By Jim Sterne
News Editor
Word that the German American National Congress, also known as D.A.N.K. (Deutsch Amerikanischer National Kongress), is negotiating for the sale of their building at 4740 N. Western Ave., is causing members and friends to mobilize to keep the building and vestiges of the Chicago German neighborhood.
A letter from Ernst Ott, dated Sept. 23, to D.A.N.K. Chicago North Members, of which Ott is president, states that they received an unsolicited offer of over $3 million (cash) and the offer was given unanimous approval by both the chapter board and the National Executive Board.
Also surprising was that the offer is believed to come from the Church of Scientology, an organization that is, coincidentally, not recognized by the German government as a religion and therefore is denied tax exemption in Germany.
"We had an event at the Haus on Saturday and that's probably where these rumors started," said Mary Anne Ahmad, director of public affairs for the Church of Scientology. "We rent facilities at many venues and we are looking for a building," she added.
At D.A.N.K.'s October membership meeting, a detailed report will be presented for vote. "Important decisions by the delegates will be made concerning the future direction of our national agenda and the election of a new Executive Board," said Ott's letter.
The letter described recent developments — dating back to last year — when they were told to make the Haus available for a "Greater German American Cultural Center" in partnership with the German Day Association, the Rheinischer Verein and the Hubertus Club.
Ott says this seemed a good idea to many, until they were "presented with ultimatum like conditions (in Ald. Schulter's office)," Ott said. The D.A.N.K.-Haus is located in the alderman's 47th Ward. Briefly, the conditions were: "D.A.N.K. will have to make the building available without financial compensation, the Haus will have to be gutted, the other partners will do a remodeling. Of course it could no longer be called a D.A.N.K.-Haus, our D.A.N.K.-School could no longer be called D.A.N.K. -School; we would also have to curtail our activities to make room for the other partners and all would be equal owners of the Haus."
The National Board and the Chapter Board unanimously rejected these proposals at that time. Ald. Gene Schulter is out of the country and could not comment.
Ott says that they hoped the decision not to sell would be respected. "But what followed was a campaign of maligning D.A.N.K. and certain persons for 'standing in the way of a stronger German-American heritage.'" He says that this issue caused disharmony not only to the German -American community but represented a threat to D.A.N.K. and for these reasons, including the right to safeguard their financial assets and freedom to conduct their activities, "we now have to consider selling the Haus for its market value and moving to a more convenient location."
The timing of the sale negotiations came during Oktoberfest in Germany where many members of the German community are vacationing.
In a letter addressed to Ott, William Taney said that the negotiations were secret and done without any membership or community input.
"As a student, neighbor, and member of D.A.N.K., I find it tragic that we are on the verge of squandering what should be the showplace of the German community," Taney's letter states. More than one quarter of America's population have roots in Germany, making German-Americans the largest ethnic heritage. "The D.A.N.K.-Haus with it's beautiful ballroom, large spaces, library, and museum should be the centerpiece of Chicago German culture."
In the last 20 years, Chicago has helped ethnic organizations maintain their presence in the old neighborhoods. The Mexicans, Polish, Lithuanians, Greeks, Swedish, and Irish, to name a few, all have vibrant cultural organizations. "We are heading in a very negative direction to where the Germans will be the only ethnic group to have lost their chance to pass to their children and others the significant contributions Germans have made to Chicago."
Escalating property values and maintenance costs have increased the rental fees for D.A.N.K.-Haus space. Higher prices have forced some German groups to move out. "The Austrian Mixed Chorus had to move because we just couldn't afford it," said Maria Bappert, choir member.
Lincoln Square Chamber of Commerce (LSCC) Executive Director Brad Leibov sent a letter to members and friends giving them some background and an action plan.
He stated that the D.A.N.K. Haus is not listed for sale publicly and that some members have called for a move to the suburbs. A major concern is parking for the events and meetings. Although they have permission to use Corus Bank's parking lot, 4800 N. Western Ave., "their leadership has called upon Ald. Schulter to secure public funds for the development of a multi-level parking structure to more conveniently accommodate their membership."
Leibov's letter was sympathetic to the sale issue, stating that the members and Board of Directors of the D.A.N.K-Haus are free to decide the future of their facility without any outside interference. "It is our understanding that so long as any new use of the facility is consistent with commercial zoning classification, any other interest has limited ability to prevent a property transfer. It is imperative that we work together and in partnership with the D.A.N.K. to address their needs promptly."
The LSCC has been in contact with President Ott, Ald. Schulter, and various leaders of the German-American community and is trying to persuade the D.A.N.K. leadership to agree to the following: Decline any and all outstanding offers to purchase the D.A.N.K.-Haus facility; Establish a time frame for the City of Chicago to determine the availability of public funds to subsidize the development of a multi-level parking structure; Establish a working committee led by the LSCC and including the D.A.N.K., Ald. Schulter, other leading German-American organizations, and the Ravenswood Community Council to quickly explore the feasibility of creating a German-American Cultural Center at the site; and List the D.A.N.K. Haus openly on the mls should all the above prove unsuccessful.
The LSCC letter ended by stating that people who support their proposals should write the D.A.N.K.-Haus at 4740 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, Il 60625; or phone (773) 561-9181.
D.A.N.K. chapters support cultural and social activities of particular interest to its members such as German American Day, Steuben Parades, German Fests, picnics, dances, Karneval and Christmas celebrations. D.A.N.K. also interacts with other ethnic societies in joint cultural programs. It is the nation's largest German American organization. It has become a uniting force for America's largest ethnic community and a strong voice in representing its interests. For more information visit their Web site www.dank.org. |
