I know I’ve photographed this building before, but for the life of me, I can’t find it now.
Nonetheless, it is undergoing an amazing renovation that is bringing the former Louis Lange Publishing Company back to life.
There was a bit of controversy about the use of tax abatements, which freezes the tax assessment at the abandoned building rate for a set period, and I normally oppose such tax breaks in desirable neighborhoods, but this part of the city needs all the help it can get.
Update: See the building before renovation began in a photo from before 2015.
Looks great. Just took a look at google street-view and this is a huge improvement.
Chris, I found this while searching for information about Louis Lange, who was my great-grandfather. I have tons of information about him and the Louis Lange Publishing Company. Let me know if you have questions.
David Nahrwold, M.D. Emeritus Professor of Surgery, Northwestern University
Dr. Nahrwold, I would be very interested in learning more about your great-grandfather’s company! My e-mail is naffziger (at) gmail (dot) com.
I have an old tattered coverless cookbook probably from the late 1800s through early 1900s. It is printed in German for the German-American market. The forward is signed by Frau Erika. I suspect that Louis Lange published it, possibly in connection with the magazine Die Abendschule. I’m seeking more information about this cookbook. Can you help me? Thanks. Roger Franke
Hello, I have a feeling that the publishing company would place its mark somewhere in the book other than on the cover–that’s my experience with 19th Century books. Does the frontispiece survive? That’s the front page with the author’s name and other information on it.
Hi Chris, thanks for your reply. In addition to having lost its cover, the first couple of pages are gone as well as the last couple of pages. The cookbook is sort of a “family Bible” because on one or two of the blank pages, an older sister of my dad (1892-1967) wrote in a recipe or two of her liking. Several years ago while doing research on Hermann Zagel I think I came across an advertisement for this book, but failed at the time to document it. Zagel authored several books printed by Louis Lange including Dies und Das und noch Etwas (1908) and Zagel’s Allerlei (1930). I also have several other books and several copies of the magazine Die Abendschule published by Louis Lange in my possession. If you wish to reply, you might prefer to use my email address: rpfranke8@gmail.com.
Best wishes from Roger Franke, Wolcottville, Indiana
I am the Executive Director of Goethe House Wisconsin and we have received a donation of Die Abendschule which was a Family Newsletter published by the Louis Lange Publishing Co through 1940. We have editions ranging from the late 1920’s – 1930’s, as well as some editions from the late 1880’s. We would be very interested in information regarding Louis Lange and/or the Publishing Company.
I am an antiques dealer and over the years I have had several Christmas catalogs from this publishing company (Louis Lange) that would sell for $200 or more. The reason is that they contained wholesale Christmas decorations and toys that were handmade in the Erzgebirge region of Germany, which was and still is, home to artisans who made all kinds of terrific hand carved pieces, as well as handmade pieces from the black forest. The catalog pictures were black and white drawings, and also included prices. I specialize in selling these types of items, so I purchased them for reference. Before I sold the catalogs, I scanned quite a bit of these catalogs for future reference. I will be happy to send some copies of the pages out (for a small fee to cover printing and postage). I did scan some of the pages of books and motto cards, as well. The books were all printed in German. The covers of the catalogs were lovely. The catalogs I have had were from the 1920’s.
That’s so cool! I’ve actually visited the Erzgebirge and even taken tours of workshops in Seiffen (I have smoking gnome sitting on a toadstool I bought there). I love you do research on that subject.