Old Town School Of Folk Music To Sell, Close Lincoln Park Campus

CHICAGO —The Old Town School of Folk Music has announced it's putting its iconic building in Lincoln Park up for sale. The Old Town School Board of Directors voted to put the building at 909 West Armitage on the market and use all proceeds to seed an endowment fund, the board said.

Classes will continue without interruption at the Lincoln Park campus until the building is sold and has a closing date set, which is likely sometime in mid-2019, the school's board said. Most classes will then relocate to the Lincoln Square Campus.

Old Town School’s Executive Director Bau Graves said taking steps to sell the Armitage building has been discussed many times over the last several years.

“Now is the time,” he said in a statement, “based on the strength of the real estate market and the school’s desire to seed an endowment that will help support the school operations in the future."

“Since its beginning, Old Town School has been defined by people coming together to teach and learn and appreciate music. The Armitage building provided a good home for music makers, teachers and students. Now its legacy will help provide for future generations,” Graves said. “We’ve remained true to our philosophy that music, dance and creative expression is for everyone. Musicians of all ages and abilities, from various cultures, traditions and walks of life come together to create music and learn from one another.”

The school also plans to find partner locations in the Armitage neighborhood for its popular early-childhood program, Wiggleworms.

Each year the Old Town School serves more than 13,000 students and welcomes in more than 189,000 attendees to its classes, lessons, camps, school partnerships, concerts, festivals, workshops and events.

The school’s first home in 1957 was at 333 North Avenue, and after growing quickly, it opened the Armitage building in 1968. In 1998, Old Town School built and developed its Lincoln Square facility, which garnered national praise and recognition as one of North America's top facilities for the study and presentation of folk and traditional music forms.

The school plans to open an arts and wellness program on the South and West Sides of the city, and launch new programs with a digital production and contemporary music and movement focus. The school also plans to establish new partnerships and collaborations that take music education and performance even deeper into the interdisciplinary arts-filled Chicago community.

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