The old post card titled Elks Club No. 26 Kansas City Mo. shows a busy street scene of large automobiles, street cars and pedestrians at 7th and Grand. The building on the northwest corner was razed in 1961 and a parking lot occupies the space today. Before its demise the ornate structure had served Kansas Citians 68 years in many capacities - gambling resort, hotel annex, Elks Club and finally, for its last 10 years, as a refuge providing food and lodging for homeless men. The building was designed by architect William Waters of Oshkosh, Wisc., in 1893, for the Columbian Exposition (World Fair) of Chicago, to serve as the state building of Wisconsin. It was erected there facing the lagoon, between the Illinois state building and the Palace of Fine Arts. At the close of the fair James C. Rogers, a Wamego, Kan., banker, bought the building, had it disassembled and moved to Kansas City. The private gambling resort, called the Wisconsin Club, failed financially and a succession of other occupants followed. The adjoining wing, as pictured at right, was not part of the original building. Kansas City Times, December 4, 1981.
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