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It takes only one buyer to succumb to the call of the Nitro Moose Lodge. Built in 1979, the building has housed the members-only Loyal Order of Moose chapter in Nitro, WV, for decades. This place is designed to party, but it appears the party’s over.
With the herd thinned out, the service organization has listed the lodge for sale for $2.9 million.
“It’s a huge lodge,” says listing agent Angie McCown. Zoned for commercial use and sitting on 7 acres, the 40,000-square-foot lodge is ready for a transformation. McCown suggests the concrete floors and commercial kitchens are ideal for a brewery. It could also be turned into an event space, a dance school, or even government offices.
She laments the turn of events that led the civic-minded nonprofit to have to leave the building.
“It’s sad. It was trendy in the day,” she says. The organization will continue its work in a smaller space, she adds.
And this enormous, vacant lodge might be a leading real estate trend. The Loyal Order of Moose has seen a decline in membership, and ABC News noted the downward trend back in 2005.
“As older members die off and younger generations find civic groups irrelevant, membership in centuries-old civic clubs like the Moose, the Elks, the Optimists, and others is dwindling.”
As a result, the number of moose lodges has shrunk as well, from some 4,000 in 1979 (the year Nitro Moose Lodge opened) to 1,800 today.
Loyal Order of Moose lodge is up for grabs.
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Rec area with bar and pool table
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Moose head over the fireplace
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Event ballroom
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Commercial kitchen
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Bar
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The lodge has three floors of catering and event space, along with some administrative offices and a gym. Amazingly, each floor contains a bar, kitchen, and dance floor with a stage for a band. There are also multiple pool tables, parking, and, naturally, a fireplace with a moose head.
On the main floor, you’ll find a restaurant, bar, and dance floor with a stage, along with offices. The second floor features a gym, bar and restaurant, kitchen, and yet another dance floor.
The top floor houses the largest event space, with a ballroom-style stage and dance floor, as well as catering facilities and a very cool woodsy bar. The building offers wheelchair access and an elevator.
The lodge opened in 1940 in a different building. When that burned down, some of the members resolved to build the Moose Lodge that stands today. In its heyday, the organization held events that were open to the public, including festivities for Christmas, Halloween, and Easter.
“We’ve held hundreds of events and donated over $2 million in community service,” says administrator John Slater, adding that the lodge was also available to rent. “We’ve held weddings, proms, reunions, town halls, car shows, comedy shows, musicians (such as) Billy Ray Cyrus.
“Membership has steadily decreased for the past 10 to 15 years, so we don’t need as much space,” he says. “We’re very proud of what was accomplished here in this building. Many members are third- and fourth-generation and have gave their blood and sweat to build and maintain such a nice building. Needless to say, many of us have a sentimental attachment.”
The large size of the space creates a challenge. A buyer will have to be creative and know what it’ll take to light the fuse in Nitro. The building has been listed before, says McCown, but has yet to find the right fit. When it does, the owner will inherit many memories of parties over the decades, says McCown.
“It goes back many years. It’s touched our lives,” she says.
The post Dance Floors, Pool Tables, and a Moose Head: Nitro Moose Lodge Lands on Market for $3M appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.
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