Old Town School of Folk Music

Project Overview
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Sustainable Construction
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Economic Impact
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Costs and Funding
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Volunteers
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Support

THE NEXT DANCE: A Campaign for Old Town School of Folk Music: Facility Expansion Project | Coming Soon in 2010; Economic Impact; When the Old Town School of Folk Music moved onto the 4500 block of Lincoln Avenue in 1998, the street was lined with boarded-up buildings and few signs of vitality. The Old Town School helped to change all that.

Economic Magnet

Old Town School's classes run seven days a week along with over 190 concerts and events every year. Old Town School visits average 1076 per day, creating an unmistakable vibrancy on Lincoln Avenue and in the city of Chicago. An expanded facility would generate an additional 230,000 visits annually.

Impact:

An expanded facility would generate an additional 230,000 visits annually.

Supporting local businesses

These customers also patronize shops, restaurants, and services. The "multiplier" effect of dollars spent in the community (meals, parking, cabs, child care, etc.) equals $28.05 per attendee . At this rate, the School's clientele is pumping nearly $11 million into the local economy each year.

Impact:

New facilities would generate another $6.4 million into the local economy annually.

Creating sustainable jobs

Old Town School is the largest community school of the arts in the United States, employing 206 teaching artists and 83 staff with an annual payroll of $5.2 million and spends an additional $750,000 in fees to concert artists. Americans for the Arts1 calculates that the School's operations sustain an estimated additional 281 jobs at businesses within the local economy.

Impact:

An expanded facility would add 250 jobs at the School and in the community.

Expanding the tax base

The footprint the Old Town School has made over the years as an economic driver is undeniable. The School's presence generates an estimated $975,000 in local government revenue and $1,018,134 in state government revenue per year.