BUTTE — There's an old elk that's been hanging out at the 240 Elk’s Lodge in Butte for 100 years—but now, the members want to give the century-old building a facelift.
“We want this building to be here another 100 years, so you can all rest assured the Elks and the Elks building will be here for many years to come,” said Elk Lodge President Bert Abbott.
The building’s owner has invested more than half a million dollars to refurbish the first floor of the three-story building. Most notably, large street-level windows were added, and the interior was increased for more room. The building can be used for future events in town.
“Let’s say you have five, six, seven hundred people, you need multiple buildings to handle that. Well, the Elks can handle 1,000 people in this building, all three floors,” said Abbott.
The Elks has been active in Butte since the late 19th century and was once a very popular club in the Mining City.
“In the old days, this lodge had in excess of 3,000 members,” said Abbott.
The club has about 144 active members today and they hope to increase its membership with the remodeled building.
“Meeting all kinds of new people and taking dance lessons, yeah, it’s kind of the center of my social life, you might say,” said Elk member Chuck Schaffer.
The public will be able to see the changes at an open house on Saturday, Nov. 16, beginning at 3 p.m.
