Tuscan lodge joins endangered list
William Ford
Daily Egyptian
With its recognition as one of the most endangered historic places in the state, city officials say the Tuscan Lodge Building may not be far away from a facelift. The building, which is located at the corner of Jackson and Washington streets, will be officially added to the 2005 Illinois Ten Most Endangered Historic Places list during a ceremony in Springfield today. The Landmark Preservation Council of Illinois considers nominations for the list every year to make sure it always has at least 10 places on it. In order to be accepted, the building must prove to have historical value and also to be in some state of disrepair.
The Carbondale Preservation Commission decided to nominate the building in November and was given support by the City Council in February. Kevin Clark, one of the members of the commission, had the original idea to nominate the building. Clark said he thought the building should be on the list in order to keep it from being torn down and turned into a parking lot, which is something he said was considered. "It's pretty much the cornerstone of the town square," Clark said. "It has so much historical value." In 1903, the building became the meeting place for the Tuscans, a primarily black fraternal group. The upstairs of the lodge housed dances and served as a community center for the black community during segregation. Some of the dances featured famous entertainers such as Duke Ellington and Miles Davis. Since 1995, the building has been vacant.
City Manager Jeff Doherty said the city has wanted to fix up the building but hasn't had the money to do so. Because it is probable that no money will come along with the recognition to help fix up the building, the city will rely on money from other places, which is something Doherty said he hopes will come from the addition to the list. "I'm not aware of any money that comes along with it," Doherty said. "I think the more important thing is it might bring awareness to private sources that could provide funding." LaRue Love, the head of Tuscans, will be attending the ceremony in Springfield. Love said it is important to find the money to fix the building so the Tuscans can move back in the building from the Eurma C. Hayes Center where they have been temporarily having their meetings.
"It will give us opportunities to finally get the building restored to we can start using it again," Love said. The building will join the Buckminster Fuller Dome, located at 407 S. Forest St., which was added to the list last year. Doherty said having two buildings on the list goes to show how important the preservation of history is to Carbondale. "I think what it means is we take historic buildings very seriously in this city," Doherty said. "We are not like other cities when it comes to preservation."
Last update: Wednesday, March 9, 2005 at 2:27:07 PM
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