Community History – Ludlow – Odd Fellows Hall

Odd Fellows Hall

The original Odd Fellows Hall was located on the site of the present Sts. Boniface and James Parish Center (318 Oak Street). The building was begun by the Wesley Methodist Church in c. 1857. The congregation halted construction when funds became scarce. The American Eagle Lodge No. 130 of the Odd Fellows brought the building to completion. The hall, however, was also used by many other organizations: City of Ludlow, Wesley Methodist Church (1857-1889) and the First Presbyterian Church (1867-1870).

In 1891, St. James Parish purchased the hall for $3,500.00 to be used as the first home of St. James School. St. James School was located in the building from 1893-1911. On June 22, 1911, work on demolishing the structure began. On the site a new St. James School was constructed.

A new three-story Odd Fellows Hall was constructed on Elm Street in 1889. The first floor housed several businesses. Early tenants included the Clore and Snider Drugstore and the Amos Teed Shoe Store. The entire second floor housed a large hall with a stage and dressing rooms. The third floor contained meeting rooms for various Ludlow fraternal organizations including the: Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias and the Royal Arcadium. The new building was constructed at the cost of $30,000.00.

The new Odd Fellows Hall was damaged by an earthquake in 1895. The quake caused a large crack on the side of the building measuring ¼” in width.

In 1906, the newly established Farmer’s and Mechanics Bank purchased the Odd Fellows Hall from Amos Teed and Dr. R.H. Crigler for $15,000.00. The bank used one of the store spaces for its offices.

By the 1960s, the third floor of the building was condemned by the city. Tenants at this time included the Ludlow Church of God and the Rock Bar Café.

In later years, the building was acquired by the First National Bank of Ludlow. Bank officials decided to demolish the building in 1971. The last tenants were the Rock Bar Café and Pop’s Pool Hall. One the site, a new First National Bank was constructed in 1973.

Kentucky Post, June 1, 1906, p.1; News Enterprise, March 19, 1964, p. 1 and August 5, 1971, p. 1, Schroeder, David E., United in Faith: A History of the Catholic Church in Ludlow, Kentucky 1872-1997, pp. 18, 33-34. Kentucky Post, October 31, 1895, p. 8.