I.O.O.F. Hall

Woodbridge, San Joaquin County, California Listed April 22, 1982 Ref. 82002257 Building Vacant per nomination

Why it's listed

At the corner of Main and Mokelumne Streets in Woodbridge stands a two-story brick building that began as the Lavinsky Store, a one-story shop erected in 1861. In 1874 a second story was added to serve as a meeting hall for the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, whose Jefferson Lodge #98 had formed in 1860 and bought the store in 1870. The facade now carries little ornament beyond the 1874 date and the letters I.O.O.F., though shadow marks and old photographs show where wooden cornices, window heads and a belt course once were. Three ground-floor arches are bricked up, and later rear additions and a steel stair were added. The hall represents a common western building type with commercial space below and a fraternal hall above. Fraternal orders such as the Odd Fellows played a large part in early settlement, offering charity to the sick and orphaned. It is one of three architecturally notable buildings left in Woodbridge, a former ferry crossing and road junction.

Significance in brief: The nomination argues the hall is a representative example of the 19th-century brick building type with commercial space below and a fraternal meeting hall above, built by orders that were important in early settlement. It is tied to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, which provided charitable services during and after the Gold Rush. It is also one of three architecturally significant buildings left in Woodbridge, a town noted as a transportation crossroads and ferry site.

Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 82002257, listed April 22, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).

Key facts

Address	Main St., Woodbridge
County	San Joaquin County
Listed	April 22, 1982
Reference number	82002257
Resource type	Building
Period of significance	1861-1874
Architectural style	19th century vernacular building type (commercial ground floor with meeting hall above, historically with simplified Classical facade detail)
Criteria	A — associated with events that made a significant contribution to history C — distinctive architecture, design or construction
Areas of significance	Architecture, Social History
Level of significance	Local
Status (as stated in the nomination)	Listed as unoccupied and not in use. The facade has lost its exterior detail, the 20th-century gabled roof has been removed, and the ground-floor arched openings are bricked up. Odd Fellows met there until about five years before the nomination.
Acreage	0.9
Coordinates	38.15454, -121.30084 (NPS GIS)

What listing means for this property

National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).

Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.

Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.

General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.

Sources and further reading

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 82002257.
Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
Wikidata Q5967856
This listing as JSON

Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.