FORT COLLINS - The Fort Collins Downtown Development Authority will deconstruct the vacant building that formerly housed the Elks Lodge.

Deconstruction is a process that, rather than demolition, takes a building apart slowly and saves materials for reuse or recycling.

The nearly 50,000-square-foot building, located at 140 W. Oak St., was purchased by the DDA in 2008 to make way for a new hotel project, but the developer, Corporex, was unable to secure financing for the project because of the economic conditions at the time.

A 2009 study showed that $1 million would be needed to bring the building into compliance with city codes, in addition to development costs.
The DDA will begin a vendor selection process and hopes to begin the deconstruction process in early September. The DDA has set a goal of diverting a minimum of 70 percent of the building materials from landfills.

The building was first constructed in 1907 as a YMCA, and served as the home of the Elks Lodge for more than 70 years.