2025: Reviving the Elks Club
2025: Reviving the Elks Club
Historic preservation meets modern imagination. The Reviving the Elks Club Design Challenge, presented in partnership with Todd Reed, invited architects, designers, students, and builders to reimagine Boulder’s iconic mid-century Elks Lodge. Participants explored how the building could evolve while honoring its architectural heritage, offering inventive, practical, and forward-looking proposals for interiors, furnishings, and outdoor spaces.
The challenge aimed to spark creativity and inspire bold ideas for the Lodge’s future. With an intentionally broad call for entries, participants were encouraged to explore a wide spectrum of design possibilities, from interior layouts and furnishings to landscape integration. The goal: demonstrate the endless potential of this historic community hub and engage the design community in meaningful problem-solving.
Each entry was presentation-ready and displayed as part of the Month of Modern exhibition, showcasing diverse approaches to revitalizing this beloved space.
Student Entries
Student Entries
The student entries represent a range of approaches from both university programs and independent participants, with some developed as part of CU ENVD’s summer studio coursework*. These projects showcase diverse ideas and interpretations for revitalizing the Elks Club.
The Juries
The Juries
Big thanks to our all-star jury, who carefully evaluated the entries to highlight designs that balanced vision with practicality.
EJ Meade
Arch 11
Emily Parker
Mosaic Architects & Interiors
Kate Moore
Kimball Modern
Kyle Burds
Studio B
Ransom Beegles
R Design
Dale Hubbard
Surround Architecture
Stephanie Waddell
Istoria Interior Design
Stephen Tebo
Tebo Properties
Special thanks to Mark Rukamathu and Mandy Lee from CU ENVD for integrating the challenge into their summer coursework*—and to students from both CU and CSU for their inspired participation.
Mark Rukamathu
CU Environmental Design
Mandy Lee
CU Environmental Design
Neal Evers
CU Environmental Design
Elena Sabinson
CU Environmental Design
Harvey Hine
Director of Architecture for HMH Architecture + Interiors
Stephanie Bingham
Marketing, HMH Architecture + Interiors
*CU ENVD Class Process: Students in the CU ENVD summer studio worked in interdisciplinary teams to identify areas of the building to address. They began with observational studies of local trees in Elks Park, then collaboratively developed functional and formal modules derived from the plants. These modules were applied across scales to guide cohesive design logic for interiors, furnishings, and landscape elements. The intensive 8-week studio provided a condensed, immersive experience in collaborative design, blending creativity with practical problem-solving.
Upcoming Events
Everyone is welcome to join the Month of Modern events—come explore, celebrate, and be inspired by the best in modern design!
