Meeker I00F building makes Register of Historic Places

MEEKER I History Colorado recently announced the listing of International Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) Valentine Lodge No. 47 in Meeker on the National Register of Historic Places, that designation taking place March 19.
The IOOF lodge provided a social venue for community members who assisted fellow members in times of need. The 1896 building’s second floor provided a meeting place for lodge members and a community meeting place for more than 96 years.
Local civil engineer Herman Pfeiffer designed the building that contains more than 240,000 bricks from a local kiln. Construction was complete in 1897 followed by a grand opening on April 26, 1897. The two-story brick building is an excellent example of a late 19th and early 20th century Revival style and has been changed very little since constructed.
As with many IOOF buildings, the lodge formed an investment opportunity with the construction of a two-part commercial building: the IOOF lodge space on the upper level and the IOOF leasing the first floor to offices or for retail.
Rio Blanco County was the first tenant with offices in the front of the first floor and a small jail behind the offices. A large dance floor existed behind the jail and the one-story rear portion housed a community room, which continues today to provide community meeting and event space.
Over the years, the lodge and other organizations hosted various dinners, dances, plays and other events in the building.
Between 1900 and 1930, the IOOF and the Woodmen of America hosted an annual joint community fish fry. The June 1920 fish fry drew more than 1,000 people from Western Colorado and a few Denver delegates.
During the 1940s and 1950s, the community room in the one-story rear section, served as a community roller skating rink.
In 1993, the IOOF Lodge of Meeker surrendered its charter as only a few members remained.
Mountain Valley Bank purchased the building in 2004. It had been unused for many years and fallen into poor condition. The bank restored the building to its original grandeur, constructed the drive-up banking canopy on the west side and rehabilitated the first floor for use as the bank. For more information on the IOOF Lodge building and its history, please visit Mountain Valley Bank.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official federal list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects significant in American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering and culture. These sites contribute to an understanding of the historical and cultural foundations of the nation.
Authorized under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Register is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate and protect our historic and archeological resources.
The National Park Service provides overall program administration. The Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (OAHP) in History Colorado administers the register in Colorado. OAHP assists property owners in listing Colorado’s most historically and architecturally significant buildings, structures and sites in the National Register of Historic Places and the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties.
In Colorado, there are more than 1,500 properties listed on the National Register and more than 2,000 listed in the State Register. Properties listed in the National or State registers may be eligible for investment tax credits or for grants from the State Historical Fund, another program of the History Colorado. OAHP staff is available to assist with the initial assessments of eligibility and to provide guidance in the completion of Register nominations.