Mcmenamins Elk Temple

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Elks Lodge was officially purchased by McMenamins with the addition of the adjacent annex building in July 2012. The property will include approximately 45 guestrooms with private baths; space for live music, events, weddings and meetings; a ballroom that will feature a tiny indoor city with “cabins,” skylights, gardens, terraces and more; three restaurants; a McMenamins brewery; and a rooftop garden (vegetables, herbs and flowers) that will provide the restaurants with fresh, seasonal ingredients. A Little History The Elks Temple was built in 1915-16 when fraternal organizations were an important part of the community and had the money to build beautiful buildings such as this one. It was designed by É. Frère Champney, a graduate of the École des Beaux-Arts, in the second Renaissance Revival style. Adjacent to the building is a stairway called the “Spanish Steps” that winds up the hillside adjacent to the building. These steps, modeled after the Scalinata di Spagna in Rome, were rehabilitated in 2011 by a grant from WSDOT and the Federal Highway Transportation Enhancements program.