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These two
buildings are located at the southwest corner of Lincoln Park. The
three-story Classical Revival building, designed by August Fiedler, was
built as a German-American social hall in 1888. By 1916, a two-story
theatre building was completed to the north of the club and also called
the Germania. One of Chicago’s oldest movie theatres, it was designed by
Adolf Werner and retains much of its terra cotta ornament in the
second-story piers and cornice. In the wake of World War I, both venues
changed their names for political reasons to the Lincoln Club and the
Parkside Theatre.
The Germania Club moniker was restored in 1921, and the movie house
became the Village Theatre in 1967. With the closing of the theater in
2007, the recent sale of the Germania Club to a shopping center
developer, and generous zoning allowances, this block is in great danger
of redevelopment. While the club was listed on the National Register of
Historic Places in 1976, neither it nor the theater is a protected local
landmark.
Photos 3,4,8: Robert Shymanski
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HOW CAN I HELP?
To encourage the preservation and adaptive reuse of these historic
buildings, please send your letter of support to:
Commissioner Arnold Randall
City of Chicago
Department of Planning and Development
121 N. LaSalle Street, #501
Chicago, IL 60602 |
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