Englewood I.O.O.F. Lodge No. 138 Building
Arapahoe County
Fraternal organizations played a significant role in the lives of members across the United States in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. During the westward expansion in Colorado, they offered companionship and the security of medical, burial and survivors’ benefits in often-hazardous working conditions.
The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) Englewood Lodge No. 138 united prominent Englewood businessmen, professionals, merchants and city officials with local workingmen employed in a wide variety of trades. The Englewood Lodge No. 138 building offered members a congenial setting for lodge meetings, dances, parties and meals and served as a venue for similar community events. The Englewood IOOF Lodge No. 138 is significant as part of Englewood’s social history as a result of its long association with the IOOF and the larger Englewood community. The Englewood IOOF Lodge No. 138 is also tied to the commercial history of Englewood for its use as a commercial building on Englewood’s main business street, with important long-term local tenants such as Englewood Hardware and the Buy-4-Less Drug Store.