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DOWNTOWN Century-old Medford Elks Lodge up for sale Preservationists hope structure can be saved Comment By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Posted Aug. 23, 2015 at 5:58 PM Updated Aug 24, 2015 at 9:05 AM By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Posted Aug. 23, 2015 at 5:58 PM Updated Aug 24, 2015 at 9:05 AM » Social News An impressive monument to downtown Medford's past is in need of a new owner. The century-old Medford Elks Lodge at 202 N. Central Ave. is up for sale with an asking price of $1.25 million. The 28,760-square foot, three-story structure, built in 1915, was shuttered after the lodge was ordered closed last December by the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks national Grand Lodge in Chicago. The fate of the building largely depends on finding a buyer, said Pete Belcastro, a member of the Ashland Elks club and a John L. Scott Real Estate agent. Belcastro casts a wary eye down Central Avenue as he recounts the demise of other historical buildings in the neighborhood. "Does the community want to save this building?" Belcastro asked. "If they don't, it's going to be torn down, and like the First Baptist Church and old Medford City Hall over there, they're going to be parking lots, and they're going to be gone. It's not about the Medford Elks building per se, it's about historic structures in Medford." Make no mistake about it, whoever writes the check will have a remodel project of monumental proportions. But like the old Medford Depot, housing Porter's restaurant a block to the west, and the Woolworth Building down the street, there's plenty of potential. Plus, there's the potential of restoration tax credits because the building sits in the Medford Historic District. The building reflected the status of its membership in the community for decades in a time before other forms of social activity emerged. Membership has dwindled from 1,700 in the 1970s, to 500 in 2008 and about less than 300 when the charter was pulled. An open house is scheduled for 1-4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 30. "What we hope happens is for the community to have a conversation about this building, whether to save it or not," Belcastro said. "If we do, it's going to be a centerpiece again and a showcase with purpose. If it goes away, it will become a parking lot, or something else." The structure, designed by charter-member Frank Chamberlain Clark, who also designed the 1927 Medford City Hall, is considered the area's most distinctive example of monumental architecture in the Beaux Arts Classicism tradition. It was nominated for the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. "I would love to see the Elks part of this carried forward," he said. "It was such a part of the community, for basically 80 years this was the place to be. It can be again with someone who comes along, loves it, cares for it and preserves it. The community will be better off for it." A series of historic preservation investment tax credits provide the lodge its best chance to escape the wrecking ball. "It's a great building, one the most significant in downtown," said local author and historian George Kramer. "There are financial incentives from both the state and feds to support rehabilitation, as well as some code advantages that are only available to designated historic resources." Many items coated in decades of dust have long since been acquired and hauled away. Still, there is a massive collection of odds and ends in the bottom floor, where the kitchen once served hundreds. "One of the biggest challenges in a historic building is finding the right person, the right company, the right people that can walk into here and see a vision of what this place could be if it's repurposed into some other function," Belcastro said. "There has been a lot of deferred maintenance, there is no question about that, in the last 10 years. But the structure is solid. The skin is good, but you've got to redo a lot of the insides, that's why they're tax credits to make it happen." The club's archives remain on the main floor. Portraits, plaques, medals and newspaper articles, remnants of bygone eras, are ticketed for storage in Roseburg. "For the right use, it could a very attractive opportunity," Kramer said. "I certainly hope the Elks recognize that and are willing to work with the right buyer." Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 541-776-4463 or [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GregMTBusiness , on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/greg.stiles.31 , and read his blog at www.mailtribune.com/EconomicEdge . By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Posted Aug. 23, 2015 at 5:58 PM Updated Aug 24, 2015 at 9:05 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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