I.O.O.F. Lodge

Standing at 505 20th Street in Galveston, this two-story brick building combines street-level commercial space with an upstairs lodge hall. It was built by C.F. Rhode, who bought the property about 1894; his firm, proprietors of the Island City Cigar Factory, appeared at this address in the 1899-1900 directory. In 1910-11 the building became the home of the Galveston Odd Fellows, and a 1910 newspaper account reports that the second floor was remodeled for lodgeroom purposes at a cost of $5,000. The rectangular, flat-roofed structure has a parapet with a center projection, a corbeled cornice, pilasters dividing the facades, segmental-arch windows, and two storefront entrances protected by a suspended canopy. The rear portion may be a later addition. The building remains in structurally good condition and still serves its original purposes. It anchors the corner of a commercial row facing the Grand Opera House and has a long-term association with a fraternal organization.