The Grand Theatre Building was built in 1900 by the International Order of the Odd Fellows (IOOF) Chemeketa Lodge #1 (the first lodge chartered the in Northwest). The IOOF is a fraternal order which traces it's origins to England in the 1700's. In the 19th Century, the IOOF had more members than any fraternal organization in America.

The goals of the IOOF are to: visit the sick, relieve the distressed, bury the dead, and educate the orphan. Odd Fellows lodges also provided lending libraries across America before Andrew Carnegie provided free public libraries and an early retirement system for elderly members.

You may notice many of the doors in the Grand Ballroom have peep-hole covers. These date back to the days of the Odd Fellows secret ceremonies and meetings. If you are interested, we have a collection of photographs and Odd Fellows items located in the office and would be happy to show them to you.

The tower shown in the photographs collapsed in a snow storm during the 1930s.