{"id":8534,"date":"2020-01-08T08:00:09","date_gmt":"2020-01-08T14:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.library.depaul.press\/full-text\/?p=8534"},"modified":"2020-01-06T15:51:00","modified_gmt":"2020-01-06T21:51:00","slug":"turning-to-fitness-in-the-new-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.library.depaul.press\/full-text\/2020\/01\/08\/turning-to-fitness-in-the-new-year\/","title":{"rendered":"“Turning” to Fitness in the New Year"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Black<\/a>
Photo collage from the 1960 75th Anniversary Album of the Lincoln Turners. Chicago and Lincoln Park Ephemera collection, Box 3.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s that time of year when many people dedicate or re-dedicate themselves to healthful living for a New Year\u2019s resolution. \u00a0According to various reports on the internet, fitness clubs see a 12% to 50% increase in memberships in a typical January, though 50% of those new members will quit by June, and a \u201cconsiderable\u201d amount of new members stop going to the gym by March.<\/p>\n

Advice abounds on how to make exercise a lasting habit, such as making it part of a routine, choosing convenience (like a lunch hour workout), and positive peer pressure (social media or active in-person friends). If those fail to motivate you, how about adding beer and politics to the mix?<\/p>\n

Friedrich Ludwig Jahn, the German \u201cfather of gymnastics\u201d, promoted the use of now-standard gymnastic equipment such as rings, parallel bars, and the high bar for training and competition in the early 1800s. Turnvereine (gymnastic associations or clubs) spread throughout Germany and were often aligned with the populist movement to unite German states. Many \u201cTurners\u201d were involved in the revolutions of 1848, and following their defeat, many emigrated to the United States.\u00a0 These Forty-Eighters established new Turnvereine in American cities, large and small, though by 1890 Chicago boasted the greatest number of Turnervereine than any other U.S. City.<\/p>\n

\"Architectural<\/a>
Lincoln Turner Hall, built in 1922. Photo taken by Wanda Harold in 2000. Available in the DePaul University Library Digital Collections.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One such Turnverein was here in Lincoln Park, at 1019 W. Diversey.\u00a0 The Turnverein Lincoln was founded in February 1885 with 32 members and their families.\u00a0 At the time of its founding, the Lincoln Turners offered a full schedule of gymnastics classes for men, women, boys and girls. By the end of 1885, a \u201csinging session\u201d and a \u201clibrary consisting of hundreds of volumes of scientific and general arts subjects\u201d were also in place, which helped attract new members. In addition, \u201csummer outdoor activity, excursions, nature study courses, and a vacation school\u201d were added to attract new members.<\/p>\n

The building shown here was constructed in 1922, and its ground floor housed the Lincoln Turner Caf\u00e9, which offered diners a taste of German food\u00a0from the old country.\u00a0 And the beer? According to Heinz Broderson, longtime Turner member, the beer was in the \u201cdungeon\u201d (basement) and it was customary for Germans to get together, go to the gym, and \u201cafter the gym, you always had a beer and bragged about how well you did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Lincoln<\/a>
Postcard of the cafe in the Turnverein Lincoln building Chicago and Lincoln Park Ephemera collection, Box 9. The club’s address spanned most of the block, from 1005 to 1023 W. Diversey.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We have the Turners to thank for successfully advocating for public parks and physical education in schools, and many fitness clubs now boast bars (juice bars) on site.\u00a0 And if you need beer and politics to help you keep your fitness goals on track, Chicago still offers plenty of opportunities for both, post-workout.<\/p>\n

To see postcards and anniversary albums from the Lincoln Turners in our Chicago and Lincoln Park Ephemera collection<\/a>, visit\u00a0DePaul Special Collections and Archives<\/a> in room 314 of the John T. Richardson Library or contact us at\u00a0libguides.depaul.edu\/askspca<\/a>.\u00a0 The Chicago History Museum holds a more extensive collection on the Lincoln Turners. <\/a><\/p>\n

\"Sanborn<\/a>
Sanborn map showing the extent of the Lincoln Turner Hall, spanning most of the block, with the cafe at the northeast corner (1005 W. Diversey). Chicago 1905-1951 vol. 9, 1923, Sheet 26.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Heinz Broderson was interviewed as part of the Lincoln Park Community Research Initiative<\/a>\u2019s Voices and Visions project.\u00a0 The short <\/a>documentary, Walls that Talk,<\/em><\/a> focuses on the impact of German immigration on Lincoln Park, and the section on the Lincoln Turner Hall starts around minute 29. You can stream it free on vimeo.<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s that time of year when many people dedicate or re-dedicate themselves to healthful living for a New Year\u2019s resolution. \u00a0According to various reports on the internet, fitness clubs see a 12% to 50% increase in memberships in a typical January, though 50% of those new members will quit by June, and a \u201cconsiderable\u201d amount <\/p>\n

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