Large sections of the brick wall and covered windows have been removed as crews work on the facade of the former Elks Building.

Area residents who have driven past the 700 block north alley may have seen some dramatic work being done at the former Elks Club Building. Right now, there’s some rather large openings in the back wall.

But its all part of a grand restoration plan for the 114-year-old building. The exterior of the structure is getting a much needed face lift, according to officials with LIFT WC, the nonprofit organization that owns the historic building.

LIFT WC purchased the building and took possession in April 2019. After a good cleaning, the group opened the doors to the building to the public during Junquefest 2019. Several music events were held at the building last summer along with a block party along Second Street.

LIFT WC is working with ASK Studio, an architectural firm, and Westbrook Construction on the facade of the building. The facade work involves tuck pointing, replacing windows, including those that were previously filled in with glass blocks, restoring the two stained-glass windows on the front side of the building and replacing the front door.

Right now, the crews have been working on the rear exterior of the building, removing the windows and bricks that need to be repaired.

“There’s a lot of work to be done,” said Lindsay Henderson, president of LIFT WC.

Since the project is using Community Development Block Grant funds, Henderson said contractors have to be sure that appropriate mortar is used between the bricks. She said if the mortar is stronger than the bricks, then the bricks can start to absorb moisture, which can cause the bricks to deteriorate.

“So it’s important to have a specialist who knows the correct mortar mix for the brick,” she said. “Then it’s the mortar itself that is softer and absorbs, expands and contracts rather than the brick.”

All of the bricked-in windows are coming out and double-hung glass windows will be going back in.

“So you’ll have all those beautiful windows in the back. They will be double-paned for energy efficiency purposeds and they will be wood or metal framed,” she said, adding that the group is striving to keep the building historically authentic. State historical preservation officials have also greenlighted the replacement of the glass block on the building’s south side.

“So we’re going to get a ton of natural light on the top floor,” she said.

Contractors will take special care with the western wall of the building which faces the Second Street garden. Henderson said the workers will lower equipment down from the roof to avoid trampeling any of the garden space next to the wall.

“They will actually be suspended from the roof. It’s great they have that option so there will be a minimum impact on the garden below,” she said.

“Those who are concerned about the garden, don’t worry. We want it to be just as beautiful as it is today,” according to Henderson. Any of the plants or elements that might be damaged will be replaced or replanted. Those costs are built into the project, she added.

Specialists have also been enlisted to repair and restore the stained-glass windows. They will replace a small broken spot, check out the lead and shore up the windows.

“We want to be sure is ready to stand for another 100 years when its reinstalled,” she said.

The front door will be replaced and there will be railing work on the front steps.

The timeline calls for the facade work to be completed by the end of the year. Until then, LIFT WC won’t be doing any work on the inside of the building.

“While we’re going the facade work, funded by the CDBG funds, we need to be sure the projects are kept separate,” she said.

Once the exterior work is done, the group will move inside and start the interior restoration.

“We’ve got some pretty handy people involved,” she said, adding that a lot of the refurbishing can be done by the board members and volunteers. “There’s paint to be stripped and lots of other things that we can do ourselves.”

Henderson said many of the organization’s plans have been disrupted or canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It kind of ruined our plans for summer. We would have been doing a block party in August like last year,” she said. “It’s not looking good right now.”

Last summer, the block party featured a bean bag tournament, a meal and outdoor concert.

“But how do you sanitize bean bags or the microphones?” she said.

A virtual concert has been discussed and could perhaps happen if local musicians want to take p art.

LIFT WC had planned to do a capital campaign but with so many people facing challenging and uncertain financial futures, that’s on hold.

“We want people to know we’re still here and we plan to stay around,” she said. “It’s just been a strange year.”