Allegheny Lodge No. 339, BPOE (Elks)

Nov 30

400 Cedar Avenue | 10 am – 4 pm

YOUR EXPERIENCE

Go behind the scenes into the lodge room, which is rarely open to the public. Guests will also have a chance to visit the public quarters of the building, which include the Allegheny Room and Lounge, a second-floor bowling alley, and the former lodge room on the third floor.

ABOUT THIS BUILDING

Allegheny Lodge No. 339 of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE) was chartered on April 9, 1896. Initially meeting in rented quarters, the lodge purchased the George Metzgar mansion at 400 Cedar Avenue in 1901. Shortly thereafter, the lodge engaged noted Pittsburgh architect William Snaman to convert the 1860s Metzgar home into “one of the finest lodge rooms in the state” (Pittsburgh Press). The completed building was dedicated on November 23, 1903.

On March 15, 1924, a fire swept through the building, causing extensive damage to its interior. The lodge quickly engaged Pittsburgh architect Edward B. Lee to rebuild the building. Lee was a longtime leader of the Pittsburgh Architectural Club, and his contacts in business and government led to a number of important commissions. His projects included the City-County Building (1915-1917), the Chamber of Commerce Building (1916-17), the Edgewood Club (1914), the Harvard-Yale-Princeton Club (1930), and many hospitals, school buildings, and fraternal halls (Carnegie Mellon Libraries).

Lee redesigned the Allegheny Lodge as a “fireproof building,” which required a new steel-frame interior with concrete floors. Lee also designed a new Cedar Avenue façade executed in his trademark “free Classicism” style. While the exterior of the building remains largely intact, interior renovations over the years have masked much of Lee’s original design. As one of the fastest growing BPOE lodges in the state, Allegheny 339 is taking a renewed interest in its historic building and is in the process of launching a major renovation plan.