hall remains on the south end of the storefront.
Because the structure was built as a lodge hall it was necessary to construct it to provide a meeting site where ceremonial rituals of fraternal organizations could be held in a large interior space. Most lodge halls of this era contained a business venue on the lower level with the lodge activities being conducted on the 2nd and 3rd floors.
The architectural design is influenced by Classical Revival styling. This influence can be seen in the pediment, which surmounts the façade, the clean lines of the upper floors, the arched window on the second floor with its tightly-integrated brickwork surrounds the unusual fenestration treatment on the third floor, with its ribbon windows. The selection of brick color, surface texture, mortar color, and finish of the mortar joints shows how Perry’s merchants relished variety in the building materials they chose for commercial property.
Some of the businesses to occupy the first floor of this building included Graney/Blue Shoe Store (1902), Graney Shoes (1912-1926), Woolworth Five and Dime (1944-1946), Ben Franklin Variety Store (1952-1973), and Daniel Ignacio Arceo Restaurant (1995-1997). The building stood empty from 1973 until 1995 and thus needing thousands of dollars worth of repairs. It was at this time that the Nudgers came in to begin the process of restoring the beauty of this building to its original state. That process was continued as the building was purchased by Sean Stokely and Brian Magruder who continued the restoration and opened the Highland Elk. The Highland Elk was a high-end coffee shop serving desserts and sandwiches and finally into a high-end restaurant and bar on the second floor. The interior of this building has the metal design ceiling tiles, paint décor and woodworking as would have been seen in the original building. The new owners, Casa de Oro, still need to add the outdoor balcony and elevator. However, had it not been for the Nudgers group purchasing the building and beginning the restoration, which was continued by Stokely and Magruder, the building would not have survived and been the showplace it currently is in the Perry Historic District.