Double Door, a concert hall and nightclub, was located in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, United States. The venue was first opened on June 12, 1994, and was co-owned by Andrew Barrett, Sean Mulroney and Joe Shanahan. On June 12, 1994, under its current ownership, the Double Door hosted its first show, Lloyd Cole; the same week, the Smashing Pumpkins played under the name the Starchildren.[1] The venue at 1572 N. Milwaukee Avenue had a capacity of 473 people. It was two levels with a stage, sound system, dance floor and bar on the main floor; the second was a mezzanine level, the most intimate area of the club with its lounge type setting. A second bar and dance floor, Door No. 3, was located downstairs in the basement.
In 2005, the club was nearly shut down due to disagreements about its lease. The landlord, Brian Strauss, doubled the venue's rent.[5]
In 2013, Double Door's basement bar, formerly The Dirtroom, reopened as Door No. 3,[2] with a renewed focus on up-and-coming DJs as well as special events, ranging from electro-swing and cabaret to roots reggae.[6]
After 22 years in Wicker Park, the Double Door began looking to relocate in the Logan Square neighborhood. In 2016, following further leasing disputes, the owners of the Double Door filed a proposal with the city of Chicago to allow them to begin restoring the historic Logan Square State and Savings Bank building located at 2551 N. Milwaukee Ave., about a mile from its original location.[7]
The Double Door closed due to eviction in 2017.[2] However, by the end of 2018, more information surfaced that Double Door would be relocating instead to the Uptown neighborhood in a bank building that was formerly a theater.[2] In June 2021, owner Sean Mulroney confirmed the purchase of the Wilson Avenue Theater with the intent to re-open the Double Door by the end of the year.[8]
Uptown is one of Chicago's 77 community areas. Uptown's boundaries are Foster Avenue to the north; Lake Michigan to the east; Montrose Avenue, and Irving Park Road to the south; Ravenswood Avenue, and Clark Street to the west. To the north is Edgewater, to the west is Lincoln Square, and to the south is Lakeview. Near the lake are some of the northern reaches of Lincoln Park, including Montrose Beach and multiple nature reserves. The area has a mix of commercial and residential development, and includes a well-established entertainment district of clubs and concert venues, and was a center for early film making. Truman College, a two-year city college, is located here, and the area's southwest corner includes the historic 19th century Graceland Cemetery.
Logan Square is an official community area, historical neighborhood, and public square on the northwest side of the City of Chicago. The Logan Square community area is one of the 77 city-designated community areas established for planning purposes. The Logan Square neighborhood, located within the Logan Square community area, is centered on the public square that serves as its namesake, located at the three-way intersection of Milwaukee Avenue, Logan Boulevard and Kedzie Boulevard.
West Town, northwest of the Loop on Chicago's West Side, is one of the city's officially designated community areas. Much of this area was historically part of Polish Downtown, along Western Avenue, which was then the city's western boundary. West Town was a collection of several distinct neighborhoods and the most populous community area until it was surpassed by Near West Side in the 1960s. The boundaries of the community area are the Chicago River to the east, the Union Pacific railroad tracks to the south, the former railroad tracks on Bloomingdale Avenue to the North, and an irregular western border to the west that includes the city park called Humboldt Park. Humboldt Park is also the name of the community area to West Town's west, Logan Square is to the north, Near North Side to the east, and Near West Side to the south. The collection of neighborhoods in West Town along with the neighborhoods of Bucktown and the eastern portion of Logan Square have been referred to by some media as the "Near Northwest Side".
Division Street is a major east-west street in Chicago, Illinois, located at 1200 North. Division Street begins in the Gold Coast neighborhood near Lake Shore Drive, passes through Polonia Triangle at Milwaukee Avenue into Wicker Park and continues to Chicago's city limits and into the city's western suburbs. Once known as "Polish Broadway" during the heyday of Polish Downtown, Division Street was the favorite street of author Nelson Algren. A fountain dedicated in his name was installed in what had been the area that figured as the inspiration for much of his work.
Division Street Russian and Turkish Baths / Red Square is a traditional Russian-style bathhouse at 1914 W. Division Street in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, which closed in 2010 and reopened in 2011 under the name Red Square, offering separate facilities for both men and women, with some mixed gender areas as well. It has operated since 1906.
Metro is a concert hall in Chicago, Illinois, United States, that plays host to a variety of local, regional and national emerging bands and musicians. The Metro was first opened in 1982. The capacity is 1,100, divided between the main floor and the balcony. The building housing Metro also houses Smart Bar underneath the main venue.
Wicker Park is a neighborhood in the West Town community area of Chicago, Illinois, west of the Kennedy Expressway, east of Humboldt Park, and south of the Bloomingdale Trail, known for its hipster culture, art community, nightlife, and food scene.
Six Corners is a shopping district in the Portage Park neighborhood of Chicago's Northwest Side.
Damen is a rapid transit station on the Chicago "L", currently serving the O'Hare branch of its Blue Line. Opened on May 6, 1895, as Robey, it is the oldest station on the Blue Line. The station serves the popular Bucktown and Wicker Park neighborhoods, and is consistently in the top 40 highest-ridership "L" stations. It has two wooden side platforms and a brick station house at street level. The west platform, serving southbound trains, contains a tower that has never been used but is a relic of the station's past. The station is served by three bus routes on Damen, Milwaukee, and North Avenues, which are each descended from streetcar lines on those streets in the early 20th century. The Blue Line has owl service; while the surrounding streetcar lines also had owl service in the early 20th century, the modern bus services do not.
The Riviera Theatre is a concert venue located on the north side of Chicago, Illinois, United States.
North Milwaukee Avenue is a street in the city of Chicago and the northern suburbs.
SOMA is a concert venue in the Midway neighborhood of San Diego, California, adjacent to the San Diego Sports Arena. It has been described as San Diego's "leading all-ages venue for punk and alternative-rock concerts."
The Rave/Eagles Club is a concert venue and landmark in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The Kinetic Playground was a short-lived nightclub located in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois.
Joe Shanahan is the founder and owner of Metro Chicago and smartbar in Chicago, Illinois. He is also the part owner of the Daily Bar and Grill, as well as Double Door when the venue was in its Wicker Park location.
The Northwest Tower, popularly known as the Coyote Building, is a 12-story Art Deco building at the corner of North Avenue and Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago. It was designed by Perkins, Chatten & Hammond and built between 1928 and 1929.
Chicago Lakeshore Hospital was a private behavioral health and addiction treatment center located in the north side of the city of Chicago, Illinois.
Neo was a nightclub located at 2350 N. Clark St. in the Chicago neighborhood of Lincoln Park. Established on July 25, 1979 Neo was the oldest or one of the oldest running nightclubs in Chicago and was a hangout and venue for a variety of musicians and artists, including David Bowie, Iggy Pop, David Byrne, the Clash, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and U2. The nightclub has been noted for being gay-friendly as well as part of goth subculture. Sources differ as to whether or not the character Neo from The Matrix franchise drew inspiration from the nightclub and its patrons.
The Ritz Ybor is an events venue located in the historic Ybor City, within Tampa, Florida. Opening in 1917, the theatre catered to the Afro-Cuban community in the emerging neighborhood. Throughout the years, the venue was served as a cinema, adult movie theater, nightclub and concert venue. The theatre was transformed into its current incarnation in 2008; becoming one of Tampa's premier live music and events venue.
1958 West North Avenue is a building in the Wicker Park neighborhood of West Town, Chicago, located at its "Six Corners" of the intersections of Damen Avenue, North Avenue, and Milwaukee Avenue. Built in the 1870s, it had a corner turret, cornice, and mansard roof prior to the 1960s. The ground floor housed a bar continuously from 1979 until 2017; since 2005, that bar had been Tavern, a well-known nightlife haunt. It had also housed a dance club in its upper floors since the 1990s. The building is owned by Tefik Menetti of the nightclub-owning Menetti family; he purchased it from his brother Sam in February 2017.
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