The Odd Fellows Lodge
The Front Street Tour
On the right (west) side of Front Street, is the large building that was built by the Odd Fellows Lodge about 1920. It replaced the original building, which was built in 1889 and burned in 1916. The original two-story building was home to Bloomington Department Store. It had a large mural billboard painted on its side. This mural was representative of an advertising trend of the era. On the new building, you can see “I.O.O.F.” in the brickwork at the cornice level. The Odd Fellows used the upper floor for their lodge meetings, and the ground floor housed the Majestic Theater (the marquee was removed in 2002 due to disrepair). Later, owner Sam Finberg added two intermediate stories and a level floor on the ground floor to accommodate a furniture showroom.