909 Armitage Revisited: Restore Old Town School

Hi! I’m Rob Ospalik, a board member for Old Town School of Folk Music, current student and music-lover. I'd like to introduce you to the charge to raise funds for refurbishing and building improvements to Old Town School’s 909 W. Armitage campus. 909, also known as The Aldine Building, is an icon of folk music – it’s where talented artists including John Prine and Roger McGuinn (The Byrds) learned to play, and where we hosted performances by folk, blues, jazz and kids music giants including Big Bill Broonzy, Pete Seeger, Ella Jenkins and many, many more.

More importantly, 909 has served as the home base to Chicago’s folk music community. For decades, 909 has been a place where students and music lovers come together, build lasting, musical friendships; it's a place where young people connect to Chicago’s powerful folk past. Literally tens of thousands of people have taken their musical baby steps, learned to play well with others and achieved their musical dreams at 909!

Today, the facility remains Chicago's Lincoln Park home for music & dance classes, Wiggleworms, Teen Open Mic, adult classes, ensembles, private lessons, workshops, jams, community events and so much more... but it needs attention and loving care to serve the next generation of music students.

Working as part of a small group of committed board members, students, faculty, staff and friends, I’ve been deeply involved in the efforts to revitalize the Armitage campus. Our community has come together around the importance of this facility. So, today, on behalf of the School, the students at 909 and generations of future students, I’m asking your help.

Please join me and many others in supporting the effort to revitalize the historic building at 909 W. Armitage so that future generations can play in the music-soaked icon that has served so many so well.

Young guitar students at 909 W. Armitage in the 1970s

Why We're Raising Funds

"The Aldine" was built in 1896 and was the first building Old Town School owned. After the move from the original namesake location in 1967, Old Town School reopened at 909 W. Armitage in the fall of 1968. With a complete renovation in 1986, the building has hosted thousands of students through the doors and the time has come to improve the building once again to ensure it is a vibrant, welcoming home for all of our students, faculty and community members to enjoy.

Based upon feedback received from the 909 Working Group, students, faculty, staff, community members and an expert review, the School's operations staff have identified and prioritized changes to the facility to improve the student experience in the building and to ensure that it can serve future generations. Our list is long and the cost runs into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, so we have broken it up into phases and prioritized the items based on those that will improve the student experience the most and those which must come first based on practical construction considerations.

Phase 1 projects include:

    • Replace & reseal street side windows

    • Update lobby furniture & decor for better community gathering & jam space

    • Redesign & replace exterior signage

    • Restore historic facade including paint and repair

    • Modernize first floor restrooms

This is just the first phase of improvements we’ve identified as critical improvements of 909 W. Armitage with an accessible goal. With your help, we can increase our goal and add even more exciting improvements to this list, including:

    • Concert hall sound, electrical and lighting equipment upgrades

    • Interior painting for classrooms, hallways and public areas

    • Refurbished front desk and entrance to the building

    • Plumbing & HVAC modernization overhaul

   • Kitchen update with new counters, sinks and appliances

Our community can come together to refurbish this building for the future generations of Wiggleworms families and students to share the same home that our great alumni have shared for so many years.

This donation page is just one part of a larger 909 fundraising effort. Thank you to the donors who have already contributed to this campaign as well as throughout the year. Donors to the school are being contacted directly to continue to raise additional funds. If you are interested in making a donation directly, please contact Gary Snyderman at [phone redacted].

909 W. Armitage faculty and staff after the 1986 renovation


The Old Town School Mission, Securing Our Future

Old Town School of Folk Music has been teaching in the folk tradition since 1957, providing music, dance and visual arts classes for Chicagoans of all ages, abilities and backgrounds. The School strongly believes in arts education for everyone in addition to providing jobs for working artists. As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization every class registration, concert ticket, membership and donation helps support financial aid for students in need as well as artists-in-residence programs and school partnerships around Chicago. The generosity of the wide Old Town School community is a crucial component of meeting our mission of ensuring access to music education is a fundamental right for all.

Thank You & Please Share

On behalf of the entire Old Town School community, thank you for taking the time to read and engage in this exciting fundraising drive together. Your contributions are invaluable to the success of our future and together we can ensure 909 W. Armitage is a vibrant, welcoming and beautiful place for Chicagoans of all ages to enjoy and explore the vast world of folk music for many generations to come.

See you around campus, in classes and at concerts and thank you for your support. Please help us spread the word and ensure the success of this campaign by sharing on your social media accounts. It only takes a second to share.




Recent Old Town School classes being held at 909 W. Armitage