Philadelphia Lodge No. 2 BPOE (1925)

Philadelphia Lodge No. 2 BPOE (1925) was the purpose-built home of Philadelphia Lodge No. 2 of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, a fraternal organization in the United States. The building stood at 306–320 North Broad Street in the Logan Square section of Center City Philadelphia and was also associated with the names Philadelphia Athletic Club and Broadwood Hotel. It functioned less like a conventional consumer brand than as the physical and public-facing identity of a fraternal lodge, hospitality venue, and entertainment complex. Construction took place between 1922 and 1925. The thirteen-story building was designed to accommodate the lodge’s institutional activities while also generating wider public use and revenue through hotel and event facilities. The Elks occupied the lower five floors, which contained meeting rooms, restaurants, ballrooms, and auditoria. The upper eight floors provided residential or hotel accommodations. Its main entrance was marked by a monumental two-story portal framed in limestone and topped by a large keystone, giving the building a highly visible civic and commercial presence on North Broad Street. The lodge moved into the Broad Street building from an earlier four-story premises at 1320–1322 Arch Street. That earlier building had been constructed between 1904 and 1906 and remained standing, while the Broad Street property became the more ambitious architectural and operational expression of Philadelphia Lodge No. 2. The complex combined fraternal assembly, dining, lodging, social events, and large-scale public entertainment in one building. The property also became connected with Philadelphia sports history. The Philadelphia Sphas basketball team played many home games in the building’s ballroom area. The court was reached by climbing several flights of marble stairs, and Saturday games could be followed by dances with live music. Although the ballroom could accommodate approximately 3,000 spectators according to the referenced account, the unusual arrangement created difficult circulation and crowding conditions, with some ticket holders reportedly unable to obtain a clear view of games from the crowded stairways and access areas. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, recognizing its architectural and historical significance. Hahnemann University purchased the property for $2.35 million in 1991, after which the building was demolished in 1992. Its National Register listing was removed in 2023. Because the physical property no longer exists and the lodge’s historic building identity is the subject of the authoritative article, this entry describes a defunct historic site and institutional venue rather than an active commercial brand.

Philadelphia Lodge No. 2 of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks was historically based in Philadelphia and occupied an earlier four-story building at 1320–1322 Arch Street, constructed between 1904 and 1906. The lodge later developed a substantially larger headquarters on North Broad Street in the Logan Square area of Center City Philadelphia. The new building was constructed from 1922 to 1925 at 306–320 North Broad Street. The completed structure was thirteen stories tall and served several related purposes. The lower five floors were used by the Elks and contained the organization’s meeting rooms and other institutional spaces. The building also included restaurants, ballrooms, and auditoria, allowing it to operate as a social and entertainment venue beyond the lodge’s internal activities. The upper eight floors supplied residential or hotel accommodations, creating a mixed-use property that combined fraternal, hospitality, and public-event functions. Architecturally, the building projected a monumental presence on one of Philadelphia’s major north–south streets. Its entrance featured a two-story limestone-framed portal capped with a giant keystone. This prominent entrance and the building’s scale helped establish the property as both a lodge headquarters and a recognizable local landmark. The property was also referred to in connection with the Philadelphia Athletic Club and the Broadwood Hotel. The building became part of Philadelphia’s sporting and entertainment culture through the Philadelphia Sphas basketball team. The team played many home games in a basketball court arranged in the ballroom area. Spectators had to climb three flights of marble stairs to reach the playing space. Saturday-night games could be followed by dances featuring live bands, turning sporting events into broader social occasions. The ballroom could reportedly hold around 3,000 people, although the unusual access route and crowd flow produced serious viewing and congestion problems. Some spectators were described as becoming stranded on the stairs or in access areas and receiving the final score indirectly from people who had reached the ballroom. The site received formal historic recognition in 1984 when the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. That designation did not prevent a later change of ownership. Hahnemann University purchased the property in 1991 for $2.35 million. The building was demolished in 1992, ending its physical existence as a lodge, hotel, and entertainment complex. In 2023, the property was removed from the National Register. The surviving historical significance of Philadelphia Lodge No. 2 BPOE (1925) therefore rests on documentary records, architectural history, its association with the Elks, and its role in Philadelphia’s social and sporting life rather than on an extant structure.

• 2023

  Removed from the National Register

  [1]Philadelphia Lodge No. 2 BPOE (1925)en.wikipedia.org

  The demolished property was removed from the National Register of Historic Places.

• 1992

  Building demolished

  [1]Philadelphia Lodge No. 2 BPOE (1925)en.wikipedia.org

  The former lodge and hotel complex was demolished.

• 1991

  Purchased by Hahnemann University

  [1]Philadelphia Lodge No. 2 BPOE (1925)en.wikipedia.org

  Hahnemann University acquired the building for $2.35 million.

• 1984

  Added to the National Register of Historic Places

  [1]Philadelphia Lodge No. 2 BPOE (1925)en.wikipedia.org

  The building received national historic-register recognition.

• 1925

  New Philadelphia Lodge No. 2 building completed

  [1]Philadelphia Lodge No. 2 BPOE (1925)en.wikipedia.org

  The Elks’ new North Broad Street headquarters was completed and became the lodge’s principal building.

• 1922

  Construction begins on the North Broad Street building

  [1]Philadelphia Lodge No. 2 BPOE (1925)en.wikipedia.org

  Work began on the thirteen-story lodge, hotel, and entertainment building at 306–320 North Broad Street.

• 1906

  Earlier lodge premises completed

  [1]Philadelphia Lodge No. 2 BPOE (1925)en.wikipedia.org

  The earlier Philadelphia Lodge No. 2 building at 1320–1322 Arch Street was completed.

• 1904

  Earlier Arch Street lodge building constructed

  [1]Philadelphia Lodge No. 2 BPOE (1925)en.wikipedia.org

  Construction began on the earlier four-story Philadelphia lodge building at 1320–1322 Arch Street.

A monumental Philadelphia fraternal lodge and mixed-use hospitality venue combining Elks organization space with lodging, dining, social events, and public entertainment.

• Institutional and membership venue · 1925

  Fraternal lodge facilities

  The lower portion of the building served Philadelphia Lodge No. 2 of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. It included meeting rooms and spaces supporting the lodge’s organizational and social activities.

• Hospitality · 1925

  Broadwood Hotel accommodations

  The upper eight floors provided residential or hotel accommodations, making the property a mixed-use hospitality complex as well as a fraternal headquarters.

• Entertainment and events · 1925

  Ballrooms, restaurants, and auditoria

  Public-facing facilities included restaurants, ballrooms, and auditoria. These spaces supported dances, social functions, performances, and other large gatherings.

• Sports venue

  Philadelphia Sphas basketball venue

  The ballroom area was adapted for Philadelphia Sphas basketball games. The arrangement allowed large audiences but required spectators to reach the court by climbing several flights of marble stairs.

• 1991

  Sale of the historic building to Hahnemann UniversityOther

  Background

  The former Elks lodge and hotel complex was transferred to Hahnemann University after decades of use as a fraternal, hospitality, and entertainment property.

  Action taken

  Hahnemann University purchased the property for $2.35 million.

  Aftermath

  The building was demolished the following year, and its historic-register listing was ultimately removed in 2023.

  Purchase price. $2.35 million (1991)

  Source

1. 1Philadelphia Lodge No. 2 BPOE (1925)en.wikipedia.org