{"nrhp_refnum":"04001302","name":"Polo Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lodge No. 197","other_names":["The Odd Fellows Building"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"117 W. Mason St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Polo","county":"Ogle County","state":"IL","lat":41.98809486000005,"lon":-89.57939958499998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2004-12-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Social History","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story brick Classical Revival lodge building at 117 West Mason Street in Polo, Ogle County, Illinois, built 1901-1902 for Polo Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lodge No. 197. Architects Charles Wyman Bradley and Frank A. Carpenter of Rockford designed it, and Thomas P. Ruth of Polo built it.","why_significant":"The nomination marks it under Criteria A and C. It is tied to the long history of the Odd Fellows fraternity in Polo, which operated from 1856 until the lodge disbanded in 1992. It also shows Classical Revival design with detailed masonry and well-preserved lodge interiors.","narrative":"Built between May 1901 and January 1902, this three-story brick lodge at 117 West Mason Street in Polo housed Odd Fellows Lodge No. 197, which had met in several other halls since its founding in 1856. Rockford architects Charles Wyman Bradley and Frank A. Carpenter designed it, and local contractor Thomas P. Ruth built it. The Classical Revival facade has a central pediment, pilasters, egg-and-dart molded brick and carved stone details. At 62 feet, it is the tallest building downtown. Two storefronts occupy the ground floor, while upper floors held a large lodge hall, parlors, a billiard room, a regalia room and a banquet and dance room. Many original features survive, including pressed steel ceilings, oak and maple woodwork, and a Moline rope-driven elevator. The lodge disbanded in 1992 after serving about 1,200 members over 136 years. The building is recognized for its fraternal history and its architecture.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Architects Charles Wyman Bradley and Frank A. Carpenter of Rockford, Illinois; general contractor Thomas P. Ruth of Polo, Illinois","architectural_style":"Classical Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Current function is commerce (specialty store); the lodge disbanded in 1992. Storefronts and a rear living area are in use, and some work was still in progress in 2004. Much of the upper-floor interior remains unrestored.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.547724-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/19/8938/28893819/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/04001302.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04001302/d2772e9413-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04001302/d2772e9413-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.5","author":"Ben Jacobson (Kranar Drogin)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Polo,_IL_PIOoOF_01.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Ben Jacobson (Kranar Drogin)</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 2.5</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Polo,_IL_PIOoOF_01.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893819","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polo_Independent_Order_of_Odd_Fellows_Lodge_No._197","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7225894"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/ogle-county/polo-independent-order-of-odd-fellows-lodge-no-197-04001302/"}