The Old Town School of Folk Music’s Lincoln Park campus is at 909 W. Armitage Ave., a short walk from the Armitage Brown Line station. It is a teaching and performance space for the nonprofit music school, whose main campus is at 4544 N. Lincoln Ave. in Lincoln Square.
What it’s known for
The school was founded in 1957. Its original North Avenue building was slated for demolition under Lincoln Park’s urban renewal program in 1967, so the school moved to 909 W. Armitage and reopened there in fall 1968. The building, known as the Aldine, dates to 1896, has a turret and about 15,000 square feet, and was the first building the school owned.
Today the campus has group-class and private-lesson rooms and the Richard Bers Armitage Concert Hall. Programs include adult, teen and kids classes in music, dance, theater and visual arts, plus Wiggleworms, the school’s early-childhood music classes for babies and toddlers with their caregivers.
Good to know
- Hours: Customer service phone lines are open 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday to Sunday, per the official site, October 2026. Class times vary by course.
- Registration: Classes and concert tickets are on oldtownschool.org or at (773) 728-6000.
- CTA: The Armitage Brown Line stop is nearby, and the #73 Armitage and #8 Halsted buses stop a few blocks away.
- Parking tip: Metered street parking is very limited and many side streets are permit-only, so the school recommends transit.
For family activities, see the kid-friendly Lincoln Park guide; for performances, the Lincoln Park theater and live music guide.
Sources: oldtownschool.org/aboutus/lincoln-park, oldtownschool.org/history/3