The Norway Temperance Hall located just down the block from the Norsk Museum at 3656 E. 2631st St. in Norway, has cleared the first hurdle for national recognition.

Norsk Museum Board President David Johnson the Illinois National Register Advisory Council unanimously approved the building’s nomination last Friday.

Opened in 1919, the Norway Temperance Association hall was named to Landmarks Illinois’ 2017 Most Endangered Historic Buildings list. The Norsk Museum has since come to own the building thanks to the generosity of the Borchsenius family, who owns the Norway Store.

The building is in need of repairs still.

According to the Norsk Museum website, architect Michael Lambert evaluated the building and said it would cost an estimated $250,000 for the restoration. That number has since climbed to $500,000 due to inflation.

The Norway Temperance Association was founded in the late 1870s by Norway Methodist women who attributed America’s problems to alcoholism.

The building was used until 1956, when the Norway Temperance Association dissolved.