Last month, a judge ruled that the Double Door will need to vacate its current location in Wicker Park, where the venue has been hosting concerts for more than 20 years. The ruling was the culmination of a lengthy legal battle between the venue and its landlord, who wanted to evict the venue after its owners did not give proper notice of their intention to renew the lease on the space.
Now, the Chicago Tribune is reporting that the Double Door will be allowed to remain in its current location through the end of the year—a decision that was reached in a closed-door hearing between the venue and its landlord. The Double Door has concerts and events booked through February 2017, so the stay of execution will allow the venue to fulfill the majority of it current obligations and continue hosting popular events like Soul Summit and Fabitat.
While the Double Door will remain in Wicker Park through the end of 2016, the venue's co-owners seem determined to continue hosting concerts in Chicago. Double Door co-owner Sean Mulroney told the Tribune, "Double Door is not leaving the city of Chicago. We're not done. We still hope to work things out in that building."
While it seems unlikely that the building's landlord will have a change of heart and allow Double Door to stick around beyond the end of the year, a few weeks ago it seemed equally unlikely that the Double Door would stay in its Wicker Park location for the remainder of 2016. For the time being, let's just appreciate the opportunity to continue enjoying one of Chicago's best music venues.