Peering through the newly restored windows of the Billy Webb Elks Lodge, you would never know a fire devastated the building just three years ago. The ballroom chandeliers still glow with warm light; the wooden floors still smell of fresh polish. And if you close your eyes and listen closely, you can still hear the hum of conversation and laughter in the ballroom as soft jazz spills from the juke box.
Images like this fill Deborah Roache’s memory of her childhood. Before she became the fraternal organization’s Daughter Ruler, she grew up hearing stories about how the Lodge was the center of everyday life for generations of Black Oregonians.
Established in 1926 as a multiracial YWCA, it provided sanctuary for women of color and immigrants excluded from other spaces. Over the decades, it became a hub for civil rights efforts, community celebrations and cultural preservation — a steadfast symbol of belonging in the heart of Portland’s historic Black neighborhood.
"People don’t realize this place has a pulse,” Roache says. “It’s more than a building — it’s memories, it's family. There are very few spaces left where our community can feel at home, and Billy Webb is that kind of place."
The Lodge thrived as Albina’s Black community flourished, serving as a cornerstone of a neighborhood once brimming with culturally specific churches, jazz clubs, civil rights organizations and even the nation’s only Black Panther-sponsored dental clinic. Through waves of gentrification and urban renewal that displaced much of Portland’s Black population, the Lodge endured as a space where people could gather to support one another and give back to the community they loved.
But just after it gained recognition from the National Register of Historic Places in 2020, a fire tore through the building, taking with it yearslong renovation efforts. As the pandemic took its toll, membership numbers dropped and prospective rebuilding costs soared. Despite it all, Roache and Exalted Ruler, Lou McLemore, remained determined to preserve the Lodge’s legacy.
"Our history, our stories, they’re worth preserving," McLemore says. “If we lose places like this, we lose the cultural heartbeat of our city. We need to preserve Billy Webb not just for us, but for future generations to have a place to connect, celebrate and remember.”
The Albina Preservation Initiative — a collaboration between Restore Oregon, the University of Oregon Just Futures Institute, Oregon Black Pioneers, Moreland Resource Consulting, Clatsop Community College Historic Preservation Program and the Architectural Heritage Center — was among the first to respond. They brought in support from community members across the state. Constructing Hope apprentices helped with demolition; students from Clatsop Community College installed new windows. In late summer of this year, dozens gathered at the Black Preservation Symposium to shed light on Oregon’s efforts in the national movement to preserve Black places and stories.
“You cannot know our nation's history without knowing about Black history,” says Zachary Stocks, executive director of the Oregon Black Pioneers. “Every significant event, conflict and achievement which defines the American experience has involved people of African descent. Our ancestors' labors — often uncompensated labors — created the communities where we live today. And Black organizing made possible the legal and social victories of the Civil Rights Movements, which ensured the equal participation in American democracy for all citizens, regardless of race."
Today, only 3% of the sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places honor Black experiences. In Oregon — a state founded as a white utopia — it is 0.5%.
When Meyer became neighbors with the Lodge in 2020, we moved into Albina with an explicit commitment to honor this historic community. By investing in the Lodge as a Justice Oregon for Black Lives grantee, we joined local efforts to combat the erasure of what was once considered the Soul of Portland.
Now the Lodge is on the precipice of a new era, offering more gathering spaces for celebration and meeting rooms for the community to rent in a co-working style. As McLemore and Roache continue fundraising to preserve this piece of history, they join many Meyer grantees and community partners seeking to not only memorialize the past but also shape the future.
Williams & Russell CDC promises to build wealth and economic growth for the Black community, especially those who have been displaced. Through affordable housing and business opportunities, they envision a revival of what was once considered, “Black Broadway.” Albina Vision Trust is constructing what has been recognized as the largest restorative redevelopment effort in the nation. Spanning over 100 acres, they envision a thriving Albina with affordable homeownership, safer transportation and even the country’s first carbon-negative district.
In the Lodge, the returning community could also have a place steeped in the neighborhood's rich history. But only with more support.
"We’re ready to pass the torch," Roache says. "But we need fresh energy, new ideas and community support. We have a vision for Billy Webb that goes beyond its history; we want to make it a space that serves future needs — a place where Black Portlanders can come together, learn, create and thrive.”
To join Meyer’s investment in preserving the Billy Webb Elks Lodge, donate to their GoFundMe today.