The Elks Lodge / Wright Life

200 Linden Street

Photo will be added later. 

Elks Lodge: 1903 – 1941

In order to begin an Elks Club, the National rules were that a community had to have at least 5,000 residents. (Loveland Reporter, Volume 23, Number 47, March 12, 1903.) The 1900 census showed that Fort Collins was below the required population.

“The Elks at Fort Collins are putting up a magnificent three story stone and brick structure which promises to be not only a good investment financially, but which will give them perhaps the finest home of any Elks lodge in the state. The lodge will occupy the second and third stories of a structure perhaps 50×100 feet.– Boulder Herald.” (The Weekly Courier, October 21, 1903.)

“The Elks lodge is making rapid growth. On Thursday evening the 216th candidate was initiated.” (The Weekly Courier, October 28, 1903)

“The new Elks lodge room, besides being the largest, will be the handsomest hall in the city. The contractor expects to finish the building before the close of the month.” (The Weekly Courier, February 10, 1904.)

Elks Club. Image from the Archive at FCMoD, H01452.

“Sitzmans Remodel Business Building
“John W. Sitzman and his son, John R. Sitzman, have begun work on expansion and remodeling of Sitzman’s Market at 200 Linden Street.
“The two top floors of the three-story brick structure will be removed and the ground floor will be remodeled, inside and out. The ground floor contains the Sitzman Market and the space at 204 Linden Street formerly occupied by the Denver Market, which moved to 220 Linden Street.
“John W. Sitzman said his firm bought the building from the Moose Lodge about 1 1/2 years ago after the lodge moved to its new home on Highway 14 east of town. The two top floors of the building will be razed to permit combining and remodeling the ground floor space.
“Mr. Sitzman said it would have been almost impossible to remove the ground-floor wall between the two market areas and still provide sufficient support for the two upper levels of the building.
“A city building permit listing a cost estimate of $4,000 was issued to the Sitzmans for the demolition and remodeling.
“The upper two stories of the building, one of the oldest business structures in the city, were occupied by the Moose Lodge until last year and many years ago were occupied by the Elks Lodge.” (Fort Collins Coloradoan, 16 Aug 1963.)

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