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Old Elks Temple for sale

By John Larson

Williams & Dame, the Portland developer that purchased the old Elks Temple at 565 Broadway a year ago, announced March 11 that it is putting the structure up for sale.

The company explored several uses for the four-story building and a vacant, 25,000-acre lot adjacent to it, including condominiums and apartments.

The developer had removed a kitchen annex that was not part of the original structure as part of its efforts to keep out transients, which has been a major problem in the decades the building has sat empty. It also repaired holes in the roof that had allowed rainwater in over the years.

The county assessor’s office values the building, the land it sits on and the adjacent lot at $1.385 million, with the vast majority of that value assigned to the land itself. Williams & Dame paid $4.25 million for the building and land.

While the building itself is not on the National Register of Historic Places, it is listed as a contributing structure in the Old City Hall Historic District.

Prior to Williams & Dame, the Elks was owned by Oakland businessman Ron Zimmerman, who died in 2005. The city helped arrange the sale to the Portland developer.

The city had a long and bitter legal feud with Zimmerman prior to his death. He wanted to raze the structure and replace it with a building geared toward sales representatives for Asian manufacturers. His plan called for apartments for them to stay in and a trade show area to showcase their products for potential clients.

Being part of the Old City Hall Historic District would make it difficult for a new owner to gain permission to demolish it.

Roxanne Murphy, a spokesperson for the city’s Community and Economic Development Department, said potential buyers might contact the city regarding the Elks. She said the city could possibly connect them with certain loans or funding sources, and would assist them in getting through the permitting process.

With its sheer size and location near where downtown meets Stadium District, the Elks Temple has long been a topic of city officials who want to see it renovated.

“The building needs serious work,” Murphy commented. She noted such aging structures “can often be magnets for crime and the homeless,” which provides the city with an interest in seeing it bought and renovated.

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