Old Elks Temple. 1915–1916. Perhaps more than any other historic building in downtown Tacoma, the Elks Temple has suffered numerous false starts as it awaits a major renovation intended to return it to its place of prominence in the city. The once-grand structure, built on a sloping site for the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks in 1916, was designed in the Beaux-Arts classical style by architect Édouard Frère Champney for the Elks Tacoma Lodge No. 174.