Help Restore the Historic Billy Webb Elks Lodge

Historic Billy Webb Elks Lodge Working Hard to Recover from Devasting 2021 Fire, But Help is Still Needed

Help Us Fully Recover from the Devasting Fire!

In the early morning of September 11th, 2021, the Billy Webb Elks Lodge in North Portland’s Albina neighborhood suffered a devastating fire as a result of trespassers. The decking attached to the rear of the building caught fire, which in turn ignited two adjacent walls and the roof above the lodge’s ballroom. Thankfully, the fire was reported quickly enough that it was contained in time to save much of the building. Unfortunately, the blaze left gaping holes in the building’s roof, and burnt rafters throughout. Water has destroyed the walls and floor of the ballroom, as well as the basement below, and the entire interior has been damaged by smoke. (Read full story in the Oregonian .)

The structural damage was more than anticipated, and with overall higher prices for construction costs these days, the Lodge had to make the hard decision to complete restoration in two phases and is asking for assistance to complete the work needed to finally re-open.

Progress Towards Full Restoration Has Begun!

With funds raised from our first GoFundMe campaign, we just started phase 1 construction to repair our historic building. Specifically, we are in the process of saving our 95-year-old building from further weather damage by securing all the major exterior elements needed to enclose the building, including rebuilding the roof infrastructure, replacing the entire roof, re-routing systems for emergency egress, and preparing for the interior finish work. Phase 1 is expected to be complete by late Summer.

On Restore Oregon’s List of Most Endangered Places since 2020 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the lodge has served the Albina neighborhood for close to a century.

Now, we are asking YOU to help fully return the lodge to the community!

Additional Support Needed - Phase 2 Funding to Fully Re-Open to the Public

With Phase 1 fully funded and work now underway, we now must secure additional funding for Phase 2 construction to restore the interior spaces, including the beloved ballroom. Lou McLemore, Exalted Ruler, Deborah Roache, Daughter Ruler, and others are working tirelessly to save and restore the heavily damaged structure, which serves as headquarters for one of Portland’s remaining African American Fraternal Organizations, but we need help from the community. Every contribution, however small, makes a difference. We are working hard to get the Lodge re-opened and back in service to the community.

Phase 2 overall budget is approximately $500,000, so we are setting a GoFundMe campaign goal of $25,000 to show overwhelming community support from any and all donation amounts.

Why Help Us?

The Billy Webb Elks Lodge, listed in the National Register of Historic Places , is one of only a handful of African American places recognized in Oregon. The lodge has a long association with the historic African American community in the Albina District of Portland. Prior to the fire, the lodge used the historic building for community services and as a social gathering place, providing an environment that promotes safety, dignity, respect, and pride for people of all colors who have long and deep ties to the Albina community. As an iconic anchor to the Black identity and heritage of Portland’s Albina neighborhood and one of the few remaining spaces left that is still run by a strong community of Black leaders, the Billy Webb Elks Lodge - with your support - is determined to continue to serve as a key historical and cultural landmark for the African American community.

Funds raised through GoFundMe will assist with:

Please donate to help us fully recover!

We are so grateful that construction is finally underway to restore this iconic landmark and prevent further damage to the building, but it really means the Billy Webb Elks Lodge is on its way to shine again and serve the community as a beloved gathering space once again that is only made possible by a huge outpouring of community support!

About Billy Webb Elks Lodge: Mission & History

The mission of the Billy Webb Elks Lodge is “to promote Charity, Justice and Love, to our members and the community. Our building is our greatest asset. We provide space for residents, other community-based and non-profit organizations to host meetings and trainings who often provide knowledge regarding social services, mental and physical health, and financial stability. We often provide the spaces free of charge to several of these entities.”

The lodge has a long association with the historic African American community in the Albina District of Portland. It first served as the African American branch of the Portland YWCA and was part of a larger historical context of “Colored Women’s Clubs” in early 20th-century Oregon. For a four-year period during WWII, the lodge was loaned to the United Service Organization (USO) for use as a recreation center for African American servicemen. In 1948, the building was used as an emergency shelter during the Vanport Flood disaster providing shelter to the African American community, which was disproportionately impacted. In 1956, the Portland Branch of the NAACP established its first official headquarters in the basement of the lodge, focusing on African American community issues like the value of organized opposition, state support for education, housing accessibility, discrimination in labor unions, and displacement by urban renewal programs in inner northeast Portland.

During the 1950s and 60s the site became a meeting place for Black community groups like the Urban League of Portland and the Congress of Racial Equality. In 1959 it was sold by the YWCA to the Improved Benevolent & Protective Order of the Elks (IBPOEW) who own and occupy it today. The IBPOEW was established in response to racial exclusivity of American fraternal societies and continues the legacy of uplifting the surrounding African American community through fellowship, benevolence, charity, citizenship programs, economic, and business objectives.

The lodge has been on Restore Oregon’s Most Endangered Places list since 2020, and our organization's leadership-- Lou McLemore, Exalted Ruler and Deborah Roache, Daughter Ruler -- have been working with the historic preservation non-profit and other experts in the community since 2019 to create a plan for the lodge’s future.

Our recent listing in the National Register of Historic Places has opened doors for grant funding that can offset the costs of preservation and business planning, as well as staffing. The lodge was awarded a small grant by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to fund a feasibility study exploring self-sustaining uses for the property that will outline steps to optimize the building and its operations for new income-producing uses. The fire really could not have come at a worse time - just as we were making progress.