BPOE Elks Lodge, No. 1137

Based partly on Edward F. Starck’s claim in his correspondence with the Dickinson Elks of extensive “experience in the construction of fine Elk homes” (in Madison and Eau Claire), the Madison, Wisconsin, firm was selected to design this Elks lodge. In 1918, the building also served as the founding site for the Dickinson State Normal School, precursor to Dickinson State University (SK10). While the Normal School campus awaited funding from the state legislature, the teachers’ college was accommodated on the upper two floors of the Elks building, and a retail store was on the main level. The building is constructed primarily of locally made Dickinson fire and pressed brick, is trimmed with limestone, and has a pressed-metal cornice. Although Claude and Starck are better known for their Prairie School work, this lodge is Classical Revival. Prism-glass storefront transoms brought daylight deep into the interior. In October 2007, when the building was being renovated, a fire substantially damaged much of the interior, including the ballroom auditorium on the third floor. The building has since been restored.