Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Double Door Liquors, Iconic Wicker Park Venue, Facing Eviction

By Alex Nitkin | December 3, 2015 12:51pm | Updated on December 3, 2015 1:07pm
 The Double Door, a Wicker Park staple since 1994, is facing eviction from its building on Milwaukee Avenue.
The Double Door, a Wicker Park staple since 1994, is facing eviction from its building on Milwaukee Avenue.
View Full Caption
Facebook/Double Door

WICKER PARK — Music and entertainment venue Double Door Liquors is facing eviction after missing the chance to renew its lease, according to legal documents.

The owners of Double Door, which has played host to wide-ranging acts including the Rolling Stones, Rise Against and Sonic Youth, had 180 days to renew their lease for the building at 1572 N. Milwaukee Ave. before it expired Oct. 31, according to Bonita L. Stone, an attorney representing the landlord. After the date passed, the landlord filed a legal complaint asking for a judge to order the eviction.

"Their lease is past expired, they have not willingly vacated, and the owner wants them out," Stone told DNAinfo Chicago. "Our hope is that they voluntarily and peaceably vacate, and we hope they do it soon. The owner obviously wanted to avoid litigation if possible, but in this case they had no choice but to sue."

The landlord is asking for a judge to issue a court order forcing the tenant's hand, Stone said. It's not clear when this order may come down, she said, but "the normal process for these kinds of complaints is pretty fast."

Double Door Liquors opened June 1994, according to its website. It is supposed to host a sold-out show for The Get Up Kids 20th Anniversary Tour Thursday night.

The move comes about 10 years after a contentious and very public lease dispute, which drew the attention of thousands of supporters, who started online petitions and wrote letters to the alderman. Before the settlement in 2005, neighbors banded together to fight against what they suspected would be a corporate takeover of their indie community, due to rumors that a Banana Republic would be moving in, according to a Tribune article.

Messages left with Double Door Liquors management were not returned Thursday.

For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here: