Berkeley Lodge 270, IOOF

06/05/2026

Here is the June Lodge Meeting schedule. Please join!

06/05/2026

Here's a few more photos from the Berkeley DBA annual meeting in Berkeley Lodge 270's Grand Hall last week. Berkeley's Mayor, Adena Ishii did a great presentation. She is the first Asian American and first woman of color to hold the position of Berkeley Mayor!

05/29/2026

Tonight Berkeley Lodge #270 had the great honor of hosting Berkeley's Downtown Business Association in our Great Hall for their Annual Meeting. Debra represented the lodge with an opening introduction which I thought you might enjoy reading.

"Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the Odd Fellows Temple Building, home of Berkeley Lodge #270.

The Odd Fellows is a fraternal organization built around the principles of friendship, love, and truth — represented by the three linked rings you’ll see throughout the building.

Berkeley Lodge has been part of this community since 1878. In fact, at that time, before the Lodge had a permanent home, members actually held meetings in a boxcar here in Berkeley. (That was when there was a lot more parking.)

This building was completed in 1927 at a cost of $173,000, and since then, members have met on the second and fourth Thursdays of every month. And if tonight leaves you curious about who we are and what we do, our first monthly meeting is a social and open to guests, so consider this your official invitation to come back and visit us.

The building has always been deeply connected to the Berkeley community. Our architect, James Plachek, also designed Berkeley City Hall, and members over the years have included many business owners, previous mayor Byron Underwood, and in the late 1920s, California Governor Friend Richardson.

The 9 storefronts, with little exception, have been continuously occupied since the building opened — making this building part of Berkeley’s business community for almost 100 years. Our longest-term tenant, Ralph Foster of Foster Publishing on Bancroft, this year has been with us for 52 years!

So, while this building is certainly historic, it has never been just a monument to the past. For almost a century, it has been an active part of Berkeley civic and business life — which makes it especially fitting to welcome all of you here tonight.

We’re very glad you’re now part of that tradition and we hope you enjoy the evening."

05/15/2026

Vivian never disappoints!

05/07/2026

Here is the May Lodge #270 schedule so you can plan ahead!

05/07/2026

So many interesting things about the building are being uncovered in Mr. Corbett's research! As you may know, he is working on the submission to the National Historic Register of Places.

I thought I'd share this one with you as it has been a mystery until now! This image shows a portion of the permit completion for the replacement of the building's windows (from double hung wood to aluminum) and adding the aluminum facade siding over the previous open transom windows in the storefronts. Dated April 20, 1967

05/05/2026

Thank you to Burma Berkeley for hosting our April 2026 5th Thursday dinner. We highly recommend this place! So delicious!

04/29/2026

Looking forward to seeing everyone that RSVP'd at Burma Berkeley on April 30th!

03/31/2026

Here's hoping we see you in April! Pen us in!

03/13/2026

Hello #270 members! We started our monthly donation to the Alameda County Food Bank today! Thank you for your yes vote as our community is in serious need of help. If you'd like to donate on your own, you can donate here. Every penny counts!

Food is a basic human right. We work towards a stronger, more nourished Alameda County, where no one worries where their next meal will come from.