Historic Odd Fellows Hall, now located at 26 W. Market Street in downtown Salt Lake City, has only recently acquired this address. In 2009, the building was situated on the other side of the street, at 41 W. Market Street.
This ornate building was constructed between 1891 and 1892 to serve as the primary meeting lodge for the Salt Lake Independent Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F).
The building is primarily constructed in the Richardsonian Romanesque style and shows Roman influence in the arched windows. An all-seeing eye is carved above the entrance to remind members to keep their pledge of secrecy.
Similar to the Masons and other fraternal orders, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows is a secret benevolent and social society which formally organized in the United States, Maryland, in 1819. The Odd Fellows is a quasi-religious group heavily emphasized ritual and secrecy; as such, they generally attracted non-Mormons such as Protestants and Jews in Salt Lake City.
Prior to the widespread availability of private or government welfare and social service programs, fraternal organizations tended to provide the social insurance support and security in a society in which the consequences of financial and social consequences of a major illness or death were often devastating. Not surprisingly, membership in fraternal organizations such as the Odd Fellows and the Masons declined after World War II and the introduction of government social service support programs.
The building was designed by architect George F. Costersian and is a fantastic and relatively rare remaining example of commercial Richardsonian Romanesque architecture. Other existing examples of this style of architecture in Salt Lake include the Commercial Savings Bank (1889) at 22 E. 100 South, the Roman Catholic Rectory of the Cathedral of the Madeline (1900) on South Temple, the Brooks Arcade (1891) at 75 E. Broadway, and the City and County Building (1894) at 451 S. State Street.
In April 2009, Odd Fellows Hall underwent an amazing engineering event: it was picked up and moved across the street in order to make room for the expansion of the Frank E. Moss U.S. Courthouse
The federal agency, General Services Administration (GSA), is responsible for the expansion of the Courthouse and through negotiations with stakeholders determined that instead of demolishing Odd Fellows Hall, the building would be saved by moving it across the street to a previously empty lot.
The GSA is now selling Odd Fellows Hall at public auction
The buildings amazing move is on You Tube:
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