 Today both in the main entrance and at the exterior of the restaurant historical plaques mark the site, and it was for this structure that the establishment lends half of its name, "The Fort Restaurant".On September 24, 1935, Paul Schoeder, a German immigrant from Spremberg active in Springfield's turnverein, opened the Student Prince Cafe & Tap Room at 8 Fort Street in the storefront of a former shoe store.At the time of the restaurant's opening, the namesake operetta, "The Student Prince", was remarkably popular in Springfield, with annual performances at the Court Square Theater during ten years prior to the establishment's opening,