Look to your right for a boxy red-brown brick building with thick horizontal bands and unusual, intricate designs carved in stone near the top-its crisp edges and flat roof should make it stand out from everything else on this block!
Now, imagine you’re a traveler back in 1926, stepping onto Stolp Island, and right here in front of you rises the Aurora Elks Lodge No. 705. Already, you might be scratching your head-what’s with these mysterious stone carvings above the windows and all along the edge? That’s the Mayan magic baked into Aurora’s heart! The designers, Zimmerman, Saxe & Zimmerman from Chicago, were swept up in the excitement of ancient Mesoamerican discoveries-there were tales of hidden temples, golden gods, and lost cities splashed across every newspaper. One of them, William Carbys Zimmerman, even traveled to those ancient Mayan ruins, studying the Late Classic temples up close before sketching his vision back in Illinois.
What you’re seeing is a true rarity: imagine ancient Mayan gods, fierce symbols, and cryptic glyphs surrounding this building, but all blended with the clean, boxy lines of the Prairie School design-you could say it’s where Frank Lloyd Wright meets Indiana Jones! You can spot those details in the bands of twisted brick and terra cotta, where the carved patterns almost seem to hold secrets of their own.
The Elks Lodge was more than just a meeting spot-it had grand dining rooms, secretive lounges, and even a basement bowling alley. Above your head, travelers once settled into forty-six rooms, while the main room buzzed with laughter, music, and a little bit of mystery (although, to be fair, the Mayan theme stumped everyone-Elks aren’t exactly known for their pyramid-building skills).
Today, what was once home to masked balls and club meetings is being transformed into upscale apartments, with talk of a restaurant, so perhaps you’ll get to enjoy the spirit of exploration…and maybe even a good taco, all in one adventure!
