On June 9, 1910, 164 charter members founded Lodge No. 281 of the Loyal Order of Moose. Under the leadership of William S. Dhyr, the local group grew to 1,500 members and began planning for a dedicated clubhouse, raising $225,000 by 1923 ($4.15million in 2024). The original floorplan consisted of street-facing retail units on the first floor, club offices on the second floor, and a large meeting hall on the third floor and mezzanine. The building opened in 1924 but the Moose lost ownership in 1930 as a result of the Great Depression.[2]
Subsequently, a number of different groups occupied the building. The Fraternal Order of Eagles ran it as their own clubhouse from 1930 to 1941. Under the leadership of Lavelle Thompson Maze, the Fond du Lac Commercial College taught their classes there from 1941 to the mid-1950s.[2] The school used the large auditorium for "Open Forum" classes where the students taught subjects they selected.[3] The A.C. Nielsen Co. converted the interior of the building into office space in 1957, but vacated in the early 1980s when they moved around the block to 30 South Main Street. The property then sat vacant until a restoration and adaptive reuse in 1988 converted the upper floors to apartments.[2]Flanagan State Bank and Thrivent later moved into the first-floor offices.[4][5]
Architecture
Local architect Frank Stepnoski (1881-1952) planned the 1924 clubhouse as one of his first major commissions.[6] His design consists of three stories topped with a mezzanine using steel, reinforced concrete, and brick, with a Classical Revival style.[2]
The front of the building faces Forest Avenue and consists of five bays separated by four brick pilasters. The first floor has four storefront windows and the main entrance, which is on the right with a stone surround. As the building goes up, the windows become progressively smaller ending in three lunette windows on the top floor. Horizontally, a narrow stone stringcourse runs above the top windows and wide cornices run above the first floor and under the roof. The side façade along Macy Street contains similar but less detailed finishes while the opposite side originally faced an alley, so it consists of simple brick.[2]
A number of changes were made to the exterior of the building over the years. When a parking garage replaced the original building behind the temple, an unfinished party wall was revealed which was resurfaced in new brick. A parapet on the roof originally held a concrete moose head. The store doors and entrances are now plate glass windows. The 1988 renovations included adding a four-story elevator and utility tower on the back.[2]
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