Former Johnstown Elks Lodge to be demolished soon

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August 15, 2009

By MIKE FAHER The Tribune-Democrat Sat Aug 15, 2009, 12:17 AM EDT

EBENSBURG — A downtown Johnstown landmark has a date with a wrecking ball.

Demolition of the 105-year-old Locust Street building – the former home of Johnstown’s Elks Lodge – is expected to begin soon.

Crews already have worked on removal of asbestos from the imposing brick structure, and a Lycoming County company has been hired to raze the building.

“They expect to bring their equipment in next week,” said Malcolm Snyder, trustee chairman at Franklin Street United Methodist Church.

The church, at the corner of Franklin and Locust streets, purchased the neighboring Elks property in 2007 for $230,000. While some had hoped the Elks building might somehow be saved, Snyder said that never was seriously considered.

“We really didn’t buy it with any long-range plans for the building in the first place,” Snyder said.

Instead, church leaders expect that the space where the building sits – along with an adjoining lot – will provide much-needed parking for members of the congregation.

The building is a relic from an era when Johnstown was more populous and more prosperous.

Opened in 1904, it was built solely for the Elks organization.

Along with the standard bar, dining room, dance floor and kitchen, the building had some unique touches: A four-lane duckpin bowling alley occupied part of the basement, and the top floor was dominated by an ornate, high-ceilinged Elks meeting room with a hardwood floor and a balcony.

But in recent years, the fraternal organization – formally titled the Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks, Johnstown Lodge No. 175 – no longer could afford to maintain the building that had been its headquarters for more than a century.

Members cited financial obstacles including monthly utility bills that could reach into the thousands of dollars. They sold an iconic elk sculpture that had adorned the building’s roof in an attempt to raise cash.

The organization moved to the former Geistown Country Club last year.

Snyder is well aware of the building’s history.

“I’m sure that, in that time period, it was fantastic,” he said.

But he said the structure had outlived its usefulness. Some older buildings, Snyder said, “just aren’t practical” for restoration and reuse.

“I’ve seen old buildings come down and new buildings come up,” he said. “It’s change occurring.”

Church administrators chose Lycom-ing Supply Inc. of Williamsport to raze the Elks structure.

That company has a strong track record in the city: Lycoming handled demolition of the Olbum’s building on Adams Street last year, and the contractor knocked down much of the old Point Stadium in 2005.

But before the project can progress, city officials must approve a demolition plan. Among other details, that proposal will have to include provisions for the safety of drivers and pedestrians, said Ron Shomo, city codes and permitting director.

That’s of even greater importance since CamTran is renovating its downtown transit center, and all riders are catching buses at a “temporary transit platform” along Locust Street outside the former Elks Lodge.

“That’s going to be a congested area,” Shomo said. “It can be done, but I want to see a plan.”

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