THEN

Yorkville was a center of many different immigrant groups one of the largest being German. The Yorkville Casino was built in 1906 by Levitan & Fischer and funded by the Musicians Mutual Protective Union. The Casino was mainly used for theater, dances and political gatherings. It was one of the few places that held German-only motion pictures. The theater had become a political trope by the time World War I had come along. It became a gathering spot for Socialist and many socialist leaders came to speak to the group. But by 1930 it became a pro-Nazi meeting place seeing about 2000+ members a week, although people came to their senses and the attendance dwindled down. That however didn’t stop WWI veterans from going to the casino and start beating Nazi Sympathizers. A fire broke out in the building that confined the space to just the cellar. The Casino closed in 1964 and then was demolished in 1967 leaving no trace of what once was.