{"nrhp_refnum":"95000195","name":"Litchfield Elks Lodge No. 654","other_names":["Elks Club"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"424 N. Monroe St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Litchfield","county":"Montgomery County","state":"IL","lat":39.17798677300004,"lon":-89.65397060999999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1995-03-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story brick fraternal lodge at 424 North Monroe Street, Litchfield, Illinois, facing Library Square. It was built 1922-1923 for Elks Lodge No. 654 and designed by architect Oliver W. Stiegemeyer.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is an excellent example of 1920s Classical Revival design, blending Beaux Arts Classicism with 1920s eclecticism and technology. Its exterior is highly intact, with a richly detailed terra cotta front facade. It was also built as the lodge's social hall, funded by members through bond sales.","narrative":"Built between 1922 and 1923, this three-story lodge at 424 North Monroe Street in Litchfield faces Library Square. It was designed by architect Oliver W. Stiegemeyer for Elks Lodge No. 654, which had outgrown its earlier quarters. Members raised about $125,000 in bonds themselves, and the building was dedicated with a three-day celebration in February 1923. It held lounge and meeting rooms, a dining room, eighteen guest rooms, a two-story social hall, and a basement with a bowling alley and swimming pool. The structure has a steel frame, load-bearing brick walls, and variegated brownish-red brick with limestone and terra cotta trim. Its symmetrical west facade has a brick portico, terra cotta ornament, and a tiled mansard roof with five dormers. The exterior retains very good integrity, though the interior and many windows have deteriorated during years of vacancy. It was listed for its architecture as a 1920s Classical Revival fraternal hall.","period_of_significance":"1923","architect_builder":"Stiegemeyer, Oliver W., Architect","architectural_style":"Classical Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Listed as vacant/work in progress; the description cites vacancy and neglect over the previous seven years, with deterioration of windows, floors and interiors.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.297051-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/53/8937/28893753/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/95000195.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/95000195/c3a674e014-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/95000195/c3a674e014-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Litchfield_Elks_Lodge_No._654.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Litchfield_Elks_Lodge_No._654.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893753","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Litchfield_Elks_Lodge_No._654","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6647446"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/montgomery-county/litchfield-elks-lodge-no-654-95000195/"}