[7] The Ely Elevator changed hands again on March 1, 1910, with first-generation Bohemian-American Frank Joseph "F.J." Krob and his brother-in-law Wes Fiala purchasing the building from King.

That same year there was an interruption in the Ely Elevator operations, when Frank Krob joined the United States Army to serve in the First World War.

A Sprout Waldron & Co Monarch Corn Cracker and Grading Outfit was purchased early in the decade, and then in 1928, more grind-and-mix feed equipment was installed, including the area’s first hammermill, which was powered by an 80-horsepower four-cylinder gasoline engine, and a one-ton vertical mixer.

Depressed commodity prices following the stock market crash of 1929 caused Frank Krob to temporarily lose the elevator, but after a brief period he regained ownership.

[11] As the economy recovered from the Great Depression, a 1938 epidemic of Equine Encephalitis swept the area, killing much of the local horse population.

[13] All four sons served in front line combat and survived the war, and then returned home to resume work at the elevator.

A 37,000 bushel Quonset hut was also added on an adjacent parcel, and initially used to store United States government-owned grain held for price support or in strategic reserve.

In 1952, Frank Krob retired, selling his interest in the elevator to his three sons, Vic, Robert, and Norbert, and son-in-law John Phillips.

A non-extant bagged feed warehouse was added to the south of the seed cleaning room circa 1930s, but was removed in 2018 due to compromised structural integrity and safety concerns.

[19] Described as being designed with a focus on function over form,[20] the entire structure of a grain elevator is a complex and sometimes overlapping arrangement of wood and steel chutes, dump pits, bins, ladders, augers, auger pits, ropes, pulleys, and the central bucket elevator, all designed to move grain throughout the system.

The term “manlift” refers to a manually-operated, hand-powered elevator which operates on a traditional system of weights and pulleys.

[21][22] The headhouse cupula, or upper-level housing for the distributor and bin spouts, is the top-most floor of the elevator.

In this manner it can be positioned over any one of the holes in the floor, which are openings to more spouts which direct the grain to the various wood-cribbed bins below.

It is an enclosed space measuring 34 feet (10 m) long by 12 feet (3.7 m) wide with heavy plank flooring, and features two steel-bar grated grain dump pits, as well as a trap door grain dump pit, and double 12-foot (3.7 m) tall side-hinged doors on both ends.

Circa 1930, the Driveway roof was raised several feet to its present 20-foot (6.1 m) height in order to accommodate the hoisting of wagons.

[24] The Clipper Room is the name used to describe the section of the elevator which houses antique seed cleaning and corn cracking equipment.

Built on a hardwood frame, it consists of a rotary cutter, grader, separator, and suction fan, all operated by a 5 hp motor which drove a series of flat belt pulleys.

In January 2020, the Ely Elevator received individual designation on the National Register of Historic Places.