{"nrhp_refnum":"05000113","name":"Rockford Elk's Lodge #64","other_names":["Elk's Club"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"210 W. Jefferson","address_restricted":false,"city":"Rockford","county":"Winnebago County","state":"IL","lat":42.274981653000054,"lon":-89.09319648299999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2005-02-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick lodge hall at 210 W. Jefferson in downtown Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois, built in 1912 for Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks Lodge No. 64 and designed by Chicago architect Lawrence P. Buck.","why_significant":"The building is presented as a rare and fine local example of early twentieth-century eclectic architecture, listed under Criterion C. It blends Classical Revival styling with Prairie School influence, using green glazed tile and copper after the original, more ornate terra cotta design was simplified for cost. It is the only known executed commercial project by Buck.","narrative":"Built in 1912 at the corner of North Main and Jefferson streets in downtown Rockford, this two-story clubhouse served as the meeting space and social hall of Elks Lodge No. 64. Chicago architect Lawrence Buck designed it in reddish-brown brick with green glazed tile and copper trim. The committee first wanted a Beaux-Arts building with extensive terra cotta, but high bids led to a simplified plan with a more modern, Prairie School-influenced look. Contemporary and later observers have described the style in many ways, including Classical, Colonial, Italian Renaissance and Spanish, and Buck himself said it followed no single style. Inside, the layout remains largely original, with a basement dining room and four-lane bowling alley, a billiard room, a reading room, an art glass stair window bearing the Elks emblem, and a barrel-vaulted second-floor ballroom. The building has sat mostly vacant for roughly a decade and has suffered neglect, though its exterior and room arrangement are well preserved. It was recognized for its architecture, as the only known executed commercial work of Buck.","period_of_significance":"1912","architect_builder":"Lawrence P. Buck - Architect; W.H. Cook - Builder","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals and Late 19th and 20th Century American Movements (Classical Revival with strong Prairie Style influence)","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Essentially vacant for about the last decade before listing; exterior in good condition, interior showing neglect, water damage and vandalism; the new owner plans to secure and mothball the building.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.65898-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/81/8943/28894381/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/05000113.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05000113/f007ca6847-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05000113/f007ca6847-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.5","author":"IvoShandor","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rockford_Il_Rockford_Elks_Lodge1.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">IvoShandor</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:Rockford_Il_Rockford_Elks_Lodge1.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28894381","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockford_Elk%27s_Lodge_No._64","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16899378"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/winnebago-county/rockford-elks-lodge-64-05000113/"}