Rebuilding the SP Elks Lodge Begins

By Ivan Adame, Editorial Intern

Almost a year after an arsonist burned down the Elks Lodge in San Pedro, community leaders hosted a groundbreaking ceremony, April 11. However, the costs and timing of rebuilding the lodge remain undetermined.

A former Elks member Nick Pecarich, a 79-year-old retired longshoreman, was arrested and charged with burning the original building down.

The original 34,000 square-foot lodge was built in 1968 at a cost of $1.5 million. Rebuilding the lodge nowadays will cost “far in excess of that,” said former exalted ruler Eugene DeAngelis.

Tentative plans for the new building designed by the architectural firm SRK were on display.

“One of the things we realized is that the Elks Lodge is not the building, it’s the people,” said Rep. Janice Hahn. “It’s every single one of you who holds the value of the Elk’s and the community in your heart and it’s very heartwarming today to see people walking here.”

During the ceremony, the city Fire Department Station #101 was commended for their efforts in fighting the blaze.

In commemoration of the groundbreaking, city leaders presented the Elks Lodge with certificates of special recognition.

[portfolio_slideshow]