Albanian group buys former Elks Club
The Elks have moved into their new home, the former ICC on Rantoul Street
Social clubs like the Beverly-Peabody Elks and the Vittori-Rocci Post and the Franco-American Club have been a big part of the city’s culture for years, and are still hanging in there despite changing times and declining membership.
Now there’s a new one coming to town. A nonprofit organization called Albanian Boston Community Inc. purchased the Elks’ long-time location at 39 Bow St. for $1.14 million and plans to open its own club there.
The building went up for sale after the Elks agreed to buy the ICC building on Rantoul Street last year and moved there in January.
Tom Alexander, the lawyer for the Albanian Boston Community Inc., told the city’s Licensing Board last week that the organization has 200 members, including 60 from Beverly. He said the Albanian population is growing in Massachusetts and they have been looking to open a community gathering spot.
The creation of an Albanian club follows the long tradition of immigrant groups establishing social organizations in the city, such as the Franco-American Club and the Italian Community Center. Alexander said the Albanian club will be “very family-oriented.” It plans to offer English language lessons on Saturday mornings.
“I think this would be a great asset to the city of Beverly,” Alexander told the Licensing Board.
The board voted 3-0 to grant the club a liquor license. There was no discussion of the group’s previous troubles in Peabody, where it had first established a club. According to stories in The Salem News, the club received a three-month suspension and $200 fine in 2023 for violating a provision of its permit that prohibited having alcohol on the premises.
The Peabody City Council had denied the club a liquor license because it was located in a multi-unit building that includes two churches and abuts residential properties.
Alexander pointed out that the Beverly location, a larger standalone building, better suits the needs of the club.
Leaders of Albanian Boston Community Inc. did not return messages for this story.
As for The Elks, they moved into the ICC building on Rantoul Street in January. And what does that mean for the ICC? The club’s president, Guy Calabro, told me there’s still a chance the ICC could try to reopen at another location. But for now, a lot of ICC members have become Elks members, and it could turn out that all of them eventually make the transition to the Elks.
“It would be nice to find a building and start a new ICC, but I don’t know if we can afford that,” Calabro said.
“The ICC and the Elks and getting along well,” he added. “I think it’s the best-case scenario.”
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