MEDFORD, Ore. — What used to be the picnic grounds for a fraternal organization on the Rogue River is now a playground for actor and comedian Jim Belushi.
Belushi, 61, has built a two-story vacation cabin at the former Elks picnic grounds in Eagle Point. He says he tried to retain the historic feel of the 1930s property as much as possible, restoring the old bandstand, barbecue pit and picnic tables where Elks cookouts, weddings, buffalo barbecues, reunions and community meetings were held for nearly 80 years.
“I cleaned them up, I should say,” Belushi says during a visit to Medford, where he’s working with the JPR Foundation to restore the Holly Theatre at Sixth and Holly streets. Belushi and his band, the Sacred Hearts, will give a benefit concert for the project Aug. 29 at EdenVale Winery in Medford.
Belushi says he’s been visiting the Rogue Valley for years, staying with friends along the Rogue River, and loves it here. He learned about the Elks property from a friend.
His cabin, built about 75 feet from the Rogue River, is framed with reclaimed longleaf pine taken from a Southern cotton mill that was built in 1868.
“You can still see some of the cotton in the cracks,” he says.
“Longleaf pine was used up entirely during the industrialization of the South, where long beams were used to build factories and warehouses,” he says. “That longleaf pine does not exist any longer.”
Belushi hired Riverdell Construction of Central Point as the contractor. Riverdell owner Matt Bryant says he often works with people in the Los Angeles entertainment industry, and that Belushi “did his research and liked what we had to offer.”
“Jim’s a great guy,” Bryant says in a phone interview. “Building his home was a lot of fun. He gave us a lot of lateral leniency because we’re all craftsmen. He’d say, ‘OK, you know what you’re doing, let’s make it look good.”‘
Several months into the project, DIY Network decided to film a six-segment show called “Building Belushi,” which aired in July. The series repeats starting Aug. 16.
Bryant says Belushi took the time to talk with each of the nearly 100 workers on the project and was genuinely concerned about their lives and work. “He liked the history of the grounds” and wanted to preserve its character and integrity, Bryant says.
“If you saw it from the river, you’d say, ‘That’s a cool old place. Wonder how long it’s been there?”‘ Bryant says. “It looks like it’s been standing there for 100 years.”
Belushi says he was pleased with the workers, all of whom were local.
“I’m more than impressed with the contractors and the builders and the care they took with their work,” says Belushi, who threw the workers a party afterward. “These men are artisans, and it shows in their work.”
Bryant says the main part of Belushi’s cabin has a kitchen and dining area downstairs and two bedrooms upstairs. A covered walkway connects a master suite on the upriver side of the house and a “bunkhouse” with three more bedrooms on the other.
Bryant says the entire project took about a year and suffered at least one setback, when a tree fell on part of the restored stage and an outbuilding and the two structures had to be rebuilt again.
“It was a lot of fun to work with Jim,” Bryant says. “He’s truly a guy interested in what he was doing on the job. … He got his hands dirty.”
Jackson County property records show the 11.55-acre property was sold by the Medford Elks to Galpin Holdings for $1.06 million in 2009. In 2013, Galpin Holdings sold it for $725,000 to a trust managed by Ronald Nash, who works for a business management firm for entertainers based in White Plains, N.Y.
Belushi says he and his wife, Jenny, plan to continue to live in Los Angeles and use the Rogue River cabin as a vacation home.
Belushi heard about the Holly Theatre restoration project through an acquaintance and decided to help out.
“There’s some growth taking place in that part of Medford, and the Holly will help,” Belushi says. “There will be music, humor and theater at the Holly, bringing the community together. A community that I plan to be part of.”
