Elks Lodge Hall
Del Rio, Val Verde County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Elks Lodge Hall Lodge 837 of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks built this meeting hall in 1916 from plans provided by local builder Martin Brauer. It replaced an earlier structure, Gildea Hall, at this site. The Elks Lodge hall exhibits influences of the Prairie Style of architecture in its use of a low, sloping hipped roof and overhanging eaves with exposed rafters. Other features include paired French doors and a second floor balcony supported by brick piers. The hall provided space for meetings, dances and other community functions, and served the Elks Lodge until the 1980s, when members constructed a new facility. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2003
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1916 the local chapter of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks raised this meeting hall to plans by builder Martin Brauer, replacing an earlier structure on the site. Its Prairie Style influence shows in the low hipped roof, overhanging eaves with exposed rafters, paired French doors, and a balcony on brick piers. For decades the hall hosted lodge meetings, dances, and community gatherings until the Elks built a new home in the 1980s.
Why it matters
It reflects the golden age of American fraternal orders, when lodges like the Elks served as social and charitable hubs of small-town life.
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Related people
- · Martin Brauer
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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