Built in 1926, the Memorial emerged after a strong desire throughout the Elks organization to create a Memorial to honor the Elks soldiers who fought in World War I. Today, the Elks National Memorial stands as an evolving commitment to remembrance that extends beyond a single conflict or generation.
Following the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago entered a period of rapid civic innovation and ambition. By the early twentieth century, Chicago had emerged as the second most populous city in the United States, standing at the forefront of American industry, transportation, and reform. Its growth was shaped by railroads spanning the continent, steamboat traffic along Lake Michigan, and an expanding labor force that fueled both economic prosperity and public debate.
As Chicago expanded, it became a place where questions of national identity, public responsibility, and reform were actively expressed. Labor unrest and expose literature such as The Jungle by Upton Sinclair brought attention to the realities of industrial life, while movements advocating for women's suffrage and broader social change reflected the city's role as a testing ground for reform. These forces contributed to an environment in which questions of justice, responsibility, and public welfare were increasingly visible in civic life.
World War I marked a defining moment for the Benevolent Protective Order of the Elks, as approximately seventy thousand members entered the war, and one thousand ultimately perished. The sacrifice of these men and boys left a lasting imprint on the organization and raised questions about how sacrifice should be remembered.
For the Elks, service extended beyond the battlefield. After the war, the Elks established a War Relief Fund to support the efforts and the long-term needs of veterans and communities affected by war. Among these was financial support for the establishment of one of the earliest VA hospitals, dedicated to the long-term care of veterans.
The Elks also responded to national crises beyond the war itself, including disaster relief efforts following the Johnstown Flood. These actions strengthened a broader understanding of service: one grounded in benevolence and civic responsibility. Memorialization was not meant to be a celebration of victory, but as an acknowledgment of sacrifice and a commitment to peace.
In the years immediately following the war, communities across the United States grappled with how to remember and memorialize their soldiers' sacrifice. For the Elks, this moment called for a memorial that was public, enduring, and serious in purpose. From the outset, the intent was to build not a monument to victory, but a memorial grounded in peace and reflection.
In 1920, the Grand Lodge in Chicago formed a special commission to plan the design and construction of the Memorial. The Commission invited seven of the nation's most distinguished architects to participate in a competitive design process, a practice common in the post-Gilded Age era. Among the submitted proposals, the Beaux-Arts design by New York architect Egerton Swartwout was selected for its rotunda, which reflected the style of the United States Capitol and the Pantheon in Rome. Swartwout's firm, Tracy and Swartwout, had recently completed the Missouri State Capitol in 1917.
The Site Before the Memorial The site selected for the Elks National Memorial was not an empty landscape when planning began. Directly south of the Memorial stands a row house constructed in 1917 for Emily Ryerson (1863-1939), a Chicago socialite and survivor of the Titanic, along with four of her aristocratic friends. Plans originally called for six connected townhomes, but World War I halted construction. Two of the proposed residences were never completed, and the land was subsequently sold to the Elks National Memorial in 1923.
The Lehmann Estate Before the construction of the Elks National Memorial, the site was occupied by the estate of Ernst J. Lehmann (1849-1900), a German-born businessman who settled in Chicago as a child and founded the discount department store The Fair in 1874. Located at the corner of State and Adams Street, The Fair was one of Chicago's earliest department stores.
By 1890, Lehmann was found legally incompetent and institutionalized, and control of the estate and the business was passed to his wife, Augusta Lehmann. By the early 1920s, the estate had been vacated and was ultimately demolished, clearing the site for the construction of the Memorial. The Fair was later acquired by Montgomery Ward in 1957 and continued operating until its closure in 1984. The building was demolished the following year.
Construction of the Elks National Memorial began in 1923, following the selection of a site overlooking Lincoln Park and Lake Michigan, and was overseen by the Elks War Relief Commission. The cornerstone was laid on June 7, 1924, during a formal ceremony conducted by officers of the Grand Lodge. Two years later, on July 14, 1926, the Memorial was dedicated during the Order's Annual Convention in Chicago. The dedication drew a large public gathering, reflecting the Memorial's role not only as an organizational symbol, but as a civic landmark.
From its completion, the Memorial stood as both a place of remembrance and an expression of national values. Its scale and setting affirmed the seriousness of its purpose, while its public accessibility reinforced the belief that remembrance belonged within shared civic space.
“The suggested building be made definitely monumental and memorial in character; that the architectural design be so stately and beautiful, the material of its construction so enduring, its site and setting so appropriate... that the attention of all beholders will be arrested, and the heart of every Elk who contemplates it will be thrilled with pride, and that it will for generations to come prove an inspiration to that loyalty and patriotism which the Order so earnestly teaches and has so worthily exemplified.� -- The Elks Relief Commission writing to the Grand Lodge in 1921
While originally dedicated to those lost in World War I, the Memorial's scope expanded in the decades that followed. As the United States confronted subsequent conflicts, the Memorial's meaning broadened. In 1946, the Memorial was rededicated in honor of the Elks members who fought in World War II, and the Elks National Veterans Service Commission was established as a commitment to help further serve our veterans. The Elks National Memorial was rededicated once again in 1976 for Vietnam and Korea veterans, and finally, in 1994, after the Gulf War, for all veterans, regardless of Elks membership, and for all future conflicts.
As membership grew, the Memorial's core values remained consistent. Today, the Elks National Memorial stands as a civic institution, historic landmark, and a living memorial. Sustained through stewardship and public engagement, it continues to uphold that remembrance remains an active responsibility carried forward in public life.
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