Aurora Elks Lodge No. 705
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
Aurora Elks Lodge No. 705 is a clubhouse on Stolp Island in the Fox River, built to plans drawn in 1925 by the Chicago firm Zimmerman, Saxe & Zimmerman. Two flat-roofed blocks of three and four storeys form a T, built of reinforced concrete faced with brick and terra cotta. Its Prairie School massing is combined with ornament borrowed from Maya architecture. The street-facing walls use wide horizontal bands of dark red-brown twisted brick alternating with beige terra-cotta carved with stylized Mayan glyphs, and the openings are recessed and grouped in odd numbers. Inside are a beamed lounge with a Maya-detailed terra-cotta fireplace, a ballroom, a dining room, a bowling alley and 46 sleeping rooms. The building has seen little change beyond interior painting. Its significance rests on this unusual blend of Prairie School design and Maya motifs, which family tradition links to the architect's study of newly discovered sites in Meso-America.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is significant for its unusual application of Mayan design to the exterior and interior of a Prairie School building. Details such as glyph reliefs, horizontal bands, recessed openings and a stepped cornice are drawn from Late Classic and Early Post-Classic Maya construction. Family tradition holds that architect W. C. Zimmerman studied recently discovered sites in Meso-America.
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 80001369, listed March 31, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 77 S. Stolp Ave., Aurora |
|---|---|
| County | Kane County |
| Listed | March 31, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80001369 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- |
| Architect / builder | Zimmerman, Saxe & Zimmerman, Architects, Chicago |
| Architectural style | Prairie School design with Maya Civilization ornamentation |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied by the Elks lodge, in excellent and unaltered condition on its original site; renovation work was under way to restore its original appearance. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Stolp Island Historic District |
| Coordinates | 41.75638, -88.31719 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
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 80001369.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4822519
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.