The Maceo Elks Lodge #8: A Legacy of LaVilla

The Maceo Elks Lodge #8 at 712 West Duval Street.

Originally constructed as the Young Men’s and Young Women’s Hebrew Association, the Maceo Elks Lodge #8 at 712 West Duval Street is the last surviving institutional building in LaVilla connected to Jacksonville’s early Jewish community.

During the 1880s, Yiddish-speaking Jewish immigrants from Russia and Romania settled in Jacksonville, with many living and working in LaVilla. At the time, Jacksonville offered an appealing alternative to the crowded industrial cities of the North. These immigrants carried with them strong ties to Orthodox Judaism, and in 1901, they established the B’nai Israel Orthodox Temple at West Duval and Jefferson Streets.

The Young Men’s Hebrew Association (YMHA) was part of a national movement that began in Baltimore in 1854 and expanded to New York City in 1874. By 1888, the Young Women’s Hebrew Association was formed as an auxiliary group. Together, these organizations promoted health, education, recreation, democratic engagement, and Jewish cultural life across the United States and Canada.

In 1910, LaVilla’s YMHA was proposed with the goal of enriching community life through Jewish tradition and values. Local architects, including John Henry Willis Hawkins, Talley and Summer, and Benjamin and Ball, were engaged to design the building. The YMHA opened to the public on February 8, 1915, with a community bazaar. Jacksonville’s mayor, Jac Swearingen, addressed the large crowd on opening night. However, as Jewish families gradually moved to suburban neighborhoods, the YMHA relocated to Springfield in 1932.

In 1945, the building was sold to the Maceo Elks Lodge #8, one of the nation’s oldest chapters of the Improved Benevolent Protective Order of Elks of the World (IBPOEW). Established in 1898, the IBPOEW grew into the world’s largest Black fraternal organization, providing vital financial, spiritual, and social support to African American communities.

Maceo Lodge #8 embraced this mission locally, offering charitable services, student aid and scholarships, veterans’ support, senior assistance, and programs for at-risk families. It also fostered unity and fellowship among its members.

Since acquiring the building, the Maceo Elks Lodge #8 has been a cornerstone of Jacksonville’s Black cultural and civic life. It became a venue for Chitlin’ Circuit performances, Civil Rights meetings, community banquets, dances, weddings, festivals, and countless social gatherings. With seating for 125, it continues to host vibrant events, such as weekly advanced line dancing, G.R.I.T. line dancing on second Fridays, and the monthly Jazz Poetry Café, a blend of live music and spoken word.

The significance of Maceo Elks Lodge #8 was formally recognized on October 29, 1992, when the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In March 1993, the Jacksonville Historic Preservation Commission also designated it as a Historic Landmark, cementing its role as both a cultural treasure and a living part of the city’s history.

A look inside the Maceo Elks Lodge #8

Jazz Poetry Café is a musical performance and spoken word event held every first Friday of each month in the Maceo Elks Lodge #8’s auditorium. | Maceo Elks Lodge #8

The Maceo Elks Lodge #8 main auditorium in 1992. | State Historic Preservation Office

The banquet room of the lodge is located on the building’s ground floor.

The Maceo Elks Lodge #8 banquet room in 1992. | State Historic Preservation Office

An old Wurlitzer juke box inside the historic building. Simply referred to as Wurlitzer, the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company was founded in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant Frank Rudolph Wurlitzer. During the early 20th century, Wurlitzer became known for its jukeboxes.

Maceo Elks Lodge #8’s Gullah Geechee menu features foods with a rich culinary tradition blending West African influences like the deep frying, with locally sourced coastal ingredients like shrimp and fish.

Editorial by Ennis Davis, AICP. Contact Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com