Old Town School Of Folk Music Debuts New Facility
By Samantha Abernethy in Arts & Entertainment on Jan 9, 2012 10:00PM
The Old Town School of Folk Music debuted its fancy new digs across the street from its other Lincoln Square location, and it started its 55-day celebration of the institution's 55-year anniversary. The new building features 16 new soundproof classrooms, three new dance studios and a new 150-seat performance space. The 27,100-square-foot facility cost about $17 million and construction took about a year. Tribune architectural critic Blair Kamin called it a "responsible building" that fits in with the neighborhood, rather than stands out as an architectural landmark. Kamin writes:
Old Town's other three buildings — a former storefront at 909 W. Armitage Ave. and a former public library and soccer club on the west side of Lincoln — are all remodeled and are thus saddled with the functional compromises that attend such makeovers. Think of an Irish dance class, which sounds like a herd of elephants, being held on the floor above a class of softly strumming guitars.
The Old Town School of Folk Music's move from Old Town to Lincoln Square has been credited for upgrading Lincoln Square from a quiet German community to the baby factory of young families it is now. Mayor Rahm Emanuel attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony saying, “This is a classic example of how a single cultural entity can take a neighborhood and become an economic engine.”
The grand opening/anniversary celebration continues for the next 55 days with workshops and performances. See the School's website for the full calendar.