By Ricky Rieckert
(Part 1 of 3)
Dear readers,
This week, on Aurora’s Buildings, Businesses, and Streets, we’re heading to the Luxembourg Club (Luxie’s), 416 High Street.
We’re parking the History of Aurora Tour Bus, up front in the north lot, off of Front Street, used by Art’s Body Shop during the daytime.
As we approach the front of the building, off of High Street, towards the top, we see it was built in 1917. I don’t believe we have any 108 year olds in Aurora.
Though, we did have Arthur “Art” Stiegleiter, who was a Luxie member, and celebrated his 102nd birthday at the Club, with his daughter, in 2020.
Art was born in 1918 and worked various jobs through his life. He was a firefighter for the Burlington Railroad and the Aurora Fire Department from 1952 to 1977. The last 15 years he served as a captain with the Aurora Fire Department.
His brother George was born in 1916 and passed in 2017 at age 101. Nice going guys.
The Luxembourg Brotherhood of America (L.B.A.) is the oldest Luxembourg/American organization in the United States. It was founded in 1887, as a fraternal organization on Chicago’s Southside. In its hay day, there were 15 Sections (groups/clubs).
Today it consists of just four sections: Section 3, Glenview; Section 7, Aurora; Section 8, Morton Grove; and Section 15, Niles.
Aurora’s Section 7, is the only section with a clubhouse and has the largest membership of the other three.
Aurora’s Section 7, I believe, had its first location on Main Street, east of LaSalle Street, before Lincoln Avenue, on the Northside, before their present building, on High Street.
From the Luxies Club, we head to the High Street bridge, and over the Burlington train tracks.
North of the bridge, there was a large population of Romanians, and south of the bridge, was Luxembourgians.
That concludes part one.
Since we’re in Lent, the Luxies have a delicious fish fry, on Friday evenings from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., open to all. Delicious food, beverages, and camaraderie.
Call the Luxie Club at 630-898-9729 for more information or carry-out.