Elks Club Building, American fraternal club building in Ermita, Philippines.
The Elks Club Building is a two-story structure along Roxas Boulevard featuring Mission Revival architectural style inspired by California designs. Its rooms are typical of early American clubhouses with open gathering spaces and functional interiors.
The Manila Elks Lodge opened its first clubhouse in 1910 as one of few locations of this fraternity outside America. From 1935 to 1940, the building served as residence for the U.S. High Commissioner, shaping political and social relations of that period.
The building reflects early American presence in Manila and once served as a gathering place for American business people and social groups. Today it houses a museum that shows how these spaces were once used and what role they played in the city's social life.
The building now houses a children's museum with exhibits and activities open to visitors since 1994. The two-story structure is easily accessible and provides an overview of early American colonial architecture and how it was used.
It was one of only two Elks Club buildings constructed outside the United States, the other located in Panama. This rarity makes it a special example of how American social institutions spread during the early colonial period.
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