“Plans to reopen the Double Door in Uptown have gotten a boost from the city in the form of a $5 million grant.
“Co-owners Peter Bruce and Sean Mulroney have worked to move the club to the old Wilson Theater at 1050 W. Wilson Ave. since 2019, two years after the Double Door was evicted from its longtime Wicker Park home. But it’s been a long road to fund the restoration project.
“This latest source of money for the $8.5 million project is a Community Development Grant from the city, announced Thursday. The program is funded by the Chicago Recovery Plan, a federally funded pandemic response program.
“Earlier this year, Double Door was also awarded $125,000 from the city’s Adopt-A-Landmark program to help preserve the theater’s facade.
“The Double Door’s new operation will include a community focus: The club will host after-school programs and music and production classes for kids and teens, Bruce said.
“Double Door opened on Wicker Park’s Milwaukee Avenue in 1994 and became an iconic rock venue, hosting hometown heroes like the Smashing Pumpkins and superstar legacy bands like the Rolling Stones.
“The club was evicted in 2017 following a lengthy court battle with its landlord, who has since opened a Yeti cooler store in the space.
“Double Door will inhabit the Wilson Theater building, which debuted in 1909 as a venue for vaudeville shows. The building spent many decades as a bank until TCF Bank closed its branch there in 2011. It’s been vacant since.
“The Wilson Theater building is the oldest surviving theater in the Uptown historic district.
“In restoring the theater, the Double Door will build out a music venue with two mezzanine levels around the main floor, plus a balcony and some VIP seating, Bruce previously told Block Club. A bank vault in the building’s basement will be turned into a lounge with a bar.” (Savedra, Block Club Chicago, 6/20/24)
Preservation Chicago is thrilled that Double Door is moving forward with the restoration of the Wilson Theater. Double Door is an beloved Chicago Legacy Business that will continue its legacy of enriching the vibrancy of Chicago’s music scene in its new home. Preservation Chicago played an important role in the designation of this building and approximately 49 others as part of the Uptown Square Historic Landmark District and has consistently testified in strong support of the Double Door adaptive reuse at every step of this process.
Read the full story at Block Club Chicago
- Double Door Theater Restoration In Uptown Gets $5 Million City Grant; Plans to reopen the iconic rock club in an Uptown theater have been in the works since 2019, but it’s been a challenge to fund the $8.5 million project, Madison Savedra, Block Club Chicago, 6/20/24
- CDC approves $5 million in TIF for Double Door Theater at 1050 W. Wilson; The rehab will turn the Wilson Theater back into an entertainment venue, Lukas Kugler, Urbanize Chicago, 7/23/24
- Additional Funding Approved For Double Door Relocation In Uptown, Ian Achong, Chicago YIMBY, 7/16/24
- Double Door owners literally breaking the bank to revive famed music venue in new home in Chicago, Noel Brennan, CBS News Chicago, 2/4/24
- Double Door’s New Uptown Home And Neighboring Apartment Building Get City Approval; Plans to relocate the beloved rock club from Wicker Park to Uptown were confirmed in 2019 and approved by City Council Wednesday, Joe Ward & Justin Laurence, Block Club Chicago, 1/27/21