The first time I visited the Deborah Boys Club in Albany Park, it was the late 1960s and I was in seventh grade. I didn’t think much of the building. It’s not that it had seen better days, but I was more interested in watching what was going on inside: several boys from my class at Peterson School were playing a game of basketball.
Looking into the history of the Deborah Boys Club, or Deborah as we called the community center, I came across a stunning early photograph. For more than 40 years I’ve been passing this building, now home to the Albany Park Community Center. How did I not see, not admire, those sharp, clean lines and angles jutting outwards from the corner of Kimball and Ainslie?
I wanted an expert’s opinion. Is this the real thing? Is it as pretty as I think it is? For answers, I turned to Lee Bey, who writes about Chicago architecture on his WBEZ blog and talks about it on Fox News Chicago. Lee agreed:
“It’s a beaut! It’s a modernist building clearly influenced by the Bauhaus, particularly the work of Walter Gropius. The material and form remind me a lot of the Masters’ Houses, designed by Gropius at the Bauhaus in Dessau, Germany.”
I found the photograph on the website of Epstein, the firm, then known as A. Epstein and Sons, that in 1949 designed and built the Deborah Boys Club. The same firm that designed and built many, many, many of the world’s notable buildings. And the Deborah Boys Club in Albany Park. There’s a story here, but I don’t know it.
The Old Deborah
Funded and operated by the Deborah’s Women Club together with the Young Men’s Jewish Council (later renamed the Jewish Council for Youth Services), the Deborah Boys Club first opened its doors in 1930 at 2441 W. Division with the goal of keeping boys off the streets and out of trouble by offering recreational and educational activities. Although the founders were Jewish social service agencies, the club was nondenominational.
Ron Shapiro grew up in an apartment above his father’s Division Street grocery store during the 1940s, a block away from the Deborah Boys Club. He knew it well.
I spent so many hours there that the manager gave me a set of keys to the gym in case he wasn’t there when a bunch of us from the neighborhood would show up early. I had the keys to the locker that held all of the equipment. I started going to Deborah when I was about 8 or 9 and continued until they moved north.
The New Deborah
In the 1940s Jewish families were migrating north from the West and Near West Side neighborhoods. Businesses and institutions followed in their wake. The new Deborah Boys Club at 3401 Ainslie included space for arts and crafts, radio and electricity, photography, wood shop, photography, a gymnasium, showers, lockers, library, kitchen, dramatics and glee club. At first the club was open to boys from 8 to 18; girls were admitted in 1954. By 1956, the club was serving 1,600 kids annually.
Carol Solomon Proesel, who attended Peterson Elementary School and graduated from Von Steuben High School in the late ’60s, says Deborah was a very integral part of her social life. She recalls after-school programs, babysitting classes, music, arts and crafts, girls volleyball, dances with live bands: “Dances were a big thing. Inside during the winter, outside when it was warm.”
Kids came to Deborah from a fairly large area, stretching from Albany Park north to Peterson Park. In addition to its own programming, Deborah hosted meetings for community groups and had ties to local schools. Many SACs (social athletic clubs) found a home at Deborah for their meetings, dances and sports teams. In an earlier post, I published a 1958 photograph of the Regular Fellas club taken in the gym at Deborah. An article titled “Sports Extensions” in the 1967 edition of the Peterson Elementary School newsletter reports on the tournaments held at Deborah.
Peterson Elementary School, 1967 newsletter
The Jewish Council of Youth Services closed Deborah Boys Club in 1975 for the same reason they left Division Street twenty-odd years earlier: the neighborhood changed.
Photo credits: The photograph of the Deborah Boys Club is from the website of Epstein, the 90-year-old Chicago engineering and architectural firm that built the Deborah Boys Club.
Sources: GROUND BROKEN AT NEW DEBORAH BOYS CLUB SITE. (1949, June 5).Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963),NW7. Retrieved July 17, 2011, from ProQuest Historical Newspapers Chicago Tribune (1849 – 1987). (Document ID: 489266662).
Group to Move at End of Year. (1949, August 21). Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963),NW9. Retrieved July 17, 2011, from ProQuest Historical Newspapers Chicago Tribune (1849 – 1987). (Document ID: 489647572).
Deborah Boys Club timeline.
Acknowledgements: Thanks to Lee Bey for his insights; check out his blog for his great photos and stories of Chicago architecture. Thanks also to Ron Shapiro, author of the memoir, Making Happy, and to Carol Solomon Proesel for sharing their memories.
Read more Albany Park Memories
As usual brings me back in time.
Thanks again
FERNE
I remember when it opened and it became our home away from home for my brother and myself. The older guys spent most of their time in the gym while the younger kids took art classes and joined special current event programs. There was always guys in their club jackets from the Regular Fellas, Little Gents and Epsilon. It was one of the first building built after WWll in Albany Park.
Great article Frances. I did summer camp there and was always excited to go anywhere the BIG bus took us. Whalen Pool with their monkey island was always a thrill. Going off to Henry Horner for a few days to sleep in cabins and all the outside activities that came with the stay was a treat. Somewhere I have an old beat up black and white photo of me and others during a campfire night of songs and roasting marshmallows and drinking the Kool Aid they called Bug Juice, lol. Those were the days that memories were made from.
1959 We arrived at Von Steuben for 7th and 8th grade from Peterson and we merged with the kids from Hibbard
I was an Epsilon and had our club meetings at Deborah
We also had our sleep overs there ( which need to be described later)
In 1963 I was in a drummer for a rock band and had Battle of the bands at Deborah
included Flock, Baby Huey and the Baby Sitters,New Colony Six, Buckinghams
What a GREAT time.
I spent many many hours of my childhood after schools hours at Deborah in the 70′s. I recall learning photography from Mr. Weissmeyer and arts and crafts along with dodgeball, floor hockey and basketball in the gym it’s nice to see that it is still in use and helping the kids of Albany Park and beyond. I wonder if Frank Albanese is still the director.
Mark, we gotta talk. I bet you have some good stories. I’ll send you an email.
John, thanks for stopping by and sharing our memories of Deborah. We’re you around when it closed? I’m sure there’s been a few directors since the seventies.
Hi, Caryn. I heard about Camp Henry Horner when I interviewed Ron Shapiro for this story, but I didn’t include his comments because of the length. He attended it back when Deborah was still on dDivision. If you locate that photo, send it to me and I’ll write a whole post about the camp. Thanks for stopping by.
Jerry, do you recall what you thought of the building when it first opened? Did it seem very modern at the time. Also, did you ever go to the Max Strauss JCC? If so, how did the two centers compare? Thanks for visiting.
Ferne, hope all is well. Thanks for your comment.
I went to summer camp and after school programs at Deborah. In high school my BBG group met there. I also volunteered during high school and college with the program sponsored by JCYS with the handicapped kids. The program was run by Lynn and Frank Albanese. My history will JCYS continued later in life as both of my daughters went to Camp Henry Horner. The program that Lynn and Frank ran later moved to Riverwoods Illinois where it has grown. I have so many fond memories of both Deborah in Albany Park and Camp Henry Horner in Ingleside, Illinois.
i lived in the big yellow building kitty corner from Debroah. I think they started building in the spring of 1950. The had activities at the Hibbard School campas during the ummer arts and crafts, baseball games ect I remember making those lanyards and gettig pretty good at lit, even remember making a round one. I saw th materials we used in a Michales afew years ago it was half as good made in china.
The frlist dlirector of the club took an aprtment in the builing and he had a daughter that
was named Debrorah. I am sure his frist name was Phil and his last name I beleive was Brim. I also rember having dance one Saturday a month for 7 and 8th graders that I went to movies on other saturday night a teen lounge a radioi and electtic shop wher I built a cyrstal set an art room with clasess taught by a citly of Chlicago art teacher. We moved in December of 1953 but I did come back to Debroah for about a year from time to time, It was nothling in those days to take a bus aat about 5pm (Western Ave) jFrjom Howard st to Foster Fojster to Kimball and hoof it south to ansile Leave jDebroah about 9pm and get home B/4 10.00 as I said before we at 14 had the freedonm of the streets.
The good old days
Joel
I miss Deborah Boy’s Club. Spent lots of time there in the mid-60′s. Being in a “club” was an important part of socializing back then. My brother was a Top Hat (Rick Damato) and my sister in law was a Si Gamma I think…I forgot what club I was in, lol. I think we had red jackets with white writing…and we weren’t one of the “in” clubs of the day….but dancing at Deborah on Wed nights to a record player, was one of my favorite times….Deborah was a great place to hang out….
Pam, thanks for visiting and sharing your memories. I’ll have to check if Si Gamma is included on my list of clubs– I don’t think so.
While the boy’s club was under construction sign ups were under way on the patio of Hibbard school. Fifty cents bought a membership signified by a hard, silvered card. Arts and crafts were done on the patio and of course they moved inside once the club had been completed.
David, thanks for stopping by. Interesting that the school and Deborah worked together from the start.
In 1957, I was elected president of the Jr. Esquires (thanks to the support of Barry Bernstein, who liked me, and was known to beat up anyone who opposed him). Our club met at Deborah, where we organized, and later went on a weekend trip to Camp Henry Horner. I remember going to dances at Deb– I can still hear Ricky Nelson singing his ballads, and playing b’ball in the gym. My classmate and friend, Marshall Klein, a master gourmet of all worthwhile eateries in Chicago (to his tastes), taught me a shortcut down the alley behind Deb, to a Lawrence Ave. hamburger joint where we spent many of our lunch periods from Von. I’m happy to know that Deborah continues to be a community center.
I went to Deborah almost daily from 1955 -1960. It kept me out of fights, while going through some rough times. Remember some very special role models/counselors like Mr. Merwin (I think that was his name). Deborah was only three blocks from my home, and was like a home away from home. Community Centers are a great idea, but when I was very young I took a lot for granted. Now, I am grateful for it.
We started a club then (the Lil Devils) and later I was picked for the Anacondas. Went to Volta and Roosevelt, and lived on Ainslie and Drake. Many good fiends were made. Thanks for the blog. BE WELL!
Donny, thanks for visiting. Did you know that at one point Volta fed in Von Steuben? Anacondas were big at Von.
High Frances, Yes, my sister went to Von (Barbara) and so did my cousins Myrna and Sharon Neiman. Cousin Norman Spellman graduated Von in @ 1945. Brother in-law Ron Korr, graduated from Von about 1960? Most of the Anacondas of my time were from Volta, Hibbard, and Petersen elementary schools. We had an awesome undefeated softball team (16″) with the legendary Larry Stork. At Petersen Park left field had to play him in the McDonald’s parking lot, but he still hit home home runs all the time.
I only lived two and half blocks from Deborah until I was 13. Then the family moved to Petersen and St. Louis, but I decided to finish school at Roosevelt, although I had to pass Von every day on the southbound Kimball Ave. bus en-route. I saw Ben Shipin was on board here. I bet he could tell many stories about Deborah! Thanks for the blog and BE WELL!
Thanks for the information. I attended Hibbard, Peterson & Von Steuben, and my dad had a store on Lawrence and St. Louis. In the 50′s it was Deborah Boys Club. We gals would walk to the boys’ club to see if any of “our boys” were there. Sometimes, boys from Amundsen who were bigots would go there & try to fight with our guys outside the building. It wasn’t fun when that happened. Most of the time, it was a great place for the boys to enjoy sports…and for the girls to look for the boys! Life was much simpler in those days.
Brenda, what was the name of your father’s store. I’m working on a list of Lawrence Ave. businesses. Thanks for stopping by.
joel:
are you the joel who lived in warner center (woodland hills, ca)? if so, i am bobbie, your former neighbor and also fellow rough rider. i went to deborah in the 1960′s. the club i was in met at the J, and so i went to the J the most, but also spent a lot of time at deborah’s, listening to music and dancing, and once in a blue moon maybe looking into where the guys were playing basketball.
if it is you, marc and i moved to las vegas in 2002. hope all is well with the family.
Hi Bobbie, thanks for visiting and leaving a comment. Always fun to find old friends here.
this comment really doesn’t have to do with deborah boys club. this is about albany park. i know you didn’t grow up in albany park, but you limited your knowledge to such a small part of the area. in the “albany park” part of this, there is so little about the actual albany park – at least the one i knew in the 1950s and 1960s. no mentions made of bateman, haugan and volta grammar schools, all of which fed into roosevelt high school. hibbard also fed into roosevelt and von. hardly any mention of roosevelt except what syd lieberman had to say. i left out our lady of mercy school on kedzie. i’m sure there were children there who went to roosevelt as well, and i probably left out other schools. no mention of horner park on montrose and california, which had a field house that many of us went to as kids. it had a man-made hill we would go sliding down in the winter, and it had an area for swings, teeter-totter (sp?) and monkey bars. it had a field house that held dances are friday nights. it had a daycamp. i took drama classes there, and there were other classes one could take to learn something new. there were tennis courts next to it to the south. i believe roosevelt held it’s baseball games at horner. there was the tasty freeze nearby, and on irving park and california, there was california park where we could go swimming. this probably was not albany park anymore. there was the kosher chicken store on kedzie where the they killed the chicken for you. when you walked by it, you could smell the stench. there were a number of stores on lawrence ave that catered to both the young and old. also on lawrence was the s&l deli, kitty-corner was the bonfire deli, and just a few doors north of the terminal theater was the purity deli. in, i believe, 1963, roosevelt went to soldier’s field. i forget who we played there, but we won and went from the blue division to the white division. the roosevelt alumni still keeps in touch with each other via one of its former students (flora schwartz) who gets information from many former rough riders and shares it with the rest of us via email. you mentioned lincoln village, but i don’t think you mentioned kiddyland there. we use to use lincoln village as a shortcut to devon. almost nothing was said about the max strauss center aka “the j.” for those of us who lived in albany park, we spent a lot of time at “the j.” my clubsisters and i had our meetings there. we listened to records there and danced. kids from other areas also came by. we also went to deborah too, but to talk about one and not the other is an injustice. the public library was on lawrence. when i lived on leland near sacramento, the el ran right next to the alley behind the 3-flat we lived in. the el ended at kimball and lawrence. my father used to tell me how, many years ago, he knew mike todd’s father who had a newspaper stand on lawrence and kimball by the el station. also, the terminal on friday nights during at least the first half of the 1960s was a meeting place for kids from roosevelt and probably von too. no one watched the movies. one hoped to maybe meet their next boyfriend or girlfriend there. it was a social thing. i think in all the years i went there on a friday night, i only watched two movies.
growing up in albany park was great. as a child there was always kids to play with. we were never bored. it didn’t matter what the season was. it also seemed like everyone knew everyone in the neighborhood. on the block i grew up on in the 1950s, we had jewish, catholic and protestant kids who lived on the block, and we all played together and got along. the only time i experienced antisemitism in chicago that i was aware of was when some guys tried to pick-up my girlfriends and i to go for a ride with them and we refused. this was right near lincoln village. they called us the “K” word. all religions seemed to get along in albany park. i’m sure when we played games away from roosevelt, there were areas where the jewish players weren’t welcomed. however, i don’t remember seeing any fights myself. i think because i didn’t have those bad experiences, i was much more opened to knowing people whose backgrounds were different than mine, and i didn’t look for prejudice nor feel it. i did have one experience of antisemitism in los angeles, when i was in my 20s and i spoke out. i have no tolerance for bigotry, antisemitism, racism or gay bashing. again, aside from much of this being from my upbringing, it is also from the great kids i grew up with in albany park who were not closed-minded.
i know i am leaving out a lot of stuff, but i wish i could have read more about albany park since that was what the site was about. i guess i am prejudice when it comes to roosevelt and albany park. my middle sister and i went to roosevelt. my oldest sister went to von. i’ve been away from albany park since 1967, and only visited once in 1977, so it’s been a long time since i’ve been there, which is why my memory fails me re other things there, but i will always be proud that i grew up there, and it will always have a special place in my heart. thank you for letting me ramble.
Bobbie, I started this blog to learn more about the area around where I grew up. It’s pretty clearly stated that I grew up in Hollywood Park, and I don’t claim to know a lot about Albany Park. People like you who are willing to share their memories are helping me learn more about what it was like. So your post was really helpful, and thanks for taking time to share your memories. Feel free to contribute more if whenever you like.
Syd Lieberman generously shared some of his memories of Roosevelt during the late 1950s and early 1960s in this post. In that story I mentioned that I attended nursery school at the Max Strauss J about the same time Syd and his fellow Condors were meeting there; but I was so young when the J closed that I really don’t remember it. Also if you’re interested, I wrote about Hollywood Kiddieland a couple years ago: here and here.
i know you didn’t know much about albany park. i said that at the beginning. i just found this blog, so have not read other ones. i guess no one else has ever mentioned some of other places. i certainly hope i didn’t offend you. that was not my intention at all. i just found this in the middle of the night, and replied to it. i think i need to get to bed. it seems i wasn’t very tactful. can i blame it on lack of sleep? lol i enjoyed looking through the site, and i keep it on favorite places, so i am glad it exists. i also read syd lieberman’s book about the area. i thought he graduated in about 1963, but it seems he graduated when i was just starting roosevelt. we didn’t know each other, but i knew who he was because he was on the football team. i guess i was a freshman and he was a senior.
at any rate, i’m sure there are many more people who have a better memory than i do who could give you a lot more info on albany park than i did. also, being away so long has not helped. i’m lucky if i can remember what happened yesterday, let alone 45 yrs ago. lol these are not the golden years. they are the tarnished years. lol it is a great site, and on the whole, i really enjoyed going through it. = )
Bobbie, thanks for your reply. No offense. I just wanted to be sure there was no misunderstanding that I was claiming to have written the book on Albany Park. Thanks again for your contribution.
There is actually a Facebook group for Albany Park. Well over 200 members I believe from all parts. People talk from Von, Roosevlt, Haugan, Hibbard, Volta, etc. We have had discussions about the stores, Riverview, Kiddyland. You might want to check this out. You might find more of what you are looking for if you want to connect with that specific area. But I would also recommend continuing to check out this blog. There have been many interesting articles about the old neighborhoods. Hope this helps.