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On the endangered list: State preservation group says Tuscan Lodge needs to be saved

BY ANDREA HAHN

Friday, March 11, 2005 7:04 AM CST

CARBONDALE - The Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois has recognized a historic building in Carbondale for the second year in a row.

This year, the Tuscan Lodge No. 44, a brick building on the corner of the downtown square at 201 N. Washington, made the "Ten Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois" list. The lodge is the only building in Southern Illinois to be recognized.

The list is intended to bring attention to sites threatened by deterioration, lack of maintenance, insufficient funding, or inappropriate development. The list has been expanded to 11 sites several times over the years since it was first begun in 1995.

LaRue Love, presiding officer of the Tuscan Lodge

No. 44, said the disrepair of the building is visible from the street. He said restoring the building and making it usable again would benefit the downtown area generally.

"You can't be in downtown Carbondale and not see that building," he said. "And you can't talk about Carbondale and not talk about the downtown."

The building dates back to 1894, when it was an Odd Fellows Hall. The Tuscan Lodge bought it in 1903. The Tuscan Lodge is an African-American Masonic order.

Besides functioning as a community center, the banquet facilities hosted such musical greats as Cab Calloway, Miles Davis and Duke Ellington - and Love said those are just the names that can be verified.

"When the railroads were used more, this was a central location for a lot of people," Love said. "There was a hotel nearby, and it was really easy to stay at the hotel and play at the (lodge)."

The Masons met in the Tuscan building until about eight years ago. Love said they met on the top floor and rented out the lower level. Two locally well-known restaurants, Jeremiahs and Cousins, both called the building home. It was during the restaurant phase, though, that Love said most of the damage was done.

"The restaurants knocked out some of the interior walls, and some of those were supporting walls," he said. "Whenever you do that, you damage the outer walls and the whole building."

Love said inclusion on the list makes the Tuscan Lodge eligible for grants and may help bring attention to the stately structure.

Love said one of his favorite features is the round windows. He said standing on the second story and gazing out through those windows at night presents a picture of downtown Carbondale "like you might see in an old movie."

Evelyn Koine of the Carbondale Historic Preservation Commission was in Springfield for the ceremony and the announcement of the list.

"The Tuscan Lodge is the only property on the town square owned by African-Americans," she said. "This will give it some recognition."

Kevin Clark, also affiliated with the CHPC, said the lodge is working with the Southern Illinois University Carbondale School of Architecture. The university has provided some expertise in determining what is needed for restoration, and will help draw up plans.

Last year, the RBF Buckminster Fuller Dome was on the list. Clark said the fund-raising efforts used by the "Bucky Dome" are an example of the community effort he hopes to see with the Tuscan Lodge.

For more information about historic landmarks, and to view the rest of the endangered list, go to www.landmarks.org.

andrea.hahn@;thesouthern.com

618-529-5454 x15076