The wheels are greased and if everything works out right a building at 206 S. Jefferson in Chicago will eventually attain the official landmark status that it already has in our hearts.
One of the sites of seminal Chicago nightclub The Warehouse was approved at the regular monthly hearing of the Commission on Chicago Landmarks on Thursday, April 13, 2023.
The vote for “preliminary landmark status” was unanimous.
The Warehouse, at 206 S. Jefferson St., received a preliminary landmark recommendation from the Commission on Chicago Landmarks today. From 1977 to 1982, the three-story West Loop building served as the dance club where House music was born, led by pioneering DJ Frankie Knuckles. pic.twitter.com/Pcon3aqKZO
— Chicago DPD (@ChicagoDPD) April 13, 2023
The Warehouse was the site of Frankie Knuckles’ first residency in Chicago after arriving from New York. The relocation was preceded by promoter Robert Williams, who first opened The Warehouse as “US Studios” before changing the name and giving the world a primer in how to run a house music club — and an LGBTQ+ establishment in a particularly hostile time and place.
The building has long been converted into a commercial office space, and sold to new owners in December. Preservation Chicago cited 206 S. Jefferson as one of Chicago’s seven “most endangered” buildings and destinations.
The petition begun by Preservation Chicago generated more than 12,000 signatures in a month.
The vote will be followed by a final recommendation and then approval by the full Chicago City Council before final landmark status is approved. While nobody has done a straw poll, it should be noted that both the incoming city council and the incoming mayor are particularly receptive toward house music culture.
