Old Town School at a Crossroads
The 38-year-old Old Town School of Folk Music, housed for the past 26 years at 909 W. Armitage, will decide within the next five months whether or not to move further north, to the former Hild Library at 4544 N. Lincoln. Notes Fred Lieber, president of the school’s board of directors: “This is a very significant move for the Old Town School of Folk Music, and it will be a very considered decision.”
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It would cost between 1.8 and 2.3 million dollars to buy or lease and renovate the building, but the move would give the school space for more offices, more classrooms, more concert halls, and parking. It also would take the school quite literally into uncharted territory. “The question we are asking ourselves is whether the Lincoln Avenue location is the right location,” explains the school’s executive director, Jim Hirsch. “We have to figure out if our students and concertgoers will follow us to a new location or if they prefer us where we are because it is convenient and easy.” It’s an important issue, Hirsch contends, because as much as 20 percent of the school’s customer base lives in the 60614 and 60657 zip codes. Operating costs are another factor. “We are looking at whether we can support a larger facility that would cost more to run,” says Lieber. The board is investigating whether the school might be able to expand in a cost-effective manner at its present location.
Today the school’s annual budget is a whopping $2 million. About 75 percent of that reflects earned income; the rest comes from grants and other sources. Whether the school moves or not, Hirsch says, the organization will continue to grow only by remaining a “customer-driven” operation. “We constantly talk to our customers in formal ways, and with all the entertainment options they have available to them, we try to make choosing the Old Town School as easy and comfortable as possible for them.”
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): photo/Cynthia Howe.
