Black Elks Lodge

The Black Elks Lodge was a meeting hall constructed for the Jones Valley Lodge No. 14, a group organized in 1901 as an affiliate of the Improved Benevolent Protective Order of Elks of the World (IBPOEW), a Black fraternal group founded in 1897 as a reflection of the all-white Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. It was located on the southeast corner of Block 258, at 800 12th Street North, northwest of the intersection with Reverend Abraham Woods Jr Boulevard in Fountain Heights.

The 2 1/2-story, 8.620 square-foot brick lodge building was designed by architect Wallace Rayfield. The main assembly hall on the first floor was reached from a raised porch behind 3 brick arches facing the street. The second floor was used for offices, and the Lodge operated a lounge in the basement. The Jones Valley Temple No. 145 Daughters of the Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World, the Jones Valley Golden Dawn Temple No. 38, and the Jones Valley Juvenile No. 143 also used the lodge hall.

As one of a limited number of spaces open to Black gatherings, the building hosted numerous civic and political meetings, concerts, and worship services.

As the Lodge's membership dwindled and the building deteriorated, the organization began meeting elsewhere. The vacant structure burned down in February 2024.

References

• Sharp, Jon (February 24, 2024) "‘A lot of history in that building:’ Black Elks lodge heavily damaged in Birmingham fire." AL.com