Elks Club Building
Berkeley, Alameda County, California
Marker Inscription
CITY OF BERKELEY LANDMARK designated in 1991. ELKS CLUB BUILDING Walter H. Ratcliff, Jr., Architect, 1913. Berkeley’s Elks Club, the 1002nd Chapter of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, was founded in 1905, just in time for members to assist those displaced by the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. Later they helped wartime survivors and needy children. This is one of many Ratcliff buildings in Berkeley. Classical Revival-style pilasters at corner bays, the projecting cornice, and oversized oak doors are in the tradition of men’s clubs of the era. This building’s three-part composition, formal second-floor detailing, and Greek frieze are elements of Beaux-Arts design. Sold by the Elks to a church group in the 1990s, the building was acquired in 2008 by the Tibetan Nyingma Meditation Center. Berkeley Historical Plaque Project 2011
Erected by Berkeley Historical Plaque Project
The Story
Designed by architect Walter H. Ratcliff, Jr. and completed in 1913, this Classical Revival and Beaux-Arts building housed Berkeley's Elks lodge, chartered in 1905 just in time to aid those displaced by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The fraternal order later assisted wartime survivors and needy children. Sold to a church group in the 1990s, the building was acquired in 2008 by the Tibetan Nyingma Meditation Center.
Why it matters
Fraternal lodges like the Elks were pillars of civic life and mutual aid in early-twentieth-century America, and this building's passage from lodge hall to meditation center traces the changing face of an American city.
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Related people
- · Walter H. Ratcliff, Jr.
Related events
- · 1906 San Francisco Earthquake
Themes & tags
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