What Makes Lincoln Square Special?

Lincoln Square is the best square. LSAC \noun: el-SAK\

The building itself was constructed in October 1928, and for the past century seen tenants ranging from furniture and appliance companies throughout the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s, to it’s most prominent tenant in the ’70s and ’80s: Northern Home Furnishings.  The side of this seemingly quiet building became a concrete canvas in 1991 when Northern Home Furnishings donated its 3,000 square-foot wall facing Lincoln and Leland avenues to then-28-year-old local German artist Lothar Speer for a city-funded public art project. Speer, known for painting murals utilizing 19th century materials, paints and classical techniques, used this opportunity to pay homage to Lincoln Square’s vibrant German community.

Revealed in September 1991 kicking off German Day festivities, “Memories of Germany,” or “the Lincoln Square mural” as it’s referred to now, depicts Brandenberger Gate in Berlin, Liebfrauen Church in Munich, Germany’s Black Forest and Lake Constanze in an old world village scene punctuated by multicultural children playing in the foreground. The project took two months and dozens of local art student volunteers to finish and was hailed by the Chicago Tribune as one of the city’s most important outdoor murals in the city. We still have furniture, if you need a comfy seat after a workout.