With Portland Public School sites being closed to outside organizations, our Academic Hub at the historic Billy Webb Elks Lodge in N. Portland has been a place where our students can receive extra academic support, motivation to stay on course, safe social engagement with peers and a place to work without distractions.

The lodge has a rich history within the Black community dating back to 1926. It was named for a prominent musician who led an African American Elks band that played in Portland and on steamships on the West Coast in the 1920s, according to the Oregon Historical Society.

“It is one of the most significant African American historic buildings in the Pacific Northwest,” said Cathy Galbraith, director of the Bosco-Milligan Foundation, an architectural preservation advocacy group in Portland.
 
Learn more about the rich history of the Billy Webb Elks Lodge.