BEDFORD – A partnership between the 1930s Group and Allied Argenta has formed to purchase two historic buildings in downtown Bedford’s Courthouse Square Historic District, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The 1917 Elks Lodge and the 1892 Krenke-Goff Building are prominent historic buildings currently vacant and in need of rehabilitation.
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.
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.
“Our initial, immediate goal was to ensure the Elks Lodge would not be demolished and to transfer it into safe hands,” says Fine. “It is too important to the community and its history to be lost, and its revitalization is 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 the 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,” says Lockhart.
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.
About the Elks Lodge and Krenke-Goff Buildings:
Elks Lodge #826, 1102 15th Street
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 #826 until 2015 when the building was donated to the Bedford Urban Enterprise Association. Also in 2015 and most recently in August 2023, it was placed on Indiana Landmarks’ 10 Most Endangered, an annual list of historic places that are too important to lose.
Krenke-Goff Building, 1018 16th Street
Built in 1898 as a commercial structure and used 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 https://alliedargenta.com/.
