Queenswalk: The Benevolent Society of Elks

There is something about the exclusivity, mysteriousness and the whole “secret society” element of fraternal groups that really appeals to many people. Today, many more of us are too busy with other aspects of busy city life to join such groups, but throughout the last couple of centuries, groups like the Masons, Shriners, Knights of Columbus, Elks, and all sorts of long forgotten societies were very popular, and in many cases, very important to people’s lives.

All of these groups were started to help their members; financially, socially, and in society at large. The Freemasons began as a guild of medieval builders. Since Catholics were forbidden to join the Masons, the Knights of Columbus were founded as a Catholic fraternal order. The Elks – well, their origins were a lot less important, although much more fun. The Benevolent Society of Elks began as a drinking club for a bunch of expatriate British actors in New York City.

Charles A. Vivian was a popular British song and dance man who, in 1867, found himself on a long gig in New York, lonely and bored, and missing England. British actors and entertainers have always done well in the United States, and Vivian was able to find a group of like-minded souls also wanting to have fun. They were mostly English, but there were also some Americans in the group. They would all go out and party, drink, sing and carouse. While in their favorite hangout, the Star Hotel, near the Bowery, they would play a game with bottle corks. This spin the cork game would determine who paid for the next round. One night, someone said, “We should call ourselves the Jolly Corks,” and so it was. Charles Vivian was installed as the Imperial Cork, and that’s how the Elks were started.

Soon after, one of their members died, and the group collected money amongst themselves in order to pay for the funeral. The seriousness of the situation cut through their partying mood, and the group decided that the Jolly Corks could actually do some good for themselves by pooling their resources to pay for such things as members’ funerals, or emergencies. In 1868, they decided to call themselves the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. They chose the elk as their symbol because P.T. Barnum had described the majestic animal as “fleet of foot, timorous of wrong, but ever ready to combat in defense of self or the female of the species.”

The group drew up by-laws, rituals, and a mission statement. They would “inculcate the principles of charity, justice, brotherly love and fidelity, and to quicken the spirit of American patriotism.” Vivian was elected “Right Honorable Primo,” but the title was soon changed to “Grand Exalted Ruler.” (It seems that more than a little alcohol and theatricality went into these early naming meetings.) However, the group was soon very popular, and began to spread to other cities. A lodge opened in Philadelphia that same year, and the New York lodge, located on the Bowery, became the Grand Lodge.

The Elks grew during the Civil War and afterward, as did many like-minded fraternal orders. By the turn of the 20th century, there were dozens of them, with all kinds of names, rituals, and reasons for being. It’s really rather fascinating, looking at all of the different organizations, some with silly names, silly hats and rituals, while others were extremely serious. All of them discriminated against anyone who wasn’t white or Christian, causing separate orders and organizations to be founded for blacks, Jews and other marginalized groups. Women formed auxiliary groups attached to the male orders. By the 1930s, the Elks had grown to 1,421 lodges across the country.

The Elmhurst lodge was founded in 1903 as Queensborough Lodge 878. They met in Long Island City, for twenty years, but decided to move, as their old space was growing too small, and the center of Queens was moving to Queens Boulevard. They purchased this corner lot in the early 1920s, and commissioned the Ballinger Company, a Philadelphia firm of architects, to design their new lodge. The lot sits on a busy portion of the boulevard, where many different streets and avenues all come together in a rather confusing way. It was, at the time, at the center of everything.

The new building was constructed in granite, with limestone trim. It’s a sturdy and elegant neoclassical structure, very much in the style the Elks preferred. Brooklyn’s Elks Club was in a similar style. It became the Board of Ed building at 110 Livingston Street, and is now condos. Both clubs had all kinds of amenities for their members. The Queens lodge was a five story building with three bars, including one 50 feet long, smoking rooms, a gymnasium, swimming pool, banquet hall and kitchen, a six lane bowling alley, and an Aztec-themed 700 seat theater. They also had indoor hardball courts, a barber shop, a grille room, 28 guest rooms, and a main meeting hall that held 2,000 people. Not to mention offices, lounges, bathrooms, and mechanical and maintenance rooms.

The theater has large stained glass panels that depicted the Elks four founding principles: charity, justice, brotherly love and fidelity. The building is accessed by a grand staircase, that leads to a full width terrace, in front of which is a large bronze statue of an elk, a copy of the statue designed for the Elks by sculptor Eli Harvey. The Queens Elks Lodge Number 878 was one of the largest Elks lodges, and one of the most well-equipped and decked out fraternal buildings in the entire country.

Many of Queens’ most prominent men were members of the club. They included businessmen, politicians and professionals. At the height of the Elks’ membership, there were over 6,600 members. As the years went by, especially after World War II, the emphasis of the club changed from ritual and self-help to more community activities. The club sponsored youth groups, athletic clubs, raised money for charities, and was prominent in civic and community activities in Queens. Their annual Elks Bazaar raised money for charity, and included a give-away of twelve Cadillac cars every year.

But by the end of the 1970s, American life had changed. People were not as interested in fraternal organizations, and entertainment and leisure activities had also changed. So did the demographics of Queens. Many of the Elks’ members moved to the suburbs, and Queens became home to new immigrants from many nations. The Elks’ membership rules prohibited membership from non-citizens, making a large part of the population not eligible for membership. By 2001, there were only 550 members in the lodge.

The Lodge could not keep up with the expenses of this large building. They had been renting the mezzanine to the New Life Fellowship, a Korean church, for several years. They had also leased out space to Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) for over twenty years. The Elks decided to sell the church the building, and become the tenants. They continue to meet in the basement and in the addition that held the swimming pool.

The building was landmarked in 2001, soon after the building was sold to the church. It is a fine example of neoclassic 20th century architecture. This kind of building is rare in Queens, and adds to the eclectic mix of buildings along Queens Boulevard. The Elks were an important part of Queens history, and their building, now protected by landmarking, continues to be an important presence in Elmhurst. The building is located at 82-10 Queens Boulevard.

Research for this article: LPC Designation report for Elks Lodge 878, report by nycago.org, and Kevin Walsh’s Forgotten New York.

(Photograph: Wallyg on Flickr)

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