By signing this petition, you are telling our local politicians that you want to protect the Elks Lodge and start a real dialogue about development in LIC.

The Elks Lodge building on 44th Dr. in LIC — formerly home to the Sheet Metal Workers Union 137 — is currently slated for demolition in order to make way for new condominiums. Many members in the local community oppose this planned demolition.

The Elks Lodge isn't just an architecturally distinctive structure in what is a quickly homogenizing area. And, it isn't just a potential community center in a neighborhood that desperately needs one. The Elks Lodge represents a part of LIC that is being swept away by the rapid development of our neighborhood.

The development of a neighborhood requires a vision for a future that plans responsibly and sustainably; but it also requires respect for its past and protections for its community. The Elks Lodge represents a cornerstone of that past, and can easily be repurposed to serve the community into the future.

Unfortunately, it is merely the latest potential casualty in a growing list of victims of rampant demolition and building that seems blind to community taking place in the Court Square neighborhood, and LIC at large.

From the extreme stress placed on the transit system and the shortage of schools to protection for the arts and lack of a community center, the protection of the Elks Lodge is the key to a larger conversation about development decisions that include the interests of the community — not just the interests of wealthy developers who see the neighborhood in $$$/sq ft.

For more information on how to help, email: hello@courtsquarecivic.org