Portland observer., June 19, 2024, Page 8, Image 8

Page 8
June 19, 2024
More Funds Needed to Restore Billy Webb Elks Lodge
Continued from Front
development of hands-on resto-
ration skills.
“Every term we do workshops,
where we actually designed and
built the windows to replace the
ones that were destroyed,” he
said. “In the spring we glazed the
windows and for our final work-
shop we installed them with stu-
dents and community members.”
Students came from as far
away as California to take part
in the restoration program, Pro-
chaska said. “It’s been a really
great partnership with Restore
Oregon and Deborah Roach, and
we’re anxious to do more,” Pro-
chaska said.
If enough money comes in to
continue the work, Roache said
phase 2 of the reconstruction
could conceivably be complete
by December.
“Phase 2 should complete the
inside work in the ballroom, and
the city won’t allow us to open up
until it’s safe,” she said.
Before the fire, plans were be-
ing made to work on other parts
of the building, she said, includ-
ing a basement remodel, to pro-
vide more space to rent out.
“Our main source of income is
space rental,” Roache said. “So,
what was phase 1, pre-fire, is now
phase 3 or 4.”
Carla Stanlick and Deborah A. Roache’ and the Elk’s Lodge
Along with fundraising from
the public, Roache said she’s
waiting to hear from other or-
ganizations about helping, but
without the help of Restore Or-
egon, the work wouldn’t have
been done.
“They know where those
grants lie,” she said. “Their
main focus is to restore endan-
gered buildings in Oregon, and
we’re one of the most endan-
gered places.”
Nicole Possert, executive di-
rector of Restore Oregon, agrees
with Roache.
“The Elks Lodge is part of the
program of Oregon’s most endan-
gered places, and we give techni-
cal support and wrap-around ser-
vices so they can get their needs
met,” she said. “We have been
working with them since 2019,
before the fire, to bolster the work
that needed to be done, but the
fire supercharged it.”
Restore Oregon, a nonprofit,
has pledged to continue advising
on reconstructing the lodge, from
project management to finding
the right experts, to its estab-
lishment last year of the Albina
Preservation Initiative “to help
bridge the gap between tradition-
al historic preservation practices
and lived experiences of BIPOC
communities.” That initiative led
to the involvement of Clatsop
Community College in replacing
the windows, she said.
“There are more windows to
do, and the Elks are raising mon-
ey to reopen, but we will continue
to help in whatever way we can,”
Posser said. “We’re there in the
long run.”
The Billy Webb Elks Lodge at
6 North Tillamook Street, is more
than just a historic building. Ac-
cording to Oregon Encyclopedia,
the lodge “is a reminder of the
city’s largely segregated history
and is a key landmark for the Af-
rican American community.
Originally built by the Young
Women’s Christian Association
as an outreach to Portland’s small
African American Communi-
ty, after the passage of a law in
1953 outlawing racial discrimi-
nation and completion of a new
YWCA headquarters downtown,
the building was sold to the Billy
Webb Elks, named for a promi-
nent local musician, according to
the encyclopedia. But by the end
of the 20th century, the building
was in serious disrepair.
According to the encyclopedia,
a major renovation of the lodge
was undertaken in 2008-2009
with the help of the National As-
sociation of Minority Contractors
of Oregon, to build a new roof,
new mechanical systems, and a
ramp system to allow access by
those with disabilities.
But the fire caused extensive
damage to that work, and now,
because of its historic and cul-
tural significance, the lodge and
its supporters hope that enough
funds can be raised to bring the
building back to the point that it
can continue serving Portland’s
African American community.