Elks Tower Apartments
Historic Elks Lodge Transformed into Affordable Housing
Built in 1923, the Litchfield Elks Lodge was the first of its kind to offer hotel rooms to travelers on nearby Route 66. The ballroom on the top floor was the center of the town’s social life from its opening until the 1950s. Despite numerous attempts over the years to develop a new use for the building, by the 1990s the building was vacant.
Farr Associates led the team to preserve the historic two-story ballroom while also meeting the economic need for 27 apartment units.
The project served two important purposes: it revitalized a viable historic downtown property and did so without significantly altering the character of the historic building.
Client: Cliff Crispens
Location: Litchfield, IL
Role: Architect of Record
Size: 27 units; 28,000 SF
Completion: 1997
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Landmarks Illinois, Preservation Project of the Year, 1998
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Litchfield Elks Lodge No. 654 was nominated by Susan M. Baldwin and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.
Architect Oliver W. Stiegemeyer designed the building in Classical Revival style, drawing primarily from Beaux Arts influences with hints of Georgian inspiration, executed with a feel for early 1920's technology and eclecticism.
Source: National Archives
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Loveable Inside & Out
We proposed a successful scheme to add an infill fourth floor of apartments while preserving views down the length of the two-story ballroom.
The new common area walls were designed to respond to the historic ceiling beams and arched windows of the original.
A series of formal reception rooms on the first floor, which had been removed during a 1960’s remodeling, were also reconstructed.
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People Saving Places for People
The structure was financed by double tax credits: affordable housing and historic rehabilitation.
To meet the requirements of the two different financing programs, the historic two-story ballroom had to be preserved while also meeting a mandate for 27 apartment units.
By adding a fourth floor of apartments while maintaining views down the length of the ballroom from the fourth floor balcony, both requirements were successfully met.
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Design Excellence Enhances Neighborhood
Elks Tower Apartments has helped to revitalize downtown Litchfield by providing much needed housing.
There are many examples of large historic buildings in towns and cities throughout the state that could be adaptively reused. This project can serve as a model for financing the renovation and reuse of such vacant historic properties.
