San Luis Obispo County CA Archives Photo Place.....Odd Fellows Hall, Arroyo Grande 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com November 27, 2006, 10:54 pm

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ODD FELLOWS HALL Bridge Street, Arroyo Grande

History and Description:

Odd Fellows Lodge #258, Arroyo Grande, was chartered on May 9, 1877.  By 1901,
the lodge was meeting in Short's Hall, a wooden structure.  In December of that
year a committee was appointed to consider the construction of a new hall.  A
month later, A. F. Parsons, secretary of the lodge and a county surveyor, was
instructed to "complete plans and prepare specifications" for the new building.
 In April 1902, the trustees of the lodge awarded contracts.  Mr. Lockwood, a
stonemason, bid $2838.90 for the masonry, B. F. Stewart bid $2500.00 for the
woodwork.  Later the cost of furnishings and fixtures was estimated to be
$895.00, indicating that the total cost of the building was about $6300.00 plus
the cost of land and foundation.  The cornerstone was laid in June 1902, and the
building was finished and dedicated seven months later.

Several organizations have met at the hall in addition to the Odd Fellows,
including at one time, the Grand Army of the Republic.  At present the Rebekahs
and the Knights of Columbus meet there.

The rental space on the ground floor was first used by N. G. English, a member
of the lodge, for his funeral parlor.  Presently, the space is used as Paul
Hernandez' Accordion Studio.  The vacant lot next door, also owned by the Odd
Fellows, was once occupied by a blacksmith's shop.

Odd Fellow's Hall was constructed from yellow sandstone quarried less than a
mile south of its location.  The walls taper from about two feet thick at the
foundation to fifteen inches at the top.  The front stonework, and window and
door surrounds, are well detailed, while the side and rear walls are less so.
All the stone is hand chiseled.  Iron rods and turnbuckles, visible from the
interior, span from wall to wall to help stabilize the structure.  The interior
is stuccoed, with partitions of wood lath.  Some of the original gas lighting
system remains in the hall today.

Sources:
Mr. L. E. Fernamburg, member
I.O.O.F. Records; Dec. 7, 1901, Jan. 11, April 19, June 7, Aug. 30, 1902, and
         Jan. 10, 1903 
Mr. Wood, member


Additional Comments:
Extracted from

Discovering San Luis Obispo County
by
Carleton M. Winslow


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