Carol Johnson, Southern Indiana Business Report
BEDFORD – A partnership to purchase and rehabilitate two prominent historic buildings in downtown Bedford was announced Tuesday.
The 1930s Group and Allied Argenta have teamed up to redevelop the 1917 Elks Lodge and the 1892 Krenke-Goff building, both located in downtown Bedford’s Courthouse Square Historic District, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The buildings are currently vacant and in need of rehabilitation. According to a press release, the goal of this new partnership is to work with local community organizations, the City of Bedford and Indiana Landmarks to pursue a community-based endeavor that results in the preservation and reuse of these buildings in a way that serves Bedford and helps further revitalization efforts of the downtown.
The Elks Lodge, which was named to Indiana Landmarks’ 10 Most Endangered list in 2015 and again in 2023, closed in 2015 because of declining membership and was donated to the Bedford Urban Enterprise Association. The BUEA recently placed it for sale via auction.
“The Elks is one of the most significant buildings in downtown Bedford, architecturally and historically,” said Greg Sekula, Southern Regional director for Indiana Landmarks. “It’s a Renaissance Revival style of architecture and a great example of Indiana limestone. We are very excited to know that a preservation-minded developer received the high bid on the property.”
Adrian Scott Fine, a partner with the 1930s Group and a nationally recognized expert in historic preservation, was raised in Bedford and has strong community ties. Fine is senior director of advocacy for the Los Angeles Conservancy, a nonprofit organization that advocates for preserving historic buildings in Los Angeles.
“Our initial, immediate goal was to ensure the Elks Lodge would not be demolished and to transfer it into safe hands,” Fine said. “It is too important to the community and its history to be lost, and its revitalization is a part of a larger effort to activate the historic square business district.”
Bloomington resident Hayden Lockhart of Allied Argenta, a fully integrated property development, management and construction company, will lead the Allied Argenta team.
“The Elks Lodge is a solid building that can be rehabilitated and brought back into productive use,” Lockhart said.
The additional acquisition of the historic Krenke-Goff building allows for greater capability to combine residential units with a mix-use strategy to best leverage federal and state funding sources. The 1930s Group and Allied Argenta hope this effort will offer a new revitalization model for Bedford and other communities to replicate for bundling a grouping of underutilized and vacant buildings for use as housing and other mixed uses.
Once the sale of the Elks Lodge and the Krenke-Goff Building are finalized, the partnership intends to stabilize the Elks Lodge to ensure no additional damage or deterioration occurs while the development strategy is formulated.
Sekula called it a “double bonus” for Bedford that the developers are taking on both projects.
The Krenke-Goff building was condemned and vacated in 2016. To save the building from demolition, the City of Bedford worked with Indiana Landmarks on a stabilization plan. The cost of stabilization was around $205,000. The city will receive the proceeds from the sale, minus a construction management fee paid to Indiana Landmarks.
Because the city transferred the Krenke-Goff building to Indiana Landmarks to oversee the stabilization, Indiana Landmarks will consider the purchase agreement at its Sept. 9 meeting.
About the Elks Lodge and Krenke-Goff buildings:
Elks Lodge No. 826, 1102 15th St.
The Italian Renaissance Revival style structure is faced in brick and limestone with a raised
basement level, prominent portico, decorative carvings, and a terra cotta tile hip roof. Since its formal dedication in 1917, it served as the headquarters for Elks Lodge No. 826 until 2015.
Krenke-Goff Building, 1018 16th St.
Built in 1898 as a commercial structure and use as a livery, the Krenke-Goff Building features a pressed metal cornice, cast iron storefront pilasters, exposed brick and a limestone date plaque on its upper story.
Following a partnership between the City of Bedford and Indiana Landmarks to save the building from demolition, it was stabilized, including rebuilding the rear wall and installing a new roof and guttering. Throughout its years of use, the building has served as a livery, upstairs roller rink, automobile dealership, and most recently, as home to the Goff Refrigeration Company.
For more information about the project, visit https://1930sgroup.com/ and