HUMBOLDT PARK — A number of local bands who have called a Humboldt Park warehouse-turned-rehearsal space home for as many as six years are being forced to leave to make way for a metal fabrication company, according to tenants.
Last week, about 100 fliers were posted around the warehouse at 3600 W. Potomac Ave., known as Potomac Studios, saying all bands must be out by May 1.
Several local bands, including Bow & Spear, Twin Peaks, Glyders and The Bombats, either now practice or have practiced in the warehouse, which has been open about six years.
According to the notice, the building is under contract and will soon be transferred to a new owner, who is asking all the bands to evacuate. The transaction currently is not listed in city records.
Jackson said there are more than 100 of these fliers posted around the warehouse. [Provided]
The notice reads: "California Studios has been served with an eviction notice. Bands should plan to have their gear removed by May 1 in order to avoid being locked out of the premises. You have been warned. Spread the word. Stay at your own risk."
The eviction is challenging for band members, who say it will be difficult to find a new place to practice, especially in the Humboldt Park and Logan Square area, which is changing rapidly.
"That area of Humboldt is on the up-and-up, so it's getting more popular, and property values are going up," said Doug Jackson, 22, who plays bass for The Bombats.
"Everyone felt comfortable [at Potomac Studios]. It was a good creative space we cultivated, and now we have to start new."
Attempts to reach the new owner were unsuccessful Wednesday, but Max Brink, a longtime tenant who runs an electric piano repair business out of the building, said the new owner wants to convert the warehouse into a metal fabrication business.
Brink said Adam Ashbach, owner of Potomac Studios/California Studios, has been subleasing the warehouse to bands. The spaces cost between $200 and $550 per month, according to its website.
It's unclear whether California Studios, Ashbach's second rehearsal space under the same umbrella, also is closing. The 10,000-square-foot Victorian home-turned-rehearsal space is at 2616 N. California Ave. Ashbach didn't immediately return a message.
A band member posted a flier in response. [Provided]
Jackson, as well as other band members interviewed by DNAinfo Chicago, don't plan to fight the eviction. Jackson intends to remove his equipment from the warehouse and find a new rehearsal space, which he likened to finding a new apartment.
"The whole idea of moving spaces is a big deal for a lot of bands our size," Jackson said, adding that they had to find a group of 12 musicians to help split the cost of the space. "Contributing a lot of money to the space is tough."
Brink was told he could stay in the building despite the change in ownership because he's in the other half of the building, which is essentially an addition. But he has not been presented with a lease yet. He said the eviction could make the building more safe.
"If there was a fire like that one in Oakland, it would've been really bad news," said Brink, referring to the fire that broke out in an Oakland, Calif,. arts space that killed 36 people. "The transition is probably a good thing for that reason."
Still, Brink is sad to see the bands go. He called the move the "end of an era."
"I feel for them having to move out on such short notice. I've been in spaces like this for a very long time. It's been a creative space with a lot of interesting people," he said.
