Grass Valley Elks Lodge Designated Historic Landmark

NEVADA CITY — During Tuesday’s Nevada County Board of Supervisors meeting, Senior Management Analyst Carissa Cyr introduced a resolution to designate Grass Valley Elks Lodge No. 538 as a Nevada County Historical Landmark. The Nevada County Historical Landmarks Commission recommended the designation, marking the fourth of its kind in the county this year. Bernie Zimmerman, Chair of the commission, and Mike Kochis, Secretary-Treasurer and a long-standing lodge member, provided historical context to the Board.

Grass Valley Elks Lodge No. 538 was officially instituted on January 27, 1900, under the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. For its first 12 years, the lodge operated in rented halls before constructing a permanent home in 1912. To fund the project, members established the Grass Valley Elk Hall Association, initially raising $5,000 from selling stock to members at $100 per share and borrowing $20,000. Combined with $8,000 from the lodge’s treasury, the organization ultimately gathered $33,000, enabling the purchase of its lot at the corner of West Main and South School Street in Grass Valley.

Construction of the lodge began in 1912, with an initial budget of $40,000 for the building and $5,000 for furnishings. Although the contract specified 150 working days, the project finished in just over seven months. Cost overruns increased the total expense to $50,000—equivalent to approximately $1,700,000 in today’s dollars—leading to several fundraising efforts to pay debts after its construction.

Over 112 years, the Neo-Gothic/English Tudor-style building has been a vital part of the Grass Valley community. The lodge has hosted weddings, dances, class reunions, agricultural gatherings, and more. During the 1920s, the ballroom even doubled as a venue for basketball games. Kochis described the building as a “historical centerpiece of Grass Valley.”

Supervisor Lisa Swarthout expressed fondness for the lodge, stating, “This is a building that is near and dear to my heart... I loved to watch when there [were] events there because it brought so many people into Grass Valley.” She also commended the Elks Club for preserving the building’s condition over the years.

Supervisor Susan Hoek shared a personal tie to the lodge, saying, “Tons of memories from that one building... It’s just definitely a part of Grass Valley and who we are.” Supervisor Hardy Bullock praised the building’s ornate architecture and the property’s distinctive flora.

The Board unanimously approved the resolution, officially designating the Grass Valley Elks Lodge as Nevada County Historical Landmark NEV 25-04. The lodge remains operational today, though it merged with Auburn Lodge No. 1691 in 2022 due to a significant membership decline following the COVID-19 pandemic.