Double Door Needs Your Support to Come to Logan Square

The nightlife in Logan Square is gaining momentum. Double Door is officially looking to move to Logan Square.

“After 22 years in Wicker Park, music and performing arts venue Double Door is looking for a new home in Logan Square,” the venue’s website reads.

They need the community’s support before they begin restoring the “beautiful and historic Logan Square State and Savings Bank building located at 2551 N. Milwaukee Avenue,”the website statement continued.

There’s a message box on the site where they are asking residents to share their information, to remain abreast of meetings and continue to be informed about updates and changes.

Last month, the non-profit Logan Square Preservation met with Double Door owners Joe Shanahan, of Metro and Smart Bar, and Sean Mulroney, when speculation was swarming about the possible move.

The concert venue that boasts names like Rolling Stones, Chance the Rapper and Sonic Youth is considering alternative locations even as it’s appealing court orders to vacate the iconic location in Wicker Park it’s called home since 1994. The owners have been fighting surging rent and claims of being in arrears.

“We looked at a number of other properties in the area, but the Logan Square State and Savings Bank stood out because it’s a restoration project. The building itself is a landmark building. To restore such an iconic neighborhood building with a civic and cultural purpose making it open to the public is incredibly exciting,” Mulroney said in a statement, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The relocation, though good for Chicago audiophiles, does come with a host of concerns for some Loganites.

“The concerns are what would commonly raised by having a live music venue in the area,” said Andrew Schneider, president of Logan Square Preservation to Logan Squarist. “Concerns like security, garbage, the noise as people exit in a largely residential area…and the restorations to a historical landmark.”

Though currently empty, the former bank was most recently operating as a medical center and would require significant internal renovations. However, it is zoned appropriately for an entertainment space. The renovation plans include two entrances, lending reason to the name “Double Door.” The building will accommodate 650 people and will include two bar areas with capacities of 229 and 120 people.

The Commission on Chicago Landmarks would also have to weigh-in since the building is a recognized historic site.

Schneider said the preservation group will work with Shanahan and Mulroney, as well as the building’s new owners, Adam Saffro, with New Era Chicago, and Michael Hagenson and develop a plan that satisfies everyone involved, including the community.

“We will see, we don’t know if the community wants the neighborhood to go that way,” Schneider said. “Is this how we want to see the things go in the next five years?”

Stay with Logan Squarist as we continue to follow this story.