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Texas: East, North Central, Panhandle and South Plains and West » North Central Texas » Stamford to Ballinger » Abilene (Taylor County) » Elks Art Center (Elks Building)

Elks Art Center (Elks Building)

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1913, Field and Clarkson; 2001 rehabilitated. 1174 N. 1st St.

The polychromed brick lodge was completed in late 1913 and inaugurated over New Year’s Eve with a ball of such stunning fashions that the Abilene Daily Reporter inked thirty column inches with detailed descriptions of the ladies “attired in the latest of the season.” The two-story structure on a raised basement is distinguished for its bold brickwork, with tall arched windows, spandrels, and stringcourses in buff brick that contrast brightly with the red brick walls. A canopy roof is bracketed over the second-floor windows with a brick parapet above. Original wood-framed windows and doors are painted dark forest green.

The building was rehabilitated in 2001 as headquarters for the Abilene Preservation League, founded in 1976 to promote historic preservation. The organization has been involved in saving many significant buildings in Abilene, especially in the historic downtown.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Gerald Moorhead et al.
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Data

What's Nearby

The Grace Museum (Grace Hotel)
Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau (Texas and Pacific Railway Passenger Station)
Abilene Chamber of Commerce (Windsor Hotel)
Alexander Building
Mims Building

Citation

Gerald Moorhead et al., "Elks Art Center (Elks Building)", [Abilene, Texas], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/TX-02-SB25.

Print Source

Buildings of Texas

Buildings of Texas: East, North Central, Panhandle and South Plains, and West, Gerald Moorhead and contributors. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2019, 308-308.

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