WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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The City Council went against the wishes of the Elks Lodge Number 446 by approving the recommendation of the Bloomington Historic Preservation Commission to designate their building on North Walnut street as a historic structure. The building was constructed in 1938 as a local home for the Elks, a fraternal order with over one million members in the United States. The Elks submitted a request for demolition of the building to the Bloomington Historic Preservation Commission in the spring of 2009 and that request was denied, the only such request denied since the commission started reviewing demolition applications four years ago. Last night the city council voted six to three to protect the building, and in a few moments we’ll hear councilmen Mike Satterfield and Steve Volan explain why, as they tangle with Elks representative Stu Baggerly, who says this will greatly restrict the options members have to renovate or sell the building.
