{"nrhp_refnum":"05001255","name":"Murphysboro Elks Lodge","other_names":["Murphysboro Event Center"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1329 Walnut St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Murphysboro","county":"Jackson County","state":"IL","lat":37.76611903400004,"lon":-89.33747555399998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2005-11-15","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick former fraternal meeting hall with a full elevated basement at 1329 Walnut Street, Murphysboro, Illinois, built in 1916-1917 for Elks Lodge No. 572 in the Classical Revival style.","why_significant":"The building was home to the Murphysboro Elks Lodge, a social and charitable fraternal organization chartered in 1900, and it served as a popular community social center in the 1940s and 1950s. It stands on Walnut Street, the city's main retail and business corridor. Its Classical Revival design, with terra cotta ornament and stained glass, is also cited as significant, and the form names Rudolph Zerse Gill as the architect.","narrative":"Built in 1916-1917 at 1329 Walnut Street, this two-story brick building with a full elevated basement was constructed as the home of Murphysboro's Elks Lodge No. 572. The lodge was chartered in 1900 and began discussing a permanent clubhouse in 1909, after renting space above a drug store. Rudolph Zerse Gill is named as the architect. The three-bay front facade shows Classical Revival details: red and black brick in running bond and basketweave patterns, a limestone beltcourse, stained glass windows, a second-floor porch with paired limestone columns, and terra cotta ornament including an elk head in profile above the entrance. Inside, parlors, a central hall, and event rooms continue the classical motifs, and the basement served as a community social space in the 1940s and 1950s. Membership peaked at 573 in 1921. The building sits in what was the heart of the city's retail district, and it remains in excellent condition, now serving as an event center.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Rudolph Zerse Gill (architect)","architectural_style":"Classical Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as being in excellent condition; now used for recreation and culture as the Murphysboro Event Center.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.76554-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/13/8930/28893013/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/05001255.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05001255/65c9e9df33-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05001255/65c9e9df33-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Murphysboro_Elks_Lodge.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Murphysboro_Elks_Lodge.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893013","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murphysboro_Elks_Lodge","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6939051"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/jackson-county/murphysboro-elks-lodge-05001255/"}