The Nevada County Historical Landmarks Commission is delighted to announce that on April 22, 2025, the Board of Supervisors designated the Grass Valley Elks Lodge as Nevada County Historical Landmark NEV 25-04.
Designed in the Neo-Gothic/English Tudor style, the two-story red brick building sits prominently at the corner of S. School and W. Main Streets, and is one of the city's historical centerpieces. It opened in 1912, following a 12-year effort to fund, design and erect what is one of Grass Valley's most architecturally distinctive buildings, at a cost of $50,000. The Lodge features a spring-hung hard-rock maple dance floor and a bowling alley. Many readers will have fond memories of attending weddings, dances and other events there. Its historical significance was recognized in 2018 in a proclamation of the City of Grass Valley, cosigned by Supervisor Lisa Swarthout. then Grass Valley's vice mayor.