The Elks Club Building in

Tyler, Texas Tyler, officially the City of Tyler, is a city in and the county seat of Smith County, Texas, United States. As of 2020, the population is 105,995. Tyler was the List of municipalities in Texas, 38th most populous city in Texas (as well as the m ...

is an

International Style The International Style is a major architectural style and movement that began in western Europe in the 1920s and dominated modern architecture until the 1970s. It is defined by strict adherence to Functionalism (architecture), functional and Fo ...

building built in 1949. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2002.

History

It is a three-story, two-part commercial block designed by Tyler architect Carl A. Gregory (1903–1976) and constructed by Tyler contractor Hugh E. White. The local

Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE), commonly known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks, is an American fraternal order and charitable organization founded in 1868 in New York City. Originally established as a social club for m ...

club used its second and third floors for offices, dining room and ballroom, and let out the first-floor retail space, until the club sold the building in 1973 and moved elsewhere. Its NRHP nomination describes its International Style elements as including its volumetric massing, its flat roof, and its "sheer, virtually unadorned exterior walls and a subtlety articulated entry". The nomination states that it "recalls the early 20th century design theories of American architect

Louis Sullivan Louis Henry Sullivan (September 3, 1856 – April 14, 1924) was an American architect, and has been called a "father of skyscrapers" and "father of modernism". He was an influential architect of the Chicago school (architecture), Chicago ...

in the sheer primary facade wall embellished with a large, centrally placed window that is the building's focal point." The building was rehabilitated during 1997–2001 with care to preserve its historic character. The Blackstone Building, at 315 N. Building in Tyler, is another work of Hugh E. White, and is also NRHP-listed.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in Texas Buildings and structures completed in 1949 Buildings and structures in Tyler, Texas Elks buildings Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas National Register of Historic Places in Smith County, Texas

History

See also

References